Steve nodded slowly, as if he had to confirm to both of them that yes, it was real, and yes, it was over. He breathed in deeply as their foreheads rested together, air mingling between their lips that had just touched â and that was only the start, because there was no way he would be content with just one kiss. It had been long enough that shivers ran up his spine and he idly noted how warm Yasha was, no signs of ever being frozen.
It took all of his â notably poor â self-control to let them break apart, eyes still on Yasha as he talked to the princess. It was only when her voice came out hesitant that Steve turned to look at Shuri and the suggestion, however soft-spoken, had him clenching his jaw. He made sure to look away so she wouldnât think that his annoyance was directed at her rather than at the situation.
âWe should. Doesnât make me want to,â he said with a sigh, stepping back. âBut we should.â He glanced at Yasha, fingers brushing over the back of his hand before he opened the book once more.
Each word came with a new sense of relief, before turning to a hint of dread at the next one. It became more and more unlikely that any of them would work and Steve felt his confidence building up until they reached the last trigger word, signaled as âUSE ONLY IF ALL ELSE FAILS. COMPLETE TERMINATIONâ. His lips trembled as he silently formed it, a feeble attempt to reduce its power once he said it out loud.
âAre you sureâŠ?â He asked over his shoulder, searching for Shuriâs steady presence nearby.
âYes, Captain. Weâre positive that it wonât have any effect, but in the hypothetical event that it does, we have the means for a full reanimation.â Seeing the look in his eyes, she added, âTrust me, the Soviets donât have what we do.â
Well, that didnât completely soothe his worries, but they hadnât failed so far and the word actually had never been used. It couldnât slip through their meticulous deprogramming and as soon as he said it, those phantoms of the past would finally vanish.
A deep breath, the book dropped down to the table. Steve leaned closer to his husband and stroked his cheek, eyes locked on his face. âSputnik.â
For all that Yasha was calmer than Steve about he whole thing, he still felt some apprehension going into the final trigger. His only tell was the way that his hand clenched in his lap, though his expression remained calm and expectant. It was almost morbid, the gentle way his husband stroked his cheek and stared straight into his eyes as he prepared to say the word that should, for all intents and purposes, kill him. Of all the possible ways to die, staring into those blue eyes and feeling that warm touch... It was a good one, Yasha figured.Â
And then Steve spoke. A long moment passed where Yasha didnât move.Â
âSputnik?â Yasha said dryly, incredulity settling in as the seconds passed with no reaction. He definitely didnât feel as though his body was shutting down against his will. Joy at their success warred with outrage. âThey made Sputnik my trigger?â he said with growing disdain, turning to Shuri. âThe most famous satellite in human history? What if I watched a documentary on the space race? What if I was talking with someone about it---I lived through it, after all.âÂ
âI figured youâd ask,â Shuri replied with a sense of self-assurance that Yasha knew heâd find annoying on anyone else, but she probably deserved. âI thought so too, but it made sense after studying how your mind reacted to the word in different contexts. In theory, it only would have worked if it was the only word said to you---it wouldnât trigger you if it were part of a conversation, with words before or after.â She turned away, distracted by looking over the floating chart displaying Yashaâs vitals. From his angle, he could see the way his pulse was slowly returning to normal. âYour brain had to comprehend it as an individual statement; there had to be at least some kind of pause before and after for it to register that way.âÂ
âHm.â Yasha hummed, some of his annoyance at the blasĂ© treatment of his very life having dimmed. (But still.) Then a small smile curled his lips, eyes turning back to Steve. âWell done, sakharok. Itâs over.â