Chapter Six: Burnin for You
She felt like she was on top of the world. Nothing could bring her down at this point. The day after they'd officially gotten back together, she was back in the lab, Bucky going in for his next round of treatment.
"I'll be right here the whole time, okay?" she smiled softly down at him. He gave her a weak grin in reply, gripping her hand tightly as the straps tightened on his body. "I'll always be here." she whispered. His eyelids fluttered closed as he sucked in a sharp breath, an electric probe going deep into his skull. He tensed from the feeling, and she squeezed his hand sharply, making sure he knew she was still there. Shuri told her the treatment was going better than expected, only thinking one or two more sessions would be necessary. He let out a low groan as Shuri began her process, flinching and seizing up every so often. He didn't scream as much this time, and Steve looked relieved at the progress that was being made. She had to realize she wasn't the only one who had lost him, Steve had known him much longer, fought with him, for him in the war and even grew up with him. She made a mental note to go visit the Captain America exhibit in DC, wanting to read the story for herself one day. Bucky didn't always like to talk about that time, as it had been during a time he felt he had lost. He seemed to have lost a lot, in her opinion.
Thinking back to the previous day, when he revealed his, well, health concerns, she let her imagination run wild. If he'd survived the war, gone home after the battles, never lost his arm… He'd most likely be dead right now. He could have had a wonderful life, probably married to a gorgeous woman that took proper care of the veteran. He'd have had many kids, grandkids that would adore him, he was so sweet with children… her heart squeezed. She'd have never met him. God, his life was so hard, and she wished he would never have gone through those terrible things. The brainwashing, the killing, the constant memory wipes… But without those, he would never have come to her for help. She would never have met him, never felt a love like this. Was it selfish of her to be grateful for all that had happened?
Her heart squeezed with shame. Would she have ever found anyone as perfect for her as he was? She would probably still be alone for the rest of her days, thrown into her work. She wouldn't have become close with Peter and Tony, never have had the opportunity to work with Shuri. Everything in her life at the moment teetered dangerously on the edge of their relationship. Without him she was nothing, she realized. She'd be alone in Korea, working with strangers, living as a shell of the person she was meant to be. She wouldn't be doing her own research, she'd be working on a team for someone else. She wouldn't be her. Not without him.
But, he would be something. He'd still be a part of this wonderful team. He didn't need her for anything.
Wasn't that how life worked, though? Your experiences shape you, make you the person you're meant to be. Was this who she was meant to be? She could never dream of being someone else, she didn't want to be any different than who she was with him. God, that train of thought sucked. She just wanted to be happy with him, she should stop dwelling on what could have been. But… he deserved so much. He deserved the world. Could she give that to him?
"Doctor?" a voice addressing her snapped her from her thoughts. She blinked back unshed tears quickly, glancing up at Steve.
"You can call me Don, you know." she smiled.
"I just… is everything okay?" he frowned, looking at her with a concerned expression. God, he had the same puppy dog eyes that Bucky used on her.
"Yeah, I'm just lost in my thoughts… A lot has happened." she smoothed her hand over Bucky's cheek, causing his tensed muscles to relax. "I want to do something special for him, something good…" she frowned. "He deserves something good."
"I think you just being here with him is more than he could ever ask for." Steve replied with a wistful smile. "He had a lot of fun when we were younger, sure, we went out with beautiful dames and had good fun. Well, he had fun at least, I mostly stood on the sidelines." he chuckled. "Once, we had to ride back to our neighborhood on a freezer truck, he wasted three bucks trying to win a stuffed toy for a girl named Dot, and then we spent the last of our money on hot dogs." she laughed at this, glancing down at the man in question.
"Dot was one lucky girl." she mentioned.
"But... he never actually cared about them." Steve continued. "He had fun, they all adored him, they all wanted more from him, but he got… bored. He could never give them what they wanted, they wanted someone steady to go with them. But he…" Steve trailed off. "He was always looking for someone else."
"Really." she replied, breathless as her throat constricted.
"And now he finally found her." Steve looked up with a soft smile. "You were the one he was always looking for. And he found you, a lifetime later. Lucky bastard." he chuckled.
"I think I'm the lucky one." she whispered, gripping his hand tightly again.
"We're almost done here." Shuri interrupted the conversation. Donatella glanced up, noticing that one of the probes had been removed, the other in the process of retracting. "Let him lay down a while, to recover. We should be able to begin the next bout of treatment in two days. We've almost got it all."
"Thank you." she smiled at Shuri as the doctors left the room.
"I would also like to invite you and Sergeant Barnes to dinner this evening. You as well, Steve." Shuri grinned at them. "I have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" she echoed, frowning suspiciously. "What kind of surprise?"
"A good one." Shuri called out, already leaving the room. "Please dress nicely, and be there at six-thirty sharp!" she looked at Steve with confusion as Bucky became aware of his surroundings once more.
"How'd it go?" he croaked out, pulling his hand from hers in order to readjust his grip, lacing their fingers together loosely.
"They got a lot done. Only one or two more sessions, they think." she replied with a smile. "Also, we've got dinner with the Princess tonight. So, I'm thinking you wear another suit?" she grinned at him.
"He whined enough the first time, that jerk. You can help him get ready this time." Steve chuckled at the pair.
"Punk." Bucky replied, giving him a firm punch to the shoulder. Steve barely even flinched, and she realized she was practically a child compared to the two super soldiers. They were of a different breed. It was a wonder how they managed to keep their relationship through all of the things they'd gone through.
"I should leave you two to talk, I feel like I've hogged Bucky enough for the past few days." she smiled, an embarrassed flush coming over her cheeks as Steve gave her a knowing look.
"Well, you two left the gala before I even had the chance to talk with you, so that might be an understatement." the Captain joked. She let out a bark of laughter, standing and pressing a kiss to Bucky's forehead.
"Let me know if you need help getting ready. There's some work to be done, so I'll be in the lab." she smiled, leaving the two behind to chat. Once she entered the room, though, she was nearly jumped by Shuri.
"So now that you two lovebirds have reconnected, I think my work here is done." she grinned at Don.
"Your work here is done?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Well, your work with prosthetics is unmatched, I assure you, but you've managed to work out all of the kinks with the technology. I do not believe you need to be present for the testing portion." Shuri explained, waving her hand towards their assemblage of artificial organs.
"What are you saying?" she frowned.
"I'm saying once Sergeant Barnes is through his recovery period, you will be able to return to New York." Shuri elaborated. Donatella blinked, then squinted at the girl.
"I've only been here a week…" she trailed off.
"And you should only need to stay another twelve days maximum." she replied.
"Are you sure? You asked me to stay for a few months?" she furrowed her brows. "It seems a bit soon, is all."
"You work very fast, Donnie." Shuri grinned. "I would not stress about it."
"Well, thank you…" she murmured. Shuri made her leave early, stating that since it was a Friday, they wouldn't have to stay in the lab all day. She dragged her feet, going back to her room as slow as possible, trying to waste time. She had just over two hours until she'd need to be at Shuri's dinner. When she entered her room, however, Bucky was there waiting for her.
"They gave me this to wear." he picked up Wakandan dress clothes, presenting them to her. A black shirt that resembled T'Challa's, with silver threads over the front instead of gold. A pair of plain black pants joined, as well as black dress shoes.
"It's not a suit, but you'll still look gorgeous, angel." she grinned, re-folding the clothes and setting them on the edge of the bed. "I've still got to find something to wear." she murmured, turning towards her closet.
"I've got a better use of our time." he sidled up behind her, hands gripping her hips tightly.
"You're literally insatiable!" she gasped out a laugh as he pulled her to him.
"I can't help it… you're irresistible." he smirked, spinning her quickly to press her against the wall.
"Can I at least pick out something to wear first? I'm sure I have a cocktail dress somewhere in there…" she peered over her shoulder into the closet, skimming the rack, but her attention was gathered by Bucky's lips pressing searing hot kisses into her arched neck. "Oh… or we can do this." she quickly forgot about other things she needed to be doing, letting herself get lost in his touch.
"Have I ever told you," he panted out as she returned his kisses to his own neck. "I love when you wear black?"
"Are we still on the subject of clothes?" she asked as his hands roamed to the hem of her pencil skirt, shoving it upwards.
"As long as I can get you out of them, doll, I don't care." he groaned out as she shimmied out of her blazer. She tried pushing him towards the bed, but he wouldn't budge, instead he lifted her so her legs wrapped around his waist. Her shoes fell off quickly as he pressed her even tighter against the wall, the heels of her feet digging into the top of his ass.
"The bed?" she prompted him to move. The rough stubble on his chin dragged across her sensitive neck, causing her to gasp.
"Not yet." he pressed her to the wall using just his hips, his hands moving to the buttons on her shirt and nimbly undoing them.
"Angel, usually I'd agree but I've been pushed up against the wall an insane amount of times over the past few days. Bed please?" she grinned down at him as he popped open her last button, slipping it off her shoulders and revealing the very sexy black lace bra that seemed to drive him wild. He groaned, walking backwards as her lips pressed down to his again, a slow heat building in her. She was probably littered in love bites and small bruises by now, but she didn't care, as long as they were from him.
After an hour of rolling around between the sheets, she banished him to the corner of the room while she showered and got ready, attempting some beachy curls with her curling wand that seemed to lay just too flat for her tastes. The small waves would have to do. After applying a generous amount of makeup, making sure to cover the small hickey on her neck that somebody insisted on doing even after she complained.
Once she was done in the bathroom, Bucky jumped in the shower while she found a deep violet cocktail dress shoved in the back of her closet. It was modest enough, sleeveless while still covering everything important. She'd assumed she would be wearing it to a business event, but this was close enough. Pairing it with a pair of nude heels, she turned to see Bucky struggling with his shirt.
"Does this look right?" his buttons were in the wrong holes.
"Here, hang on." she chuckled, stepping over and fixing it for him. "There, perfect."
"Thank you, gorgeous." he leaned down to kiss her, but she stopped him by pressing her fingertips against his lips.
"I just put lipgloss on." she defended her actions, and he rolled his eyes.
"Shall we?" he held his arm out to her and she took it with a grin.
"I wonder what the surprise is." she mentioned, and he shrugged slightly.
"She said it was a good one." Bucky said as they approached the doorway. A member of the Dora Milaje opened the doors for them, letting them step through. She glanced around the dining hall, the room was lit up by golden wall sconces, and the table was set with the finest china.
"Well, look who finally decided to show up, kid." a familiar voice rang through the room, and she froze, her head snapping to the side of the room where the bar was located.
"Tony? Peter!" she cried out, and Peter rushed at her, throwing his arms around her. She was wrenched from Bucky's side with the force of it, and she ruffled his hair before turning to see Tony had approached the pair. She caught the tail end of him glaring daggers at Bucky before he turned his charming grin on her, pulling her into a quick hug.
"We missed you!" Peter shouted, pulling her into another side hug before turning to Bucky. "Mr. Winter Soldier, sir, I hope there's no hard feelings about the first time we met." he reached his arm out, polite as ever, trying to shake Bucky's hand. He just grimaced down at Peter's gesture, and the kid chuckled nervously before sticking his hands in his pockets. "O-okay…"
"Listen up here Robocop-"
"Tony." Donatella cut him off with a warning tone.
"Daph, this needs to be said." Tony held a hand up to her.
"Daph?" Peter muttered in confusion.
"Okay, Barnes, here's the deal. I don't care what happened in the past. I don't care what's going on with you right now. But Donnie is like a daughter to me, and I just want to let you know that if you ever do anything to hurt her, you won't just have me to deal with. You're gonna have to deal with the whole squad, all of the active Avengers. Got it tinman?" Tony demanded.
"Wouldn't dream of it." Bucky glanced down at her, a tiny smile playing on the edges of his lips. She was about to say something else, but the door opened and Steve walked in, a smile on his face as he saw Donnie and Bucky, but it faded as he saw the surprise guests. Tony's face fell, and he glanced away from his old friend awkwardly.
"Tony." Don captured his attention. "I think you two need to have a conversation." she gestured towards the Captain, and he glanced over with a frown as Steve slowly approached.
"Trust me, kid. This is something that can't be fixed with a simple apology." he shook his head. "I've got nothing to say to Capsicle." Steve was still across the room, T'Challa having stopped him for a quick word. He glanced over nervously every few seconds.
"I'm not saying it will all be fixed. But it's a start." she placed a hand on his shoulder, giving a quick squeeze before nudging him towards his old friend. There was a very awkward greeting, but she looked away quickly, trying to give them some privacy.
"So, Mr. Winter Soldier sir…" Peter began to speak again. "Did you… how did you… do you like ice cream?" he folded his arms uncomfortably, wedging his hands under his arms. She chuckled a bit before stepping in, trying to diffuse the tension in the air.
"Peter, why don't you tell Bucky about what we worked on in June?" she prompted, and Peter's eyes lit up as he began explaining their work with his web-shooters, and Bucky actually looked interested. He asked a lot of questions about the physics of how they worked, and she smiled, feeling prideful of the smart men in her life.
"Hello Peter, I am glad you could make it." Shuri approached just as Peter had finished explaining the tension control.
"Well, Mr. Stark said as long as we just stay the weekend it will be fine. My aunt May thinks I'm at a weekend science convention, though." he frowned, and Don let out a small chuckle.
"Well, what your aunt does not know will not hurt her." Shuri waved it off. "Did you like your surprise?" she turned to Don with a grin. She smiled back widely, pulling the girl into a tight hug.
"It's wonderful, thank you so much for inviting them out here." she gushed, stepping back into Bucky's side.
"Yeah, back home we're like one big happy family." Peter chimed in, stepping closer. "We go to the mall a bunch and she buys me sandwiches from my favorite deli."
"I feel like you get a lot of people to like you by giving them food." Bucky narrowed his eyes at her, and a bubble of laughter escaped her.
"If it ain't broke, why fix it?" she shrugged. He cracked a grin, and Peter looked almost… awed.
"Okay, I see what she sees in you now, Mr. Winter Soldier sir. You're a very handsome guy." Peter let out a low whistle. "I-I mean, not that I'm attracted to you or anything, I'm just saying from an objective viewpoint-"
"Peter, why don't you join me and pick a seat at the table?" Shuri interrupted, and Donatella hid a laugh behind a cough. The kid just got so cute when he was flustered.
"You sure you really like those guys?" Bucky's smile widened.
"Yep. You can't get rid of them, so don't even think about it." she chuckled.
"Worth a try." he shrugged, leading her over towards where Steve and Tony had just embraced in a hug.
"Hey guys, how is everything going?" she asked, trying to keep the mood light. The two men looked dejected, but at the same time like a huge weight had come off their shoulders.
"Good." Steve nodded, a hesitant smile on his face.
"He's agreed to come to the wedding, which is all that matters to me." Tony shrugged, flashing a relieved grin at her.
"Oh, Pepper will be so excited! I've been texting her about flower arrangements, I took a few pictures of some flowers here to send to her…" she chatted for a bit with Tony as Bucky and Steve went off to the side, having a hushed conversation that seemed to put Steve more at ease.
"As long as you can help us settle our arguments about the wedding, nothing else would make me happier personally. Just make sure it's all in good taste, you know how gaudy Miss Potts can be." Tony smirked, teasing her.
"Will it not be weird to not be able to call her Miss Potts anymore?" she asked thoughtfully. He frowned.
"She's always gonna be Miss Potts. I'm not even sure if she's going to change her name, it isn't something we've discussed if I'm being honest." his frown deepened.
"Pepper Potts-Stark. Pepper Stark, Virginia Stark. Virginia Potts-Stark." she debated aloud.
"Okay, that's enough." he hushed her with a wave of his hand.
"Tony Potts!" she gasped with a grin. "Oh that's the one, for sure." she beamed.
"While I agree Tony Potts works, it's not gonna happen." he shook his head.
"So how are things really?" she asked, glancing at Steve.
"There were a lot of things said…" Tony trailed off. "They can't be taken back. All we have left is to move forward, try and salvage what was left."
"You two will make it. If anyone can, it has to be you." she chuckled, shaking her head.
"I told him a lot of things I didn't mean." he revealed. "I don't know how deep those wounds run."
"One day at a time." she gave him a soft smile, and he pulled her into a side hug.
"I know that those two are inseparable." Tony nodded at the pair, who seemed to be reminiscing about something. "Steve said even when he had nothing, he had Bucky."
"Tony…" she trailed off. "You know that you two have something there, too, right?"
"A big fat document that proves we can't get along." he sighed.
"Hey. Steve is always gonna be here for you, okay?" she smiled reassuringly. "He's not the type to hold a grudge, not with someone who means so much to him."
"Do I, though?" he grinned wryly.
"You're very different people, Tony, I can't deny that. But you're both good men. The best, some could say. Earth's mightiest heroes. And there's no one who can understand you two better than you can understand each other." she shook her head.
"I wouldn't say we understand each other…" he pursed his lips.
"Maybe you don't think you do. But I can tell."
"Okay, wise one, tell me how this ends." Tony glanced over to the two men, who were both looking at them.
"I wish I knew." she sighed, slumping out from his grip and turning to face him with an exhausted look. "I really wish I knew."
"So when do you get to come home? The princess said all was going well here." Tony asked, changing the subject.
"She said twelve days max." Donnie shrugged. His face broke into a grin.
"Beautiful! Just in time to go to the cake tasting." he revealed, and she let out a laugh.
"I can't wait." she teased, and that's when Bucky and Steve rejoined the group.
"What's this I hear about cake?" Steve asked, and she laughed again.
"You'll have to wait for the wedding." he waved a hand at him nonchalantly.
"Would you like to join us for dinner? The food will be getting cold soon." Shuri called from the table, causing Donnie to grin.
"Donnie! Saved you a seat!" Peter patted the chair next to him, and she gave him a grateful smile, sliding in next to him as Bucky pushed it in for her.
"Thanks." she said to them both, pretending not to notice as Bucky stuck his tongue out at the kid. Peter's mouth dropped open, clearly wanting to say something, but she knew that no one would believe the kid if he made any comments. "Pete, how was school today?" she asked quickly, stopping him from making a scene or embarrassing himself. He went into an in-depth explanation of how he, Ned and a newer friend named MJ had all managed to cause trouble.
"Mr. Stark, how have things been since we stole your top researcher out from under you?" Shuri asked with a teasing grin.
"Well, I'm still reeling in the aftermath of her latest press conference. She's like, America's number one golden child." she flushed at Tony's praise.
"We can't all be genius billionaire playboy philanthropists, Stark, some of us have to do real work." she teased. He rolled his eyes, and Bucky flinched next to her.
"Did you just kick me?" he grimaced at the man.
"I was aiming for Daphne over here, but getting you is just as good." Tony shrugged. Bucky shot him a glare, but she gave a small chuckle and placed a reassuring hand on his arm.
"Well, I understand your nation's respect for her. She is a brilliant worker." T'Challa replied with a polite grin. She gave him a small, grateful smile.
"Enough about me, I want to know more about anything else." she suggested. Shuri laughed and delved into a story of Bucky when he'd first gotten there. He looked embarrassed, but she just smiled and listened intently. She squeezed his hand, and he gave her a small smile.
"So, Steve, how is Sam?" she asked once there was a lull in the conversation.
"Oh, he's, well, he's fine." Steve replied. "A little peeved that I ditched him to come here, but he's getting things back together, for, well, we were going to relocate, but now since Tony invited us all back to the compound…"
"He did?" Don shot a surprised glance at Tony. He shrugged, taking a sip of his scotch.
"I figured that it's more convenient to rebrand and rebuild if we're all in the same spot. Plus, this way Vision won't have to sneak out to go and find Wanda." Steve winced as he realized Tony knew about the android's visits to Wanda.
"That does make sense, I agree. But what of those on house arrest? Does your offer extend to them?" T'Challa referred to Clint and Scott.
"Well, they're welcome as soon as their sentences are up. I'm ready to move things along, I'm tired of sitting around and waiting." Tony replied. She gave a small smile at her friend, encouraged by the way he seemed to be coping.
"That's very chivalrous of you, Stark." Don joked.
"I prefer the term magnanimous." He replied wryly, causing the table to laugh. After a delicious dessert, Peter nearly yanked Donnie's arm off as he led her towards the room he would be staying in. Bucky trailed just behind them, obviously not happy about having to spend more time with the kid.
"I wanted to watch a movie, Donnie!" He grinned, showing her the giant TV and multitude of films being displayed to watch.
"What do you say, Sarge?" She turned to Bucky with a soft smile. "Have time for one classic?"
"As long as it's good." He replied, looking aloof as he claimed a seat on the couch. She sat next to him, Peter on her other side. Peter suggested Memento, but Don vetoed that immediately.
"Not in good taste, kid." She muttered weakly.
"What? Oh. Oh you're right." Peter scrambled to find something else.
"I'll explain later." She said to Bucky, and he gave a slight smile before Peter chose something more appropriate. Halfway through the film, Bucky began to nod off, and she smiled affectionately as his head rested on her shoulder. Not long after, the kid's head dropped onto her other side, and she had to stifle a laugh. Her boys were so cute. Once the movie was over, she felt Bucky begin to stir, and he jolted up quickly.
"We're still here?" he muttered in annoyance. She gave him a look before turning to shake Peter awake.
"Hey, hon, wake up. Time for bed, okay?" she murmured, and he slowly stirred before jerking awake.
"Huh? I'm up, I-I'm up." he rubbed his eyes as she stood, and she let out a small laugh before leaning down to hug the kid.
"Night, Peter." she called out softly as she and Bucky left the room. The walk back to her room was nearly silent, Bucky not saying a word the entire time.
"They mean a lot to you, don't they?" he asked once the door clicked shut behind them. She paused, thinking before she answered. It was difficult to talk to him about these things, especially when she didn't want to shut him out.
"They were there for me when I was at my worst." she revealed. "You hurt me, Buck, and sometimes… well, sometimes I just didn't care to keep going on." he flinched, eyes filling with remorse.
"Donatella, you know I-" she held up a hand to stop him from talking.
"I know, Bucky. I know." she soothed him before he became defensive. "But they really helped me out. Peter taught me to laugh again, and Tony… well, he showed me that I was worth so much more than the shell I'd become. They will forever be important to me."
"If it means a lot to you… they're important to me, now, too." he replied, his eyes flashing determinedly. She smiled softly, reaching up to press her palms to his cheeks, feeling his stubble scrape gently against her skin.
"I love you, James Buchanan Barnes." she grinned. He leaned his head towards her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead.
"I live for you." he whispered tenderly. "Forever and always."
"Always."
Why does this feel like the ending of the story? Y'all, I haven't even bEGUN with the climax of this yet. I hope I'll surprise you all.