The trip on the jet sent by the King was as awkward as breakfast and yesterday's talk. The Avengers talked among each other, but you decided to stay away and just play the role of a ticket to Wakanda. If you were being honest to yourself, if T'Challa and Shuri didn't ask you to come, you'd just stay at home, hoping that you were at least able to help them somehow.
You'd lie to yourself if you didn't say that Sam's words hurt you, but what did you expect. Riley has warned you about this many times.
"You should just tell him", you sighed and looked at your husband. "He"ll be pissed if he finds out by accident".
" That's why he will never find out!" You stated , sure that you would make that true.
"Here", you looked up at Romanoff who sat next to you with a bottle of water. "You need to Hydrate yourself." You smiled at her take to be as nice as she could. You noticed that she had some kind of a respect towards you. Something you saw in Clint's eyes everytime you saw him. You smiled to yourself, happy that the old Romanoff you met all those years ago is gone. This one seemed more self conscious in a good way. She started to care about people around her and not only the mission.
"Thanks..." you gazed at the man in the back talking about something and sighed. "I'd never thought that Sam would hate me one day..."
"He doesn't hate you", she smiled softly. "He is just in shock. It is a big thing he just learned. Give him some time. He still loves you." You swallowed the tears and nodded, trying to hide your pathetic face away from an ex-assasin. She just smiled and patted you in the head.
"This place is like completely other world..." Sam gasped, getting out of the jet, looking around.
"Your highness" Rogers spoke, getting closer to the king. "I'm not sure where I should start. Apologise or thank you?"
"Apologies should be from both sides. I have misjudged you and Sergent Barnes." His gaze shifted towards you, who smiled to him softly. "And it's not me who you should be thanking." Captain turned his head and caught your eyes. He frowned and than turned back to the man. "Why don't we go ins..."
"Y/N!" A girlish voice could be heard from behind the King and a teenage woman run right into your arms. You chuckled and gave back the hug. "I've missed you."
"Shuri..." T'Challa started giving his little sister a stern stare. She ignored him completely, shotting multiple of questions towards you. You clasped a hand over her mouth and smiled lightly.
"Why don't we leave that for later ? We've got..." you stopped and looked towards the Avengers. "They've got stuff to discuss with your brother and you." She frowned noticing your uncertainty. Thankfully she only nodded and said hi to everyone. You looked away when the king gave you one his looks, which meant only one, 'we will talk later."
"We're not saying its gonna work, but it's a chance, you know ?" Shuri said, finishing her idea on how to help Bucky. It was kind of dangerous and tricky, but you smiled. She did a good job, to come up with an idea like that with so little time. She was a genius.
"It means Bucky would have to go to cryo again?" Steve asked with uncertainty. She nodded, opening her computer file, showing him every data she could come up with within a day.
"We could try to work on it, while he is awake, but I wouldn't like to. It may turn out as something dangerous for the sergeant himself as well." He nodded still not sure all this.
"I don't mind going under cryo, if that would mean I could live like a normal person once." You bit your lip slightly, hearing his down voice. You stepped back from the conversation a bit, leaning on one of the walls. It did not concern you, so you decided not to say anything.
"How long would he be there ?" Steve asked. You could see the hurt look on his face. This was not what he wanted for his friend. He dreamt of Bucky being free from HYDRA, and not be gone under cryo once again. But you also knew that Shuri was right. For something like that it would be safer for him and the surrounding to out him under cryo once again. Maybe for the last time in his life.
"We don't know. It's hard to estimate. Depends on the Sergent himself." She stopped and looked at you. "I am also working g on his prosthetic arm, but I would some help. Would you sll please stay the night?" You bit your lip and forced yourself to look at the Avengers.
"We will be honoured" Rogers answered, smiling softly at the princess. She jumped a little, clapping her hands and moved towards you.
"I need your mad computer skills. Come on, I'll show you my new baby", you sent a apologetic look towards Sam, who just seemed to ignore it. You bit you lip and looked away sadly. Romanoff was wrong. He did hate you.
"So how long will you act like a spoiled brat, Wilson?" He looked towards the Russian and frowned. "She's an adult you know... it's normal people have secrets."
"You don't understand! We don't have secrets..." his voice was low and so unnatural, it made both Steve and Bucky look towards him. "We have always been like brother and sister. There were stuff that she wouldn't say to Riley, but would still tell me. It just hurts, to know she didn't trust me enough...
"Gosh, you're more stupid than you look" Barnes couldn't help but chuckle at her remark, which made Steve stare at him angrily. "Did you tell her you were a part of Avengers?"
"I told her I met Steve... I... this is different. I worked for..."
"Bullshit Wilson. This no different. Do you know why you never told her? Because you worried about her. And this was the same reason why she never told you. Let me tell you this. You have no ckuse how many shitty things she cleaned up after me or anyone in S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury respected her more than anyone. This is why he never kept anything about her on the files. Nothing. He trusted her, and that was enough to see how incredible important she was." She stopped and looked around the men in the room. She wasn't just a hacker. She was the best. She was able to save a nation with just some clicks. Her skills are feared not only here in the USA, but also in Russia, and seeing from T'Challa's relations with her, here in Wakanda as awll. Plus..." she smirked and looked at James. "She's a better sniper than you are, which makes her even more dangerous."
"It doesn't hide the fact that she never..."
"Whar would come up from this?" She continued. "Would you try to stop her if you knew? Probably yes, that's why she never did so." She stopped and sighed. "We need her not for her mad skills, but for her safety. So would be nice if you biys tmwould take your heads out of your four letter and man up." She got up and left to look for you and Shuri.
"Damn..." Bucky started, earning a nod from both of them.
"If I'm honest, I have never heard Nat talking about anyone our of our group with such a respect." Steve started, taking a sip of his coffee.
"Yeah, birdy man, your sister sounds kind of cool." Rogers couldn't help bu chuckle at the nickname, earning an unsatisfied groan from Sam.
"I gotta go" he hissed, and left leaving two friends behind.
Evenings in Wakanda always had something in them. The first time you spent a night in this deserted place, you fell in love with the silence, the beautiful sky and stars, that you would never be able to see in any big cities back in the US.
You leaned back into your back, with your arm under you head. It was so quiet. Few minutes ago, there were still some kids running around after their animals, but now now sound could be heard. Nothing except of wind, that was glancing your tired face. You couldn't sleep the night before, thinking about the talk with the Avengers. You did expect them to freak out a bit, but Sam's reaction got you really down. You sighed and looked up at the sky, wondering if Riley would be able to find a way out if he was here.
You smiled, seeing a little rabbit jumping your way. He sat next to you, and laid down, almost as he trusted you not to hurt him. This is why you loved this place. So different from anything you've seen before. You'd be lying to yourself if you said you did not think of moving in here m, when the the King has offered it to you, after tour firs help for his Kingdom. The old man was a lovely person, that always tried to see good in those that thought only bad about themselves. And when he found out that a person who has helped him lives alone, he wa te dto do something good. You never understood why you said no to his offer. Moving in here would probably be like a dream come true. Away from the busy streets of DC and NY. More nature friendly than even your little house back in the US. But yes, that house was probably THE reason why you didn't stay here. It was your house your and Riley's and you couldn't just leave.
"This place is like another planet", you sat up quickly hearing your friend's quiet voice. He sat next to you and looked at the sky. "No surprise you like it here so much." You smiled and pulled your knees to the chest looking somewhere unspecified in front of you. "I acted like a proper dick, didn't I?" You chuckled and looked at him. "I haven't told you about the Avengers, so you had your reasons not to tell me about your... career." You noticed how the last word made him clinch. "It just scared me, you know?" You frowned not understanding where that as coming from. You turned your head towards him and gave him a nod to continue. "After Riley's death you became distant... there was a time where I thought I should leave you alone, as I was the one who took the whole world away from you... I wasnt able to save him and..."
"I never blamed you for what happened there", you stopped him, intertwining your hand with his. "You... you were the only thing that I had left. I was afraid to be also the only thing that made you remember..." your voice quiet and shaky, almost as you were too afraid to admit to those feelings. "Riley always told me to tell you about my job... he said that you had a right to know... but it wasn't a reason why I never decided to let you know... I... I was so afraid you would not accept me... you will not want to know me anymore..." tears started to fall on your cheeks. "I'm sorry Sammy". He looked at you and his eyes sad. The sparkle that was always present in them was gone. His hand turned around, and he grabbed you, squishing it.
"I should be the one to apologise, Y/N. I love you like a sister, and I feel obligated to defend you. I felt like I was the one who should take care of you after Riley's death. And knowing that you didn't need this help made me scared, that you dont need me anymore." You widened your eyes and was about to add something, when he shook his head. "Its a stupid thinking, I'm sorry. I was shocked, but damn, Barnes was right." He looked up and smiled widely at you. "My sister is pretty damn cool." You sniffed and pushed yourself on his hugging him as much as you could. You got him back. You get your Sammy back.
"Nat?" Rogers was looking at his friend in an uncertain way, almost like he wasn't sure whether asking her what he was planning, was a good idea. He had too many questions in his mind that he would not get an answer to, an it annoyed him. He was lost in this new situation. "Got a minute?" She raised her brow hearing his shaky voice.
"For you? Always" she winked at him, making him shkar his head with a small smirk on his lip. He got used to her friendly flirting, but there were still times that got him out of the blue. Just like now.
"I dont know what to do", he whispered, almost as embarrassed to say it out loud. "Now that Bucky is safe, I have no idea what to do... with you and Sam following me, it makes me feel responsible for you guys, but if I'm being honest? I have no clue what to do..." he got quiet and looked ahead of him. "I talked to T'Challa. Ha has some missions for us if we decide to do something, but he would prefer us to stay put for a while."
"So let's do that." He looked at her surprised. "I can see it in your eyes that you like that idea. We are who we are. There is no way we could stay completely hidden for ever. If he gets something for us, I am happy to kick some ass." He smiled and nodded. "I also understand the stay put part. We did kind of ran away from the government. We are fugitives, so it would be smart to stay away from the spotlight for a while." He nodded again. She sighed and chuckled. "But it's not why you are here... you knew that me and Sam would follow you no matter what. You are here to make me talk to Y/N. You wanna stay in her house." He smile awkwardly, hating the fact how good she was at reading him. "No way, Stevie. You are the captain, you go an deal with it."
"I'm not Captain America anymore..." he said under his breath.
"I never said you are. But you are still our captain." He smiled sadly and nodded, knowing well that she was right. He got up and sighed. This will not be an easy conversation, especially after yesterday's discussion. He still wasn't sure whether he can trust her completely, but she was their only option, at least for now. Decisions needs to be made and he will take responsibility for them later on.
It took him a while to find you. He wa looking in the lab, where Shuri was still working on something which was still supposed to be a secret and a surprise. She was not in the common place, and not even in her room.
Finally, he found Sam who directed him to the waterfalls. Apparently, both you and Sam were alright now, which made him more relax. At least you were in a good mood. Or at least that's what he hoped.
You were sitting on one of the stones near the waterfall. Your hair free from the ponytail you had since the morning. A little smile spread across you lips and eyes closed, almost as if you were listening to something. He walked closer and stopped halfway through hearing her voice.
"You hear that?" He frowned and tried to listen more carefully, however, nothing got his attention. "A complete silence. Nothing but the wind and water. This place is really magical." He smiled seeing her relaxed position and found a strength in himself to walk towards you and join you in the next rock. "How can I help you, Captain?"
"I think we established that you can call me Steve." You raised her brow and opened your eyes just for a second, before closing them once again.
"I thought that rules changed after you stopped trusting me." He shifted uncomfortably. "Don't worry. It was understandable. Plus we don't really k ow each other, there was no reason to trust me."
"You're wrong..." you looked at him surprised, hearing g his serious tone. "You were nothing but a huge help since a minute we met. You opened your house for some strangers. What's more, you helped fugitives. You gave us food, place to stay and opened up your arms for us. You even helped us get in here, to get Bucky some help. We... I had no rights to doubt you, because you had some secrets. Just like everyone else." You smiled at him, which out him off guard. He expected anger and a will to fight, but a genuine, soft, almost friendly smile. "I don't even k ow if I thanked you for all this. You are Sam's friend, but you didn't have to help us. So yeah, thank you." He smiled awkwardly, a little blush spreading on his cheek.
You looked at him and your smile grew. Despite the big posture and an I credible strength gh he was still cute and adorable Steve Roger's from the 40s that was too nice for his own good. Everything like you read in the museum. Everything you expected.
"Riley was really found of you", her smile saddened, and she looked up the sky once again. "He's probably kicking himself for not being able to meet you", you chuckled and laid down on the rock, enjoying the little wind. "I don't believe in hell and heaven. But I do believe that they are able to somehow see us, and they become our guardian Angels of somehow. It's stupid isn't?" You giggle, looking up at him. He chuckled as well and shook hid head.
"No, I think that maybe possible." He copied her movement and laid next to her, keeping a safe, gentleman-style distance. "And, I would love to meet him. Sam hasn't said much about him, but if his even remotely similar to him, then I think we would become friends." You bit your lip and smiled widely. There was something about Steve Rogers when he wasn't his usual Captain America, or the supportive leader, but just himself. He was this kind hearted man, that seemed so genuine, that you automatically wante dto become his friend. This serious face disappeared, and a friendly smile takes its place. His blue eyes become softer and even more blue. Even his body doesn't seem as tense. Almost as Captain America is his second persona. "Do you think we could become friends?" A smile disappeared fro. Your lips and your eyes were glued to him. He turned his head and looked back at you. "I don't know what are your plans for the future, but I'm sure at least for the nearest one you have to stay put. And..." you sat down and looked away, embarrassed to say that. "My doors are open for you guys. If you trust me enough to stay there. You are more than welcome. Leaving alone in a house like this gets boring."
He was staring at you in an awe. He did not expect that at all. Not that you will be the one that would invite them. Not after all this. But he was happy, relaxed.
"If you dont mind being a friend with a 98 years old ex-soldier, it will be an honour for me, Y/N.
