The afternoon had passed peacefully with the company of Steve and James. Eventually, the three had parted ways and Cleo went about her evening. She returned to the clinic one more time to ensure all of the animals were tucked in safely before she made her way back home. She curled up on the couch and eventually drifted off to sleep there.
It was a few hours later when she roused, the light from the TV flashing to wake her and she rubbed her eyes, sitting up. She ran her fingers through her long, dark hair that she had released from its ponytail and as she stood up to move herself to her bedroom, she caught a glimpse of a light on in the house across the water from her. There was James, standing outside while Eagle wandered around. She wondered if he had slept at all yet; she hoped he had.
Cleo considered just going to bed, but she felt drawn to James. She donned a long sweater and wrapped it around herself and slipped on some shoes before she stepped outside and began to make her way over to James's home. Eagle caught sight of her first and ran towards her and a soft laugh escaped her as she knelt down to catch him as he got to her. "Hey buddy," she greeted pleasantly, petting him before she stood up again and looked up to meet James's gaze. She began to approach him again and wrapped her arms loosely around herself. "What are the odds I'd run into you here?" she asked with a small tease.
James turned to Cleo and chuckled. "I know right?" He grinned at her before looking down at Eagle just in time to see him squat low to the ground and pee. "Good boy," he praised. When he looked back up at Cleo, he noticed how much she hugged herself. "Are you cold?" he asked. "It's a little breezy tonight."
"Oh, I just need a minute to get used to it. I'm fine, thanks," Cleo replied, not wanting him to worry about that. "Couldn't sleep? Have you gotten any sleep yet tonight?" she asked gently as she stepped in closer and looked up at him.
"Nightmare," he answered simply, shrugging his shoulders. "I slept a little. Not much. But I'll crash again eventually."
A faint frown crossed onto Cleo's expression, but she didn't linger on it. This was his reality right now. She nodded and brushed some of her long hair behind her ear. "Well, if you think you might be up for a while, I have an idea of something you could do to pass the time..."
James raised an eyebrow at her, not minding that she could barely see him in the dark. "What do you have in that pretty head of yours?" he asked.
Pretty? Wow, it hasn't felt this good to be called that in a long time. A smile she couldn't deny crossed her expression and she pursed her lips a little. "How do you feel about stargazing?" she asked, meandering a bit closer to him.
"I haven't done that since I was a teenager... I think," James commented, an easy smile showing on his face. "Unless I did it while on the field... but I don't remember."
"Well let me assure you that Wakandan skies are a special sight," she shared. "If you're going to be up anyway... I could show you where the best view is." She felt a faint flush of nerves in her belly, hoping she wasn't being too forward with the suggestion.
James looked down at Eagle then back up at Cleo. "Should I bring Eagle? Or leave him with Steve?"
"He can come with us," she said with a sure nod. Cleo clicked her tongue a little to get the pup's attention and she stepped in beside James to walk in step with him. She would lead the way. Their walk wouldn't be far, but there was a slight climb to the top of a valley. "We have very little pollution here," she explained, absently pulling her hair over one shoulder. "It's a completely different kind of view."
As they reached the steepest part of the path, James reached out and placed his hand on the small of Cleo's back. "I like looking at the stars from the house, but I normally have a fire lit."
Goosebumps broke out on her skin beneath his hand. His touch was so supportive, hand strong and sturdy. She felt all but weightless. "I've seen you out there," she affirmed with a small, guilty smile. "But you don't have a telescope there," she added with a shrug as they crested the hill. She felt relief wash over her; Steve had done his job.
As they crested the hill, a telescope was leaned against a nearby tree, a blanket folded beside it. A girlish grin flashed across the angles of her face, and she gestured dramatically towards it. "Tada!"
James smirked as he eyed the device. "I haven't used one of those in a very long time." He walked over to it and picked it up. "I might need your help positioning it," he told her.
"I can absolutely help," she assured him, biting the inside of her lip to keep that girlish smile from taking over again. Cleo leaned down and picked up the blanket and she draped it over her arm and turned her gaze up to the sky to find just the right spot. "Right here," she suggested, stepping aside so that he could set the telescope down. Cleo released the blanket and fluffed it onto the ground before she turned back to observe James.
James used his foot to set the tripod, then kneeled to lock it in place with his hand. "That should do it," he grinned before he let himself sit on the blanket and look towards the sky. This is... beautiful... like her eyes.
"May I?" Cleo asked before she stepped in front of the telescope. She ducked down as she began to position the telescope. She raised it up to and finally settled on a cluster of stars that were crystal clear. "There..." she said, stepping back from it. She brushed her fingers through her hair as she lowered herself onto the blanket, eventually settling onto her hip, legs tucked into her side. "What do you think?" she asked quietly, eyes catching Eagle settling in at the base of the telescope before she cast them up to the sky.
Moving to stand on his knees, James bent to look through the telescope's lens. "It looks like... the Big Dipper," he commented, recognizing the constellation.
"Yep, almost right above us, right?" she asked, narrowing her chocolate eyes on the stars above. "We could probably find any constellation we wanted. We have a better chance of seeing them here than most places."
James began moving the telescope around a bit before he backed up. "That should be Orion," he commented.
As James slipped back, Cleo shifted forward and rose up onto her knees and checked out the stars. "Yep, there it is. Wow, it's so clear. It's still surprising," she admitted. "Compared to what you can see in New York... there just isn't a comparison." She was sure that he would notice, if he could recall any of what he'd observed before.
"You have to make sure you have a really clear night. Or you used to. I don't know about it now." He watched her sit back down with a smile. "You've been to New York?"
Cleo nodded affirmatively, her hair draping over her shoulder as she rested back on her hip again. "I'm actually... sort of from there?" she offered, wrinkling her nose at herself as she responded. "My dad was working for the Bronx Zoo when I was born. Then we moved to San Diego for him to work at the zoo there. That was where King T'Chaka made him an offer to work for the country of Wakanda."
James's eyes widened. "That's... amazing. I don't think I've met anyone else from New York besides Steve and a kid that dresses like a spider."
Cleo laughed at his description of Spider-Man. "Small world, huh?" she asked with an easy smile. "We only lived there a few years, I don't even have much memory of it because I was so young. I haven't been back since we moved. Maybe I should go back one day."
"I loved New York... I still do," he commented as he moved to lay on his back and stare into the galaxy above. "It's just not the same as I remember when I left. I know I won't get that same place back, but it's a lot to take in. I can't imagine how Steve felt when he saw it for the first time after what happened to him."
"Have you asked him?" she wondered aloud as she, too, leaned back. She rested back onto her elbows so that she could still see him as they spoke. "I wish I had some kind of advice other than... just take it in as slowly as you need to. Maybe look at photos online, or watch videos before seeing it in person? Wade in."
"We've talked about it," James nodded. "It wasn't easy for him. I doubt it will be easy for me if I ever decide to see the city again." He moved to rest his arm behind his head, laying on it.
Cleo turned her body and settled onto her side, body stretched out on the blanket beside him. She propped her head up in the palm of her hand and watched him gaze at the stars. "Well, you have one hell of a lifespan ahead of you so you have plenty of time to decide," she said with a shrug, smirking just a little as she teased him a bit.
James chuckled softly. "I guess I do." He looked over at her, suddenly feeling his ears heat up while gazing at her. "I have a long time to figure my life out I guess."
She wondered what that must feel like. To know that you'll live... substantially longer than the people in your life. At least he would have Steve, right? "There's no wrong answer, either. Just do the next thing that feels right," she suggested with a small, sweet smile.
Like kiss you again? James smirked and looked at the blanket beneath them. "It'd be nice to have something that resembles normal."
Cleo considered his sentiment. Something that resembles normal. "I'm not even sure I know what normal looks like," she admitted thoughtfully, a wisp of a laugh following her words. "I take care of... battle rhinos in the most technologically advanced country in the world. I don't know how normal that is."
"I imagine it's pretty normal around here to have them," James shrugged.
"Ah, so... what you're saying is that normal is dependent on a number of factors," she observed. "So... what does James think normal looks like?"
James looked back towards the sky. "I don't know... a normal job... a family to come home to every day? That's something I never got to have. It's something that I wished for when I enlisted and again when I was drafted. I wished I had someone to come home to." He looked up at her with a small smile. "When I enlisted and left the first time, I had Steve to come home to. But when I got back he was hellbent on joining the army to be with me. I did my best to keep him out of it, but we all know how that turned out."
Someone to come home to. That's so beautiful. Cleo wanted that for him. She wanted him to have that one seemingly simple thing. Her smile grew as he spoke about Steve. "Seems he's a pretty stubborn guy," she observed with a smile. "There will always be a woman out there who wants you to come home to them. You could throw a rock and hit one." Have you seen yourself?
"I don't know about that," James laughed. "I have too many problems for a woman to deal with. Too many to count." He looked over at her and unconsciously licked his lips. "It would take a special kind of woman to deal with my shit."
You're killing me, blue eyes. "Well, special kinds of women are out there," she reminded him with a smile that had shifted to a more girlish one. "She could be... right under your nose."
He raised an eyebrow at her, feeling his more flirty side emerging. "Are you talking about yourself?"
Cleo bit her lip as she tried to stifle the smile that spread across her lips. "I don't know... maybe," she replied sheepishly with a blush. "What if I was?"
"You're interested in me?" He asked, his eyes now locked on hers.
She laughed lightly and dropped her head before she used her hand to scoop her long, dark hair out of her face. "Yes. I'm interested in you," she echoed as her chocolate brown eyes held his.
James gulped, feeling his cheeks and neck heat up. He turned to lay on his side, bracing himself up on his elbow. "Cleo... I... I'm interested in you too." Saying it out loud made it real... he really did like her. She was interesting, outgoing, well read, not to mention beautiful.
That girlishness only grew on the lines of her face. Cleo felt a flush of heat but she exhaled slowly as his words rang in her ears. "Okay..." she breathed out and hesitated for a moment before he reached out with her delicate hand and brushed a lock of his hair back behind his ear. "We're interested in each other... I think this is the part where we see what happens... together."
He grinned softly, suddenly wishing he had his other arm so he could pull her to him. I want to kiss her... for real this time. "Together," he agreed.
His quiet agreement softened her smile and she adjusted where she was on the blanket, moving in closer to him. She wanted to be closer and... maybe he wanted that too. She settled in beside him and searched his eyes. "If you wanted to kiss me... I would like that," she shared quietly.
James looked down at her and bit his bottom lip briefly before he licked them again. "I would like that too." Slowly, he bent down to barely brush his lips against hers, being cautious of her reaction to him.
Cleo's eyes fluttered closed, very aware of the sound of her heart beating in her ears as his lips grazed hers. A sound she didn't expect bubbled up at the kiss and as she felt it begin to wane, she kissed him back more fully.
He smiled against her lips before gently deepening the kiss, moving to lay on his back once more, instantly happy that she followed him, now partially laying on top of him. James used his now free hand and wound it into her dark hair, daring to run his tongue along her bottom lip.
His hand in her hair stirred something inside of her and she reached out, smoothing her fingertips gently on his strong jawline. The sensation of his tongue against her lip prompted an even deeper kiss from her. Her tongue very slightly passed between her lips. Right here, right now, under these stars...I could get lost here.
James melded his tongue with hers, a small moan leaving his lips. He sat up and quickly freed his hand to gently pull Cleo fully into his lap so she could straddle his waist, never breaking the kiss.
The sensation of heat washed over her again as she felt him pull her onto his lap. He was so strong, even with just one arm, and it was thrilling. As Cleo settled against him, she smoothed her hands up his chest and over his shoulders before tilting her head to kiss him more deeply.
He welcomed her tongue into his mouth as his hand ran up her back and back into her hair. James didn't pull away until he needed to breathe, resting his forehead against Cleo's. "Wow."
It would have been so easy to let the time pass just like this, and in truth she wasn't sure how long it had been when Cleo breathed the cool air of Wakanda back in her lungs. A bright, airy laugh escaped her, and she nodded. "You're telling me," she agreed, eyes fluttering open as her forehead rested against his. Gently her fingers played at the base of his hair at the back of his neck. "We can do that anytime you want," she added, both joking and definitely serious.
"Are you kidding?" he chuckled. "I already want to do it again." James pecked her lips before he pulled back and looked for Eagle, finding him laying on the blanket, asleep. He met her eyes again and smiled. "It's late," he added quietly.
Thank God, because I'm sure that's all I'll be dreaming about for the near future. "It is..." she agreed quietly, fingers tracing infinity symbols lightly over the skin of his neck. "Are you going to at least try to sleep?" she asked empathetically.
He sighed and let his eyes close. "I'd sleep right here as long as you'd be with me." James's voice was quiet, reluctant to hear her answer.
His words sent a beautiful shiver through Cleo's body. I'll be with you as long as you'll have me. Her smile softened and the answer, to her, was so simple. "Then we'll stay right here," she replied surely but quietly, just between the two of them. "I'll be wherever you want me to be."
"You're an amazing person, you know that?" James bent to peck her lips once more, unable to help himself. Slowly he laid back, keeping Cleo in his lap, so she would be laying on top of him.
It was hard not to chase his lips when he kissed her like that. "Just a regular person," she replied with a breathy laugh. Once James settled, she lowered herself down to meet him. "I've always been a little... odd. So maybe I'm also a weird person," she mused, unable to take a compliment.
"You're not odd to me." James slowly began running his hand up and down her back, his eyes on the galaxy and stars once more.
Cleo's chest ached as she looked down at him and she could feel the weight of sleep on the hoods of her eyes. She lowered her head and rested it against his strong chest, the quiet around them allowing her to hear the beat of his heart. That would lull her to sleep quickly. "Goodnight, James..." she whispered.
"Night doll," he whispered in return.
AN: art by Nix akimbo