The metal door clanged as it shut, locking Bomani in a Wakandan prison cell. Bucky watched as the guard shut the door, and kept his arm tight around Ava's waist.
A bandage was taped on her forehead where her wound was, and the blood had been cleaned from her face. T'Challa let out a small sigh, turning to face the couple with Okoye standing close behind him.
"Thank you, White Wolf." The king spoke, looking at Bucky. "If it were not for your instincts, and courage, we do not know what would have happened to our Pale Mother."
Bucky looked down at Ava, who was pressed against his side. "I'm just glad she's safe." He said, looking back up at T'Challa.
"As are we." The king smiled kindly. "To thank you for your efforts, I am having my people supply you with half a dozen goats, two cows, and all the supplies you should need to farm independently."
Bucky's eyes widened slightly at that, taking in a breath. "You- you don't have to do that, really." He protested.
T'Challa raised his hand, silencing Bucky. "By farming, you'll be able to make an income by selling the products the work brings you, and it will give you purpose as a working citizen of Wakanda."
"Citizen?" Barnes' brows pulled together.
"Yes. You are granted citizenship here, now. Ava is a sister to me and you saved her life, you showed your courage, and did something to help. In Wakanda, we give high respects to that. But, it comes with one condition."
He frowned, glancing at Ava before meeting eyes with T'Challa again. "What is it?"
T'Challa clasped his hands behind his back, looking back and forth between Bucky and Ava. "Should our nation be threatened, especially now that the world knows of our weapons and technology, I will be able to call upon you to aid us in war. You will help command our armies."
Shaky, his breath came out from between his lips. He was tired of fighting. So, so tired of fighting. He'd killed too many people before. He had fought in too many wars. Opening his mouth to object, he felt Ava's hand lightly press against his chest and he looked down at her. Meeting her gaze, he could see she was waiting to hear his answer. Citizenship meant he could stay. He could stay with her. This beautiful, incredible, strong woman. He'd so quickly fallen in love with her, and he would do just about anything to keep her in his grasp. "Deal." Bucky Barnes hummed, looking to the King once more. "It's a deal."
T'Challa smiled, clasping a hand on Bucky's shoulder. "Welcome to Wakanda, James Barnes." He said warmly. He let his hand fall from Bucky's shoulder as he turned and left down the hall, Okoye following like a loyal cub.
"You didn't have to agree to the deal, Bucky. I know you don't want to fight anymore." Ava's voice came out like silk.
Bucky looked down at her, shaking his head a little. Without words, they both knew that he had to take the deal and why. He pressed a kiss to her forehead before he unwrapped his arm from her waist and grabbed her hand, walking toward home. "So I guess I'm a farmer now in my retirement years."
"I forget that you're so much older sometimes." Ava muttered as she walked with him. "I mean, I know mentally and physically you aren't much older than me, but... You know what I mean." Her cheeks flushed red and she cringed at herself.
"You mean that it's weird that I was born in 1917 and fought in World War II." He chuckled. "You're in a relationship with a hundred year old man." A smirk played on his lips.
Ava pressed her lips together tightly. "That's not exactly what I was going for, but yeah, sort of."
He chuckled again, shaking his head as they walked together. "It's okay. I understand." He said. It was odd to think about, even for him. Most everyone from his generation was dead or dying. By the time they reached his hut, there was already a corral with goats roaming inside of it, and two stalls with brown cows inside. Bails of hay were stacked beside a water basin beside the gate into the corral. "Holy cow." Bucky muttered, looking across at it all.
"Almost literally." Ava said, looking at the two cows as they grazed the grass in front of their large hooves.
"Yeah." He sighed a little. "I don't know how to do any of this."
"I do." Ava looked up at him, smiling softly. "I can teach you how."
Bucky's lip curled into another small smile and he glanced down at her. "I had a thought... I just don't know how you would feel about it."
Her brows pulled together. Her blue eyes met his as she licked her lips and sucked in a breath. "Okay, well, what is it?" She shook her head slightly.
He paused, glancing to his home, then to her. "Move in with me."
She blinked. Silent. Ava pulled back from him for a moment. She looked down briefly as dozens of emotions ran through her. Excitement, sadness, joy, and anger. The home she had now was Zuri's home, and she couldn't just let go of it. But she wanted to live with Bucky oh-so-much. She looked up at him, swallowing. Taking a step forward, she cupped him cheeks in her hands and kissed him, closing her eyes. After a moment, she pulled away and met his gaze. "I need time to think about it." She whispered.
Bucky nodded, resting his hand on her hip. "No rush." He nodded. "How about you go home, get some rest and think about it a bit, and I'll bring you over something to eat later." He smiled a little bit.
She forced a small smile and nodded. "That sounds good." She said, pulling back from him again. "Thanks again, for saving me and all."
"You'd have done the same for me." He hummed, watching her turn and walk away. He watched her walk away until she was out of sight, and turned back to his own home. He glanced over the goats, pressing his lips together firmly. "Alright, then." He mumbled to himself before making his way inside of his hut to get cleaned up after the entire ordeal of the day.
Just as he got in, there was an alert noise from his computer in his bedroom, and he went in to see what it was. A Skype call from Steve. A smile pulled across his face and he sat down in the chair in front of the monitor, answering the call right away. A live video feed of Steve's face filled the screen and Bucky smiled wider. "Hey, Steve."
"Bucky." Steve smiled in return. "I didn't think you were going to answer. I tried to call earlier, but there wasn't an answer." He said. His face was stubbled, and he looked tired. His hair was growing longer too.
"Yeah, sorry. I was tied up earlier."
"Thought so. How've you been, Buck?" Steve seemed glad to see his friend, even if it was just through a screen.
Bucky smiled again, running his hand through his hair. "I've been good. Better than good, actually. I've been granted citizenship."
"That's great news!" Steve grinned. "How did you pull that off?"
Bucky's face flushed red. The answer to his question was a bit long, so Bucky decided to cut it as short as he could. "Well, uh... You remember Ava, right?" He asked, to which Steve nodded. "Her and I... We've gotten pretty close. She's- She's amazing. She's been..." He paused, looking for the right words. "Ava means a lot to me. And I love her. God, I love her." He said. Back in the day, he was a bit of a womanizer, but he had never claimed to love someone like he claimed to love Ava. It surprised Steve a bit, but made him proud of Bucky. Not even a year ago, he was sleeping on a mattress in a sleeping back in some run-down apartment in Romania. He had nothing but a few clothes, some granola bars, and a notebook full of random, scattered memories. He was scared and alone. But now, he had someone to look out for him, to love him and make him feel at home.
Steve's grin spread wider as he listened. "So, you have a girlfriend?" He chuckled. "She seems great, Buck. I'm happy for you."
"Yeah... Thanks, man." Bucky smiled, thinking about her. "Anyway, she was taken. Her ex-boyfriend is pretty crazy, I guess. He kidnapped her, and I found her. He was put in prison, so they thanked me by giving me citizenship and everything I need for goat farming." He chuckled. He went from a dangerous assassin to a goat farmer. It amused even him.
Steve laughed. "Never thought of you as a farmer, Buck." He said.
"That guy is a farmer now? Damn. Makes me even happier not to be him." A familiar voice scoffed from somewhere on the other side of the call.
Bucky's smile fell and his brows pulled together. "Was that the pigeon dude? Sam?"
"I will kick your a-" Sam started to say.
"Yeah, that was Sam." Steve interrupted his friend as Sam's face appeared in the shot, glaring through the screen at Bucky.
Bucky smirked, looking at him. "On the run, eh?"
"Yeah, to protect your stupid looking face. And ourselves." Sam muttered before leaving the view of the camera. Bucky only chuckled.
Steve sighed and rubbed a hand down his face. "It's not too bad, really. We can handle it." He said and leaned back in his seat. "I got everyone out of where they were locked up. Wanda is... somewhere. I think Glasgow. Clint and Scott took plea deals, on house arrest. Sam and Natasha are with me. We just do little missions now, take out neighborhood threats and gangs and move on, stay out of the public eye as much as we can. There's a warrant out for our arrests."
"You're taking care of yourself, though, right? I mean, you're starting to grow a beard like mine." Bucky chuckled softly, though he was being serious. Seeing Steve like this worried him. Though he looked nothing like he used to, it reminded him of when they were teens and Steve was always sick and tiny. He remembered during the winters, he would spend the night at Steve's house and share Steve's bed with him at night to keep the tiny kid warm, otherwise he would shiver and cough and get sick. Honestly, it probably saved Steve's life on more than one occasion.
"We are. People are less likely to recognize me with the beard. Sam is growing one too, actually. Nat cut her hair, dyed it blonde. We're just trying to keep our cover." Steve nodded.
"Smart. Staying in hotels, paying cash and using untraceable phones and computers too, right?"
"Of course." Steve nodded again, smiling sadly. Bucky could tell that Steve wasn't happy living this life, but he didn't really have a choice in the matter. He was a fugitive.
He nodded a bit, sighing. "It's good to hear from you, Steve." He said.
"It's good to hear from you too, Buck." Steve looked up at the screen again and saw the time. "I should go. We have to get moving early in the morning." He raked his fingers through his hair. "Oh, before I forget, I found some old pictures you might want. I'm sending them to T'Challa to pass off to you. We took out a gang that was hiding in an old Hydra base, and the pictures were in storage out there."
Bucky nodded again. "What of?"
"You'll see." He smiled. "See you around, Bucky."
He let out a small chuckle. "See you around."
**********
Ava stood in the doorway to Zuri's room, looking in. It had gone untouched since the day he died. His robes and clothes still hung in his closet. His bed was still unmade. His pictures and decorations still hung. Like he had never even left. The only difference was, dust had begun to collect on all the items in the room, and spiders built their webs in the darkest corners of the walls and shelves. "I have to let you go." She whispered. "Baba... I have to let you go now. I found someone to keep me cared for and loved, as you did all my life... I don't need you anymore." She spoke in the Wakandan tongue.
An arm gently slipped around her from behind and she gasped in surprise and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks, knowing immediately that it was Bucky. "I-I didn't know you were here." She muttered, turning around in his grasp to look up at him.
He could tell she had been crying and gave her a loving look. "Sorry... the door was unlocked." He murmured. "I should have knocked."
She quickly shook her head. "No, it's okay. I, uh... I was just saying goodbye." She whispered and looked down with a frown.
Bucky nodded, looking up from her and into the room they stood in front of. "This room was his?" He asked softly. Ava sniffed, glancing over her shoulder at it and nodding.
"It was." She said. "I was saying goodbye because... well, I think... I want to move in with you." She looked up at him. "I want a life with you."
He smiled a little bit, bringing his hand up to caress her cheek. "I love you." He said softly, looking into her eyes. Ava stood on her toes, gently pecking his lips with hers and smiled.
"I love you too." She said. "But you're going to help me with the heavy lifting when I'm packing and moving." A smirk formed on her face.
Bucky smiled widely and laughed. "Yes, ma'am."