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"Then they weren't doing it right," Bucky said, his expression still a bit sharp.
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"Just for that, I'll buy you a pastry, too." Kenzie smiled. It was kind of a nice feeling, someone offering to defend her like that. She kind of liked it.
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That made Bucky blink.
"I didn't... do it for a pastry," he said, a bit baffled. |
"No, you didn't, you did it because you wanted to." Kenzie smiled a bit. "I find myself wanting to give you something, though. Like I said, I've never had anyone defend me. It is... pleasant."
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Bucky blinked, but didn't protest. It felt oddly like that 'positive reinforcement' that Steve was always trying to push on him, and he found it wasn't wholly unpleasant.
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Kenzie gently tugged him into the coffee place and ordered her coffee before motioning for him to get whatever he'd like. She didn't mind, after all.
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Bucky considered the choices, and ended up ordering a plain cream-and-sugar coffee alongside an old-fashioned donut. They were the most familiar things offered, and they were the most comfortable options.
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Kenzie paid and picked a table in the back, settling in to give him the view of the rest of the café. She figured that would make him feel more secure.
"How is it, living in the tower?" She was curious, but she was also a little concerned. He was better, more stable, every time she saw him, but she wanted to be sure. |
Bucky blinked at the sudden question.
"'S okay," he said after a moment. "Can't complain, I guess." |
"Are they alright to you?" Kenzie quirked an eyebrow, and though she was tame about it, she was also inquiring if there was anyone she needed to remove for him.
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"They're..." How would he be able to explain that they still treated him like glass? He was damaged, sure, but he found he remembered more about who he used to be every day, and he wasn't about to snap on them. He paused when he realized she was offering to remove any threats. "I am capable of looking after myself."
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Kenzie wasn't sure if he was chastising her or not, so she briefly hid behind her coffee.
"I didn't..." She huffed. "I look after what is mine," she grumbled, pouting again. |
Bucky considered that for a moment.
"I'm not used to being... taken care of," he finally said. |
"I suppose that makes us even, in a way. We both do things the other doesn't expect, or isn't used to." Kenzie wasn't quite not-pouting yet, but she wasn't really upset.
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"I suppose," Bucky said. He was quiet for a moment. "The others have been asking about you."
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Kenzie blinked. "Is that good or bad?" she asked cautiously. "And which others? Sam and Steve have already met me."
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"I'm not sure if it's good or bad," Bucky replied. He paused for a second or two. "Sam and Steve ask after you. The others remember you from the first time, and ask."
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"So... they want to meet me?" Kenzie ventured, blinking. She hadn't quite expected that, to be honest. Not from the rest of the team.
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"I think so," Bucky said. "Steve and Sam might have been... talking."
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Kenzie huffed a bit at that but didn't actually protest. "Do you want me to meet them?" she asked curiously. Because it was a valid question, and if he said no she was fine with that.
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That made Bucky stop. He wasn't sure if he wanted to share her just yet. Finally, there was something, someone, that was (for all intents and purposes) just his.
"I'm... unsure," he said finally. |
"Then we'll wait and see," Kenzie said, shrugging. It didn't matter to her, and she really didn't mind either way, so she was fine with his decision.
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"Alright," Bucky said. He lapsed into silence again, but it was a comfortable silence.
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Kenzie didn't mind the silence, although she did keep an eye on things around them, mostly out of habit.
"Eat your donut," she said, nudging it towards him. |
"I'll eat it when I'm good and ready," Bucky retorted, sounding more like his old self than ever.
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