look after you × winterwidow & oc

X. supernova

april 2018

"Alpine, get back here!" Katya scrambled to her feet, racing after the white cat that once again was refusing his medicine.

James stopped at the threshold to let her through, leaning back comically so he wouldn't get trampled.

"Katya, get your donkey out of my kitchen!" Natasha yelled from across the room, trying to push the donkey's head out of the window he snuck it in through. Phezulu couldn't care less and just brayed, looking her straight in the eyes. "Oh, come on!"

"Just close the window!" the girl suggested, reaching underneath the sofa to grab Alpine. "Don't be mean." she scolded when he tried to scratch her and caught him by the neck at the last second.

"Seriously?!" James glared at Liho who sat at the counter completely unbothered after pushing a mug off the counter. He crouched down to pick up the broken pieces, which thankfully remained quite big.

"Why did I agree to that, again?" he asked, taking the paper towels from Natasha as she moved them out of the donkey's reach.

"You didn't." she reminded "Katya, a little help here?!"

"Coming!"

Alpine sprinted out of her arms after she made sure he swallowed the pill. After half a year in their, mostly Katya's care, Alpine was doing much better. Gained some weight, his fur grew back, now snow white, for as long as he didn't sneak outside. The color also granted him his name. Yet given that the cat was barely alive when Katya first brought him in, he still needed some medication from time to time, and the responsibility for it, fell upon the girl, resulting in occasional races around the house.

Katya left the house and soon Phezulu's head also disappeared, accompanied by his usual screams as the girl led him back to the small pen nearby. It wasn't their donkey. He still very much belonged to his owner but the girl took him on walks almost daily and James decided that he could have his place. Natasha wasn't convinced, but at the least, they finally had the fence. Maybe not around the house but it was there.

"It's a mad house." Natasha sighed, finally closing the window and shooing Liho off the counter.

James murmured in agreement, wiping the last of his coffee from the floor. After throwing the paper into the trash can, he managed to plop down on the couch next to Natasha, when Katya came back. Unexpectedly, not alone.

"We have guests," she announced, stepping aside to reveal T'Challa accompanied by Okoye.

He gave a nod in greeting. Okoye placed a long black suitcase with silver ornaments on the table. "I'm afraid your rest has come to an end." the King informed, gesturing toward the suitcase. "For you, Sergeant Barnes."

Unsure, yet already suspecting what might be inside, James stepped closer and clicked the suitcase open. It gave a mechanical whirl as it revealed its content. A long-awaited, new arm. Black with gold inserts between the bigger plates. Katya let out a quiet sound of amazement, getting a peek at it over her father's shoulder.

"Where's the fight?" James asked, suddenly looking much more tired and older than he usually did.

"Coming," T'Challa said. "Try it on, and I'll explain. My sister says it's automatic, whatever that could mean."

James picked the arm up and brought it closer to what now served as a joint. As soon as it got close enough, the small bits in his shoulder reacted with whirring and lighting up. All he had to do was touch the two parts together for them to align and click.

It felt weird at first, like a gentle electrocution through the arm but it was gone the moment he flexed the black, shiny fingers for the first time. As much as he hated the previous arm and everything it stood for all these years, it worked just fine, but the new one already felt much better. It was lighter, felt smoother, somehow more his, like he didn't just attach it to himself not even a minute before. Once again, Shuri outdid herself.