WHERE:Vallo Forest: Their Spot WHEN:June 30th, 2021 (Backdated) WHAT:Nyx and Bucky test some important words one last time, to be sure. It goes well. WARNINGS:None STATUS:Complete
Bucky had picked the spot deliberately. He had known that if, for any reason, the trigger words worked and he went into Winter Soldier mode, that Nyx would need any and every advantage that he could get, to put him down. So this was the spot that he picked - the river that they had gotten married in, privately and away from any other eyes. Bucky had considered the ceremony that they had done here their first and true wedding. The one they had done in their backyard, in front of their friends and family, had merely been for show and a way to show their bond in front of their loved ones.
So this powerful reminder was something Bucky hoped would be enough to make him reconsider trying to bash Nyx's face in, if everything went to hell.
He was sitting on the bank of the river, shoes off and feet in the water, when Nyx arrived. Bucky didn't look up at the sound of the familiar footsteps, but he did smile to himself when he felt the kiss his husband pressed to the top of his head. Closing his eyes, he cherished it, hoping it wouldn't be the last, that what he had done with Dan hadn't been a mistake, that everything would turn out okay even though Zemo was now here.
"Can we just...sit here for a bit? Before we try?" The older man asked quietly, reaching out for Nyx's hand with his own.
For the most part it was pretty easy to go through their day to day life and not forget necessarily of the Winter Soldier - but to just not have it be at the top of the list of things to think about on any given day. Except of course, the universe tended to have a way of pushing it to the top from time to time. And Zemo showing up? Well, that definitely pushed it to the top of the list.
Nyx had been working on orders for the bar when it all went down and he quickly rushed back to their property. He toed off his own shoes and dropped the light kiss to the top of Bucky's head as he sat down next to his husband.
The reasons for picking this spot were not lost on Nyx, and if they were going to do this he was in agreeance that somewhere with such an emotional significance to them was probably the best call.
He threaded his fingers through Bucky's and gave his hand a little squeeze. Nyx was nervous, and while he tried to hide it, he was sure it showed in the tension in his shoulders, the tightness around his eyes. And it wasn't nerves at the possibility of facing down the Winter Soldier. He'd handle whatever that threw his way. It was the worry that Bucky would have to deal with that again. That between all the universe hopping and the memory updates and everything else, the words that had been neutralized for him would suddenly be active again. That the control Bucky had finally been given back, would be gone.
The thought was ugly and terrible, and twisted something awful in the pit of his stomach.
Nyx let out a slow breath and let his head fall against Bucky's shoulder. "As long as you need," he answered. He'd sit there for days if needed.
If they could afford to spend days there, Bucky would have absolutely been down with that plan. It was easy to forget the rest of the world when he was with Nyx, that there were problems awaiting them outside of their shared bubble. He could have very easily lived his life on a farm with Nyx, tending to their livestock and living day to day. But given who they were as people and what their lives consisted of - monsters, magic, and world ending threats - they would never have that kind of life. Not unless they left their other loved ones behind and left for isolation.
And even then, there was no guarantee a King wouldn’t show up at your doorstep bringing you back into that world. But for now, he took some time to just sit there with Nyx, letting his head fall against the other man’s and taking in the quiet noise of the river and forest around them.
Eventually, though, he sighed. “Alright, we probably shouldn’t put this off for too long. The longer I sit here, the more I don’t want to do this.”
No, they couldn't ignore the world forever. But Nyx would be forever grateful for the little they did manage to carve out. Those moments where their histories and all that they entailed could just… fade away for a while. Moments they could just be.
Nyx nodded a little under Bucky's head and then lifted his own. He took a moment to just look at his husband, slide a hand behind Bucky's neck and kiss him. The very real possibility that this could all go wrong weighed on him in that moment, and he was sure it showed in the kiss, as much as he tried to keep it from feeling too desperate.
He stayed close when he broke the kiss, hand still behind Bucky's neck. "I love you," he said softly between them. Whatever may or may not happen next wouldn't change that at all.
Smiling and going a little cross eyed trying to look at Nyx from so close, he kept his head pressed to the other man’s after that kiss. “I love you too.” He could go on and on about what he wanted Nyx to take care of in case something went wrong, but...he just trusted the other man to know what his wishes would be. There were very few people who knew and understood Bucky as he was now. Nyx was on top of that list.
Heaving a sigh, he pulled away and reluctantly stood, offering the other man a hand. “Alright,” he said, keeping his shoes off to keep him at a disadvantage. He started to step back, pulling some distance between them. “I’m ready.” Time for those lovely Russian code words that could turn him back into a mindless killing machine possibly.
Nyx settled a few feet back, held a hand out and enclosed Bucky in a bubble of barely visible shimmery blue. It wasn't fancy, this wasn't setting up something for people coming and going but just a fail safe. Something to hold him should this end the way they didn't want it to. Nyx was keenly aware of the sheer trust being placed in him to do this, and he'd do everything at his disposal to contain Bucky should the sequence still work.
"I'll find you," he said - the same promise he'd given months earlier. His gaze intense as he looked at Bucky, as he reached across the space between them, feeling across the bond between them. Almost like he was trying to tether them together before he started in on the words.
He let out a breath and then started speaking, his voice even and toneless as he focused on getting the Russian pronunciation right. "Longing, rusted, seventeen, daybreak, furnace, nine, benign, homecoming…" he slowed slightly as he got to the end, a hint of a waver creeping in as he hit the last two. "One, freight car..." He stopped. And waited.
That warmth that always seemed to engulf him whenever Nyx activated their bond settled whatever nerves he was feeling. The tenseness of his shoulders lessened, his grim frown that had sprung up in preparation for what they were about to do faded, and life seemed to spring back into his eyes after going dead-eyed for a few long moments.
Feeling that tether to this reality, to his husband and other half, he felt more confident in this working. He closed his eyes though, when Nyx started to speak. Letting the words wash over him, he didn’t feel that awful familiar feeling that made him feel like he was slipping away into a dark corner of his own mind. In fact, other than annoyance at the whole situation, he felt nothing.
When Nyx finished with the last word and Bucky was still there, he opened his eyes and smiled, sending a wave of happiness back through their bond to Nyx. “Guess we didn’t need that kill switch after all,” he said, waiting for Nyx to drop the barrier.
Nyx hoped for the best and prepared for the worst. It was what kept him alive through a decade of war. So while he hoped (gods did he hope) that the words he spoke were just that, words. He had the other half of his brain already running through the contingency plan should they be more than that.
But the smile Bucky gave him was a huge wave of relief. Not just for himself, but for Bucky. The knowing that all the universe hopping and everything else hadn't undone the work to keep him from ever having to worry about a string of words again. Nyx let the barrier fall and closed the distance between them with big steps.
Nyx slipped his hands behind Bucky's neck and took a moment to kiss him, his own smile evident on his lips as he did. He pulled back, pressed another quick and soft kiss and then pulled back again to look at Bucky. "Guess not," he agreed.
He let his forehead drop against his husband's, fingers curled into the longer hair at the back of Bucky's neck. "I'm glad you know though," he said softly. At least some semblance of peace about something in their chaos lives.
He smiled again and took a step back after a long moment. "Food?" he asked with a bit of a laugh. All the adrenaline washing away was making him hungry. He reached for Bucky's hand and started back toward the house.