Sunsets In Wakanda | A Buckynat FanFic

| Chapter 8 |

Chapter 8

By the time Natasha had made her way through the rolling hills of Wakanda, the sun had begun to descend behind the mountain tops, coating the sky in an orange glow. Shuri had welcomed her when the jet arrived but quickly pointed her in the right direction, sensing she had no time to waste. Natasha had hoped that this moment would have been nothing but joy. But, instead, she felt shame for what she was about to ask him to do. She tried to come up with a way to ask him to rejoin the fight, but no matter how she phrased it in her head, it felt like a betrayal.

Smoke from a chimney appeared a few hundred feet in front of her, pulling her out of her thoughts. A cabin soon appeared from behind a hill as she continued to walk, followed by an outline of a man. She stopped where she was, just to watch for a moment. He was tossing food to the chickens and goats behind the cabin. She was close enough to see the faint smile on his lips as the animals gathered around him. The left side of his body was still wrapped up in a blue sash. The moment the food was gone, they dispersed across the grounds. James removed the cross-body bag from his side and made his way to the front of what Natasha assumed to be his home. He had nestled down with a mug in his only hand, admiring the sunset, when Natasha decided it was the right time to approach.

It only took a few more seconds for James to see her walking towards him. Slowly standing up, he looked at her, not with a sense of surprise, but of relief like she had finally come home. They both stood still for a moment, soaking in the sight of each other. His hair and clothes were grimier from the laborious work of farming. Still, it brought the smallest of smiles to Natasha's face. James swiftly closed the gap between them, wrapping his one arm around her waist, bringing her in as close as possible. Natasha brought her hands to his face, guiding his lips to hers. Everything around them faded away for a bit as they embraced each other. James only pulled away to bring his forehead to hers, "What brings you here?"

At the moment, there was nothing for her to ask of him except to just be with her, "You." She responded in a whisper.

He immediately lifted her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He brought her into the cabin as the sunset behind them. In the darkness, they rediscovered every inch of each other as many times as they could. It had felt like a lifetime, but yet like no time had passed. They melted into a familiar rhythm from years before, and afterward, as they both caught their breath, they fell asleep in the warmth of each other's arms. For once, there was no worry of getting caught, and neither of them has ever slept better.

Natasha lazily opened her eyes as the sun came streaming into the window. The sound of the chickens and the smell of coffee from the other room told her good morning. She sat up, wearing nothing but the smooth sheet wrapped around her. She took in the sights surrounding her. The room was small but cozy with not much in it besides the bed, a nightstand, a small dresser, and a desk in the corner where she spotted what looked like some handmade cards. Curious, she made her way over to the desk and picked up one of the cards. It seemed to of been made by a child. A picture was drawn on the front of a one-armed man doing some sort of farm work while kids watched from a nearby tree. Inside of the card, the words' Welcome White Wolf' was written across the paper. Looking at the others, they all had some kind of drawing of James around the farm or hanging out with a group of kids. It filled Natasha with a warm pride and relief. At that moment, she knew she couldn't ask him to leave, and she was beginning to question whether she wanted to go either.

"Breakfast is ready."

Natasha looked up to see James in the open doorway. By the look on his face, she suspected that he had been standing there for a while, watching her look through the drawings. "Sorry," She apologized as she put down the card in her hand, "I didn't mean to snoop, just curious."

James charmfully grinned, "It's okay. A group of kids likes to visit me while I work a few times a week. They gave me those shortly after I moved into here."

She raised an eyebrow at him, "Am I allowed to watch you work today?"

"Of course," He replied with a laugh, "Though I'm not sure how much work I'll be able to get done."

Natasha gave me a mischievous smirk as she made her way towards him and planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Keeping one hand on the sheet around her, she caressed his beard that had only gotten thicker since she last saw him, "I like it." She said with another kiss on his lips.

James had to bite his lip from going any further, "Your breakfast is getting cold," He nodded his head towards the dresser on the other side of the room, "Shuri left some clothes for you in the bottom drawer."

She looked at the dresser and back to him with confusion. James shrugged as he went to leave, "I don't know, she's a genius."

Natasha dressed in a casual black sundress with tropical green florals covering it. She noted to herself to ask Shuri if she could keep it. The bedroom went right into the kitchen, where she found a wood-burning stove, an icebox, and some small counter space on one side, and a small wooden table with two chairs on the other side. There was a tiny living space between the kitchen and entryway that included a small loveseat and a loaded-up bookcase. She took a seat at the kitchen table as James handed her a cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs, "I like the dress." He said as he looked at it up and down.

She sat up with delight and pulled the fabric of the dress out so he could get a better look. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped her as he sat down across from her, "What's so funny?" He asked with a confused smile.

Looking down at her plate of food, Natasha shook her head, still with a grin on her face, "Nothing, it's just... I've never felt so normal in my entire life, and to be honest, I don't hate it."

"You want to feed the chickens?" He abruptly asked, enjoying the baffled look on Natasha's face.

"Will they peck me?"

"Yes."

Natasha's laugh was more genuine than had been in a long time, and Jame's felt his whole soul lift at the sight of her smile.

There was nothing extraordinary about their day, which is what made it so special. It was quiet, calm, and peaceful. James showed her how to feed the goats and chickens in the morning. They seemed to take quite a liking to her. In the afternoon, she found an old, beaten copy of Pride and Prejudice on the bookshelf. She read it underneath the tree near the cabin, occasionally glancing up to watch James collect straw together. A nearby farmer visited a couple hours later to bring James some fresh lamb meat in exchange for a basket of eggs from the chickens.

As James began to work on dinner, Natasha sat on the bench outside, watching the sun as it started to lower in the sky. She told Yelena that she would come here to ask for James' help, but now she realized she came here because she was too tired to fight. Too tired to face another Red Room, the new enemies, and new deadly missions. James could see the exhaustion written on her face as he bent down in front of her, placing her plate of food next to her. His hand on her cheek, "Natalia, stay. Stay with me." He said softly.

Tears were forming in the corner of her eyes. She knew there were promises she had made, people were counting on her, but right here, right now, there was only one correct answer, "Okay." She replied, bringing their lips together.

A/N: Happy Almost Valentine's Day! I'm not great at writing mush but I gave it my best shot and hope you enjoyed this little chapter of happiness.