The Mimic

126

"Hey, go play with Bucky! I've got my hands full!" Y/n exclaimed with a laugh.

A few weeks had passed, and y/n and Bucky had settled into Wakandan life. One of the villages had offered them a place to stay, and y/n accepted it straight away. Yes, T'Challa had offered them the same hotel room from their previous visits, but y/n didn't want that. This was different from their other stays in Wakanda, this was far more permanent. Wakanda was the safest place that the pair could be, especially due to the fact that they were still perceived as war criminals by the rest of the world.

It did take a little while to adjust to it all, but Bucky had never seen y/n smile so much. She adored it all, and was extremely helpful when it came to tasks in their little village. Much to Bucky's disdain, she'd offer her and Bucky up for everything. But even the most mundane task was made fun by just being beside one another. They embraced the culture completely. Y/n would eat any food that was offered her way, no matter the smell, spice, or sight of it. She appreciated all and any food after her time in the Raft, it was all still an explosion for her taste buds. She was just happy. 

However, the few weeks in Wakanda hadn't wiped away the hell and torture from the Raft. It was all still fresh in her mind. And whilst having Bucky around and doing little tasks helped to distract her, y/n would still have her moments. From time to time, Bucky would catch her in one of those moments. It was a completely empty stare. A blank look on her face would appear in seconds, no matter if she was previously smiling or not, and her body would close in on itself as if she was protecting herself from something. It was never a nice thing to see. He couldn't even imagine what was going on in her head at those times. But, as soon as Bucky noticed, he would snap her out of it and distract her. He knew that distraction wasn't the best way to approach it, but in private the pair would talk about everything going on. They were heavy talks that lasted late into the night, but they both knew that it was better to talk about it than to ignore it completely.

Currently, y/n had a few big baskets of different fruits, breads, and other food stacked in her hands. A fond smile was plastered across her face as several of the village children that had raced over to her begun to race toward her and Bucky's shared hut. The children adored her, and y/n adored them right back. Every Wednesday evening, y/n would tell them a bedtime story, and use her powers to bring it all to life. It was the village's favourite night. She would do anything for those kids, even if they were a little too hyper at times. She just wanted to give them the childhood that she never had. 

Y/n knew exactly what she was doing when she sent the kids to play with Bucky. He was still asleep in the hut. She'd decided to let him sleep in for a little longer whilst she bought some more food for the village from the markets. Y/n would always offer to pick up food for everyone whilst at the market, it was just easier, especially when she knew that most of the other families were busy in the mornings. 

"White Wolf! White Wolf!" A few of the children chanted as they burst into the hut, jumping all over Bucky to wake him up. It wasn't the first time the children had done this, but it still gave Bucky a heart attack every single time.

He jolted awake, grunting as he was jumped on from almost every direction. "Alright! Alright! I'm up!" He exclaimed with a slight laugh. Usually he'd be grumpy, but it was actually a pretty sweet way to be woken up. Of course waking up beside y/n was number one, but this was nice too. He slowly sat up, watching with a fond smile as the children tried to get him to play. "Did y/n set you to this?" Bucky asked, already knowing the answer. He couldn't help but adore them all, even if they tried to make him an arm out of twigs every single day. Bucky's smile just seemed to widen as the children nodded, exclaiming that 'Dragon' had told them to do it.

You see, y/n and Bucky were both given names almost immediately. Y/n had been called 'Dragon' ever since their first visit to Wakanda, but apparently the children had decided to stick with it. Bucky wasn't sure how he'd gotten the name 'White Wolf', but he liked it. Y/n liked to tease him and tell him that it sounded like an old man's name, but her teasing was quickly shut down once Bucky reminded her that she was actually old her than him. 

It didn't take long for Bucky to be dragged out of the hut, laughing as the children tugged on his arm. "Go find some swords then, and I'll play!" He exclaimed in an animated tone, watching as they ran off in search for sticks. Sword-fighting with sticks seemed to be their favourite thing to do with Bucky, but he didn't mind. He liked to teach them little knife flips with the shorter twigs. He probably wasn't the best influence, but the children loved it.

Once the children had run away, Bucky leant against the doorway of their shared hut. He ran a hand tiredly through his hair as he glanced around the village. It was always nice in the morning. The kids were always wild, but it still created a nice atmosphere. However, there was only one person that Bucky was scanning around for. Y/n. He did manage to spot her, and just at the sight his smile just seemed to widen. God, how could he fall even further in love with someone?

Y/n was happily chatting away to one of the mothers, not even noticing Bucky staring at her. She had a toddler held comfortably on her hip as she helped to unpack the various baskets. Of course she was quickly distracted by the babbling toddler, booping his little nose as she begun to talk back to him as if she could understand what he was saying. It was a sweet sight. Y/n looked like a natural mother. She definitely had all of the maternal instincts for it, but the pair had never had that conversation. 

It didn't take long for y/n to look up and lock eyes with Bucky, a mischievous smile appearing on her face at the sight of him being awake. Bucky smiled right back at her, crossing his arms over his chest. 'I hate you' He silently mouthed, watching as y/n gasped dramatically, gaining the toddler's attention. She pointed toward Bucky so the toddler would look at him, and, in just a few seconds, y/n and the toddler were sticking their tongues out at Bucky. 

God, they were so happy.