A Feeling Of Normality [Bucky Barnes x Reader]

Part 9. Wakanda.

"We are cool."

"And he knows that too?" [Y/N] asks nervous because the last time she met the King of Wakanda, they weren't exactly friends and far away from being cool.

Steve laughs, finding her nervousness kind of adorable. Even if she has already opened up to him over the last few months, he is glad that she drops her facade in front of him. When he and [Y/N] are together, she is just herself, with all her worries and thoughts, instead of the cheeky tongue with which she wanted to keep everyone at a distance. "Yes, he knows that too. The invitation comes from him."

"Good..." she mumbles and walks over to Steve, who puts his left arm around her shoulder and pulls her closer to him.

"Don't worry" he tries to reassure her but his friend is only listening with one ear as her gaze wanders over the landscape once more, that is getting closer now. They're about to land.

"Do I have to bow?" she asks Steve quickly, nervously, while the loading hatch is already lowering. She had bombarded her friend with questions for the past few hours, but feels like she doesn't know enough.

"No" Steve replies amused and squeezes her shoulders soothingly before pushing her forward. He's excited to be back here himself. It's been months and he hasn't seen his best friend since he decided to put himself on hold again. Steve would almost be offended that Bucky asked for her if he wouldn't have asked for Steve first. Still, it seems like he has to face serious competition.
He's relieved to see that only a few Wakandans have turned up to greet them because [Y/N] is already a bundle of nerves. She really doesn't like the thought of being in Wakanda and Steve can't blame her. He knows her well by now and is beginning to understand what she has suffered and that her trust is limited. Her loyalty to Bucky impresses him even more. Not that his friend is not worth it but the times as the Winter Soldier have changed him a lot and he, the best friend who was almost murdered by him several times, could understand that best.

Not that he had any doubts but [Y/N] is doing everything very well. She got the greeting and introduction behind her and feels less nervous than before in the jet. T'Challa pats her on the shoulder with a laugh and Steve hears him say: "You sure want to see him now."

[Y/N] nods uncertainly and throws Steve a look over her shoulder, who only nods encouragingly.

***

[Y/N] follows a beautiful black woman down the long paths of the large building that she believes to be the castle. She wears a red robe, holding a golden spear in her hand. The woman doesn't say a word but her charisma alone almost freezes [Y/N] with respect. There are few situations where she really shuts up and this is clearly one of those situations. After what feels like an eternity of silence, the woman stops in front of a door. She only points once with her head from [Y/N] to the door, then she looks straight ahead.

Taking another deep breath, [Y/N] nods thanks to the woman and then carefully opens the door. Seeing what's in front of her doesn't mean she understands it. The room is bright, all white walls, in the middle of the room is a white bed with blue neon lights on the lower frame. There is a suitcase on the bed, which is just being packed by no one other than a man with a metal arm. Her emotions overwhelm [Y/N] and all she can do is stand there like frozen while watching his movements. He's not only alive. He's fine. He's really fine. And he's right in front of her.

Probably only a few seconds have passed but [Y/N] has the feeling of standing at the entrance for ages when Bucky turns around and their eyes meet. They stand there and look at each other and this short moment feels like a little eternity for both of them. [Y/N] still doesn't know how to react because she hasn't heard from him for months and has avoided most of the conversations about him. She assumed to never see him again but now here he is: standing right in front of her whilst she fears for her heart to jump out of her chest.

Eventually [Y/N] manages to break free from their rigidity. "Nice new arm" she says and lets her gaze wander to Bucky's left arm, which is now made of black metal.

"Kind of a parting present" Bucky replies as briefly as always. Even if he doesn't change a face, he is delighted to see the woman across from him. He doesn't even know what pleases him more. To see that she is okay or to have her around. The last thought surprises Bucky and he suddenly  wonders why he even asked to see her in the first place. Almost a year has passed and he has nothing better to do than fly her to Wakanda.

"A parting present?" asks [Y/N] and finally moves away from the door and stops right next to Bucky. Her gaze wanders through the clothes in his suitcase and Bucky is relieved that he has stowed his underpants right at the beginning, wondering if this woman really knows no boundaries. [Y/N], on the other hand, is just trying to avoid his gaze, fearing to lose her ability to speak once more.

Nevertheless, he looks at her in surprise, his breathing is a little faster now that she is so close to him. "What did Steve tell you?" he wonders.

"Not enough, I'm afraid" replies [Y/N] and takes her eyes off the clothes and looks up at Bucky, still avoiding his eyes. He has changed. He looks less tired, his muscles are more visible, his hair has grown longer and [Y/N] is surprised that he has at least shaved because he looks like a modern Jesus. "How are you?" she asks lovingly.

"I've had worse days" replies Bucky and can hardly suppress a slight smile. A lot has happened in the last few months and he is happy to have a friend around him. Especially a friend that acts like no time has passed and nothing has changed between the two of them. It gives him a weird feeling of normality. [Y/N] returns his smile when the door to his room opens again. Immediately, they both turn to the entrance, where Steve is already standing with a smile, his hands in his pockets. "It has been a while."

Bucky grins and [Y/N] can't help but notice how Bucky's whole posture changes. It becomes looser and the upturned corners of the mouth create small wrinkles around the eyes. He's really happy to see his best friend. "Nice to see you, man" Bucky answers. Steve has already started moving and [Y/N] makes room for the two men to hug and pat on the back like only men can.

"Okay, I'll leave you alone so you can end this" says [Y/N] and points up and down with both hands at Bucky and Steve, who both just grin at her.

"Don't go too far, we still have to talk" says Steve.

"Don't worry, if I take a wrong turn here, I'll never find my way out of the building... Or one of these stern-looking guards will kill me." Without waiting for an answer, she leaves the room.

"She really has the loosest tongue in the world" Steve sighs while averting his gaze from the door [Y/N] has just walked out of.

Bucky, on the other hand, grins. He kind of likes her naughty manner. "It certainly helped you to miss me less."

Now Steve is grinning too. "You are really alike sometimes."

"She does not know the real reason for your trip, does she?" Bucky asks with a more serious expression.

"I didn't want to overwhelm her. She..." Like usually, Steve pauses to find the right words. "She doesn't know what exactly happened to you. I thought the information about your return is enough for her for now."

Bucky can't hold back the grin on his face because Steve still seems to have no knack for women, this one in particular.  "She'll surely kill you for it."

"I have no doubt about that" Steve admits with a sigh.