Untangling a Memory

"Friend"

"I can get over there myself." Natasha grumbled as she tried to get herself out of the wheelchair.

Bucky stepped in her path. "Either I do it or you go back to Shuri's office. Take your pick." He was stern in his tone, unflinching as she starred him down. 

"Fine. Just be delicate. They only just put me back together."

"Yes, Miss Daisy." Natasha couldn't't help, but smile in response.

Bucky scooped Natasha out of the wheelchair with gentle ease. She winced lightly as he straighten his back and he froze. Natasha grit her teeth and nodded. Bucky slowly walked her over to the couch and placed her with her head and back on a mound of pillows facing towards the rest of the living room and the kitchen. Her ankle had been placed in a specialized air-cast that Shuri had designed. Bucky propped it up on a stack of pillows as well.

Natasha adjusted herself around in the mass of cushions. Natasha looked around her, slightly propped up on her hands with a frown on her face.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

Natasha's brow was furrowed as she attempted to punch the pillow behind her and then flinched as she twisted her torso too far. "No, you were fine. Even for being so..." Natasha gestured to Bucky, "...substantial."

Bucky stifled a chuckle. "So, what's wrong?"

Natasha relented, lying back on the mound behind her. "These pillows are awful!"

Bucky was unable to hold in his laughter this time. "Can I get you a pillow from your room instead?"

Natasha looked up at him appreciatively, "would you?"

Bucky nodded and headed up the stairs to Natasha's room.

"THANK YOU!" Natasha shouted after him. He heard a "fucking dammit" mumbled right after her  initial call to him, clearly in response to the pain caused from yelling after him. Bucky had to smirk and shake his head.

Bucky entered Natasha's room cautiously. He realized in this moment that he had never been in there before and he tried not to think about how he might be invading her privacy, even though she had given him permission. He looked around her room, but was surprised to see no pillows on her bed. In fact, he didn't see bedding of any kind aside from a white, linen fitted sheet surrounding the mattress. He wondered whether housekeepers from the palace might have come to do her laundry, but it didn't make sense that they wouldn't have taken this last piece from her bed.

He walked further into the room looking around for the missing linens and when he turned his head to the bathroom, he immediately saw what he vaguely recognized as an unmade bed set up in the bathtub. Stepping closer, it was clear that this was where Natasha had been sleeping before she left. She had never mentioned it to him and, as far as he knew, never to any of the others. He had slept in some strange places in his years of missions for HYDRA and sleeping in his bed now still fell uncomfortable to him at times, but the behavior was nonetheless surprising.

Bucky picked up the pillows from her makeshift bathtub bed, trying his best not to disturb the rest of the set-up. As he was walking back out of the room, he noticed a hoodie that he grabbed for her as well.

"Pillows!"

Natasha had clearly been continuing to try to rearrange the pillows around her as Bucky had been upstairs. Her expression changed to one of gratitude upon seeing her own pillows.

"And I found this sitting out on your dresser. I thought you might want it in case you get cold."

"Another Steve sweatshirt! Oh, thank goodness. Since he ruined the last one." Natasha smirked.