It was early evening before Steve returned to the village. A light from Bucky's fire burned bright in the distance and the sound of conversation carried over through the air. Sam's deep resonate voice was easy to pick out, the other a light airy voice he didn't recognize and Bucky. They were laughing. His two best friends getting along so well made this whole crazy experience worth it. Bucky turned just as he came closer, greeting him with a smile and motioning him over to join the group.
"Sam's timing is impeccable as usual," he said. "Showing up as soon as the food's ready." A warm aroma of roasting vegetables and meat from the open grill infused the air. Steve sat down on a log across from Bucky.
"I did. I'm no fool!" Sam said. "Steve, this is Thula, Thula, Captain Steve Rogers."
"How do you do, Captain," the little woman stood up to greet him, extending her hand. Her skin, a dark caramel, and her wide-set apart eye gave her a striking appearance. Despite her small stature, he sensed an innate strength about her. A mischievous part of him that wanted to describe her as 'bird-like' and considered the irony of Sam being taken with such a woman. She returned to her seat beside Sam and looked up at the evening sky.
"So Captain, how long will you and your team be staying with us?" she asked. She had a mesmerizing lilt to her voice.
"We have a compound, but it's not really a fixed base," he said, glad of Tony and Natasha's information gathering. "Mr. Stark's planning on staying for a while.. Since he's our boss, I suppose the rest of us will stay until you get sick of us or," he paused for effect, "are ready to kick us out." A slight shadow passed over Bucky's face at the mention of him leaving but it passed. Steve realized at that moment he didn't want to leave. This was home, with Bucky in this place by the lake with Sam close enough to drop by unannounced. The world could pass them by and he wouldn't notice. The intensity of his feelings again took him by surprise as though he was being taken over by another personality. He dismissed it and smiled at Thula, who laughed.
The company, the food, everything fit together to make a perfect evening. Every so often from across the fire, Bucky's would reward him with a smile. The misgivings he had about coming here faded away.
"You turned into a damn good cook." Sam was saying. "I hear it's the custom in Wakanda to always feed guests when they show up. So tomorrow, we'll come around again, but only after you're done with work. " A chuckle flowed through the group.
"It's also the custom to return favors, so maybe we should just show up at your place next time," Bucky said as he stirred the fire.
"Hey, come on up. I got a nice set of rooms on the hill and T'Challa always puts out a nice spread. Next time's on us!" He said as he stood up. "Speaking of going up the hill, we better get started before it gets dark, but these trees are probably full of Vibranium that glow in the dark or something." His words sparked another collective laugh.
Thula rose with him. "Thank you for a lovely evening," She said to Bucky who nodded in acknowledgment. She turned to Steve. "I'm glad to have met you, Captain Rogers."
"Please, call me Steve," he said. She nodded, giving him a beautiful smile. The couple started on the trail Steve had walked down a few hours before. Buck walked with them a short distance, engaging Sam in a conversation for a few minutes before returning to the campfire.
"Just told him I wasn't joking. I expect an invitation to his place within the next few days." He picked up the water bucket he always kept close to the fire. "You haven't complained, but being down here isn't a picnic. You don't have to stay…"
"No, no, I'm fine here," Steve rejoined. Bucky hid his face as he poured water on the fire. Together they watched the embers die out.
"I'm glad because I don't want you to go," he said as he kicked dirt over where the fire had been and poured more water on it. Bucky let out a yawn. "I'm tired, I guess it's time to turn in."
Steve revisited the events of the day as they walked to the hut. For a moment, it didn't matter. He wanted willing to throw himself into his new role and not hang onto anything he had left behind.
Bucky stopped in the doorway. "I'm glad you're here," he said. "It wasn't the same, with you gone."
The setting sun cast its last rays across the lake, touching them. "I know," Steve said. "I felt the same way." His own emotions were overwhelming him but they seemed to come from some other place.
Bucky was waiting for something. It reminded Steve of that fateful day on the helicarrier when SHIELD fell. The Winter Soldier had stood in his way, his eyes not flinching, his mouth set in a straight line. That day Steve saw the scorn at the edge of his hard expression but now, there was something different playing at the corner of his eyes and mouth. As soon as they entered the house, Bucky turned to him, slipping his arms around him, enfolding him in a gentle hug. Steve hesitated. He wasn't sure how the other Steve would react, so he returned the embrace but couldn't stop himself from tensing up.
Bucky pulled back, keeping his arms around his waist, "What happened to you?" he asked. "You've... changed. I mean really changed. You're...almost like you were before...before the serum."
The question caused Steve's mind to work overtime, going back to that fateful day with Wong when they started this journey. He told no one to keep their journey a secret. He also realized that the other intimate relationships, Tony and Pepper, Clint and Laura, and Bruce and Natasha didn't exist here. The only exception being himself and Bucky. Someone like him, trained to pick up on inconsistencies and small details would have missed nothing. As hard as he tried, there was no way he could be that other guy so it was useless to keep trying.
"What do you mean, changed?" he asked, stalling for time as he thought of a way to explain himself and to recover from the emotional moment.
"I mean something's been off about you since you disappeared and came back. You're different," he said.
"So are you," Steve said. He reminded himself this was the truth. "Stark told us things would be different."
"Stark's not the same either" Bucky crossed his arms in front of him, the traces of amusement gone from his face. "Some of us are the same. Sam, for instance, the same person I've always known. So is T'Challa. Sam's confided in me that something is up with Romanoff, she's been acting… more open. Talks a lot more than normal." Quicker than sight, his metal arm came out, his fingers circled around Steve's forearm. Steve could have shaken himself loose but didn't. He stared into Bucky's eyes and let out a long sigh and decided. He had to bring back his own self-confidence that rarely let him down. Right or wrong, he prepared to face the consequences. No more secrets from his friends.
"I'll tell you, but you have to promise to keep this between us for now. We're not here to hurt you. We… we did this because… we're just looking for… home." He hadn't meant for it to sound so dramatic but it affected Bucky. Pulling his hands away, he stepped back. His eyes widened and his face softened. Steve had seen that expression before, on the helicarrier when his memory returned. Those words meant something to him.
"You're not here to hurt us? What the hell does that mean? Are you aliens?" He asked, taking another step back.
"No, we're not aliens. We're humans, we're like you, but you're right, we're… different." Steve's hand ran through his hair. "Can we sit down? I'll explain everything."
Without turning his back on Steve, he lit a small lamp that cast a warm glow over the interior of his home before sitting on the floor. With a wave of the hand, he showed that Steve should join him. He kept his back toward the open door.
"Go on," he said. "I'm listening", he said.
Steve retraced his own beginnings, of his life in Brooklyn. Bucky nodded at the familiar memories but kept a look of skepticism on his face. "Ok, I'm with you so far."
"This is where things change." He breathed a silent prayer of thanks for his eidetic memory and Natasha's files. He covered everything, every parallel event and where their lives differed. Bucky stayed silent but facial expressions changed with each new revelation.
"We suspected something happened to Stark when he went to space, or that it was the after-effects of the battle or something… but this is worse. You're really not… you're not the same people!" The tone of his voice rose. He was getting angry. For Steve, losing his friends had happened a long time ago, for Bucky, it had just happened. There was no way of knowing how he would react, so Steve prepared himself mentally and physically. Bucky was turning into the Winter Soldier.