A Strangers Hand

Chapter 4

You waited in the small hotel room for hours, knowing you should be biding your time with sleep; but you fought the fatigue, the feeling of complete exhaustion all too familiar to you by now. When you tried to recall the last time you'd had a decent night of rest, your mind immediately took you back to Wakanda.

You settled into one of the ornate armchairs by the large window, trying to prepare yourself for all the different ways seeing Bucky again could end. As your mind wandered, you could feel your eyes getting heavier; just when you were sure the sleep you'd been fighting would overtake you, you heard footsteps in the hall and the muffled sound of a man's voice. Bucky?

You stood from your place by the window and counted every step as you walked towards the door, your hand hovered over the knob for a moment but you let it drop, pressing your forehead to the wooden frame with a long exhale. You fought with yourself over whether or not you should wait for Sam's word, or just rip the Band-Aid off and storm in there with conviction.

You had decided on the latter when you heard a loud crash, followed by the sound of John Walker's booming voice. You pulled your head back from the door and turned to press your ear against it, listening intently. He was there for Zemo.

Every part of you knew this would end in a fight and you decided now was the time to stop hiding on the sidelines and step up. If Bucky thought Zemo was an asset to this mission, then you had to trust that judgement. You squeezed your eyes shut, took a deep breath and turned the doorknob, stepping out into the hall; where you were immediately stopped by the body of a tall, slender figure.

Your eyes shot open and your chin tilted upward to look at the person before you, "Ayo?"

Her stern gaze softened slightly as she looked at you, "Y/N? I did not know you were here with James." Her face shifted in confusion. "I have been watching him for days and have not seen you."

Your face fell and you nodded, "Bucky doesn't know that I'm here...not yet anyway." You picked your eyes back up to meet hers with a raised brow, "Why are you here? Sam didn't mention anything about the Dora being involved."

Ayo gave you a half smile paired with a serious look in her eyes, "James did a very stupid thing and now I am here to undo it." Without further questions, you knew exactly what she meant. "It will be best for you to stay hidden for now, my pet. Remember, you are welcome in Wakanda, indefinitely. Though, White Wolf may be a different story, for now. I will alert James that there is someone waiting for him." She rested her hand on your shoulder for only a second and before you could protest, she continued down the hall, with two other members of the Dora Milaje on her flank.

You heeded Ayo's advice and slipped back into your room. Before you could even make it back to your seat by the window, you heard the unmistakable sounds of combat echoing down the corridor. Though you knew Bucky wasn't the target, you still felt uneasy knowing that he was the reason behind Ayo's interference.

Just as quickly as the fighting began, it was over. You could make out the faint sound of footsteps retreating down the hall and then, nothing. You sighed with relief and slumped down into the armchair, rubbing your temples with your fingertips.

"Bucky, wait!" Your head shot up as you heard Sam's voice bellow down the hallway. "Dammit. Buck!"

Your heart began to race in your chest as you heard loud footsteps outside of your room. Someone was running.

"Y/N?" Your whole body froze at the sound of him calling out for you, followed by a distant knocking. Not on your door, but every other door between his room and yours. "Y/N! Are you here?" The footsteps and knocking got closer every second and then, there was a deafening silence. You saw the shadow of his feet under your door and you could feel that he knew you were on the other side. You walked up to the wooden barrier and pressed your forehead against it, taking in a slow steadying breath. "Y/N. I know you're here... Please." Bucky's voice cracked as he pleaded, and you felt a piece of your heart break. You pulled back and gripped the ceramic knob so tightly you thought it might shatter in your hand, you turned it and pulled the door open.

You tried to maintain your composure as you took in the sight of him, his chest was heaving with adrenaline under his black t-shirt and when you met his eyes, you could see the brimming tears threatening to fall from them. You fought with yourself over what to say, but all you could muster was "You cut your hair."

The second your words left you, Bucky let out a staggered breath and pulled you into his arms. He gripped you so tightly, that if you hadn't been aching for this very moment for so long, you would have swore he was going to crush you. You felt your whole body relax as he held you, realizing that this was the first moment of comfort you had felt in nearly 6 years.