Chapter 60: Tolkien

March 29, 2017

Bucky underestimated how committed Luce would be to her medical school program. He knew she would dive in head first of course, that was just her nature, but the combination of the freedom of choice, the subject matter, and the innate competitiveness to finish things first meant that once she started, she was completely sucked in. She spent hours on the computer with laser focus, scrolling through presentations and watching lectures. She took copious notes on paper, and something in him loved seeing the same delicate, loopy handwriting she had all those years ago. Natasha tried to teach her how to take notes on the tablet with a stylus, but Luce adamantly refused, saying that she preferred to feel the pen dragging across the paper. She confessed later that working on a tablet too much reminded her of the scientists she had on her last go-round, the men and women holding the slender screens and documenting her every move. The thing they implanted in her head was controlled by a tablet, and she had no desire to see one if she didn't have to.

Her enhancements only made it easier for her to stay up too late and still retain the information, and more often than not Bucky had to interrupt her and drag her to bed. They spent most of their free time together on the couch, or with Luce at the table and Bucky in the kitchen, which really didn't phase him. After being in a relationship for almost seventy-three years, things were easy; after being held captive for a good chunk of that time, companionable silence was welcome and soothing.

But it also meant Bucky needed to find some new hobbies.

Drawing was the first thing he attempted. He dug into the recesses of his brain, trying to remember the art classes that he and Steve took all those years ago. Steve took them because he genuinely enjoyed, and was good at, drawing and art. Bucky took them because he wanted the excuse to draw naked women. He had next to no talent for it at the time, but he was hoping now with his enhanced reflexes and spatial awareness he would improve.

He was wrong.

The second thing he attempted was whittling, because an article on the internet said that it was a good way to practice mindfulness and reduce stress. Since he was currently making a brave attempt at a stress-free life and whittling involved knives, it sounded like a great idea. The great idea, as well as the chunk of wood, was quickly thrown out the window when he learned how hard it was to do it one handed.

The third attempt was movies. He remembered enjoying movies, even if he hadn't seen one since 1941. They were all in color now, with a clarity that astounded him at first glance. This kept him busy for a few days, but in the end it was hard to enjoy the film when he couldn't share the experience with Luce, and it was difficult to shuffle through all the options to find ones that wouldn't contain subject matters that would upset either of them. He knew all about the new understandings of PTSD - Luce shared that information with him as she went through her introductory psychology lectures - and while he wasn't sure whether or not he had triggers, he didn't want to find out the hard way.

The most recent idea was reading. He enjoyed reading when he was younger, though he didn't get to do much of it. Now he had decades worth of material to catch up on, and an indefinite amount of time in which to do it. He made it through a couple of Luce's romance novels (the most readily available options), but found the storytelling lacking and the interjection of sex distracting both mentally and physically. Luckily Luce allowed him to tear her away from her schoolwork for this…distraction.

It was the end of midterm examinations for her, so he spent most of the week bringing her coffee and food and staying out of her way. Dr. Hansen wasn't exaggerating when she said the coursework would be rigorous, and of course Luce was trying to do advance work whenever she could. He'd (gently) reminded her multiple times that she would not be able to do years worth of work in a few months, but she didn't seem inclined to accept that.

But today she was taking her last exam, and he reckoned that meant it was time for them to have a date.

Luce shut the laptop with a long sigh, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hands. Bucky watched as her shoulders finally relaxed and the tension seeped out of her. With careful movements she closed her notebook, collected her pens, and arranged everything in a neat little stack in the center of the table. He put down his journal and went to her, bending over so he could wrap his arm around her and rest his head against the top of hers. She leaned back against him, her hands coming to hang on his forearm.

"Done." she said, the one word carrying all her stress from the past few days. Bucky kissed the top of her head before returning to his original position.

"I'm proud of you." he said, making her hold his arm tighter. They stayed there for a few minutes, soaking in the quiet of not having any responsibilities. It was so nice that he almost didn't want to break it. Almost. "Do you want to go out for a little bit? See the world again?"

She hummed, thinking. "Can we go to the bakery?"

"Absolutely." he agreed, even if he had no desire to eat anything sweet…besides her. "Then I thought we could go to the bookstore. See what's new. You deserve a reward for your hard work this week."

"You just don't like my saucy romance novels."

"That too."

"I suppose we could take a trip there. It'll be a change from ordering them." she said. Wakandan technology made it so easy to transfer credits and have packages delivered to their location that she hadn't thought about visiting an actual bookstore in ages - probably since they were in London. "I don't think I've been to a real one since the day we got engaged."

He smiled at the memory. "That was a good day." he said, kissing the top of her head again. "Easily one of the best days of my life."

"Me too." she said, moving one of her hands so she could intertwine their fingers. "Yea, I think going to the bookstore sounds fun."

"Good." he said, unwilling to admit how glad he was that she agreed. One more head kiss, this time with a loud and obvious sniff. "You should probably shower first though."

Thank God for his fast reflexes then, as he was barely able to dance away from her swatting hand. He laughed and made a break for the kitchen, putting the island between them as Luce launched herself over the table in pursuit. She tried to keep her face serious, but he could see a smile threatening to pull at her lips.

"I've had a busy week." she said, prowling around the island. He matched her steps, keeping it between them.

"I know."

"And it's partially your fault for the times I've ended up sweating." she pointed out, making him smile again.

"Oh, I know." He wasn't apologetic for that.

"So you don't get to make fun of me."

"I wasn't making fun, I was just making an observation." he said, gesturing casually. She picked up an orange and threw it at him, but he knew that was just the diversion. He quickly dodged and vaulted over the island just as she did the same, both of them landing on opposite sides. She let out a low growl of frustration; it was always tough to fight someone when they knew all your tricks.

"I hate you."

"Love you too." he said. "Which is why I'll remind you that the bakery closes in two hours."

She stopped her planning, her eyebrows barely twitching as she tried to decide if her pride or her stomach deserved attention at that moment. Eventually her eyes narrowed, and she stuck a hand out. "Truce. For now."

"Accepted." he said, taking her hand and shaking it. He then used the contact to drag her across the countertop, eventually wrangling her so she was thrown over his shoulder.

"What are you doing?"

"It's time for a shower." he explained, carrying her across the house.

"Didn't you just tell me that the bakery closes in two hours?" she asked, though she stopped fighting and instead admired the wonderful things that a year of farm life had done to his backside.

"Yes. That's why we didn't have time for the wrassling in the kitchen." he said, finally depositing her in the bathroom and turning on the shower. When all was said and done (and done again) they made it to the bakery with thirty minutes to spare. The now very pregnant owner welcomed them with a smile and a joyous call, and when Bucky glanced over Luce was positively beaming back at her. By God, she'd found herself a friend. His pride grew further, his own smile tugging at his lips. It hit him that they were really doing it - really living the life they always wanted. The thought had crossed his mind before, but it still surprised him every time he got a reminder.

"There is my girl," the baker, Eya, said. "I was beginning to think you forgot about me."

"Never." Luce said. Eya came out from behind the counter, navigating her belly through the tight spaces to give Luce a hug. Luce froze up for a second, but eventually leaned into the embrace. After a moment she went to move away, but Eya continued to hold her close.

"I'm sorry." Eya said, though clearly she wasn't sorry at all. "Lately I just feel like nurturing everyone."

"That's the hormones." Luce said. She looked like she was about to detail exactly which ones to blame, but Bucky poked her in the side to remind her that most people did not find medical facts fun. Eya finally let her go, waddling back behind the counter.

"How long now?" Bucky asked, gesturing to her abdomen. Eya blew a raspberry, rolling her eyes.

"Too long. I want this baby out." she said.

"Careful, you'll end up having it here in the bakery." Luce said absently, perusing the various treats in front of her. "I've seen it happen."

"Ah, that would be my luck." Eya said, swiping her brow in order to ward off any bad luck. Then, said brow furrowed. "Wait, did you just stay there and watch it happen?"

"No, I delivered the baby." she said, matter-of-fact. She pointed to a pastry. "Do these have that one fruit? The pink one?"

"Yes, they do." she answered, pausing for a moment before shaking her head and laughing. "Well, I suppose if something goes awry, I know who to call."

"I assume you already have a doctor, but I can always assist if you need." she said. "Oh, this one has the blue fruit…"

"Luce was a nurse, and now she's working towards her medical degree." Bucky said, feeling like his heart was glowing with how he felt about her. She was doing so many wonderful things, and he wanted everyone to know it. She shot him a look over her shoulder, apparently self-conscious about it now. Luckily, Eya gasped with the proper appreciation, reclaiming her attention.

"Oh, my girl is going to be a doctor." she said, doing an impressive dance despite the massive baby she was carrying.

"I just started, I'm technically still in the probationary period." she said, a blush rising to her cheeks. Bucky's grin just got wider.

"Here, here, you buy double today. She needs brain food. She needs good, hearty sustenance so she can be a good doctor." Eya gestured to Bucky, pulling out pastries and meat buns for their dessert and supper.

"I don't know if I agreed to that." he said. That was the best argument he could come up with; after all, both of them still ate like horses and with no threat of diabetes, Luce could eat as many sweets as she wanted. Plus, she deserved it.

"Soon you'll have a doctor in the house, you can afford it." she said, bagging up all their purchases. Luce smiled, holding out her hand with her bracelet so Eya could scan it. "There. Have a good night, okay? And keep studying, you'll be an amazing doctor. I'll be your first patient."

"Thank you, Eya." Luce said, both for the food and for the compliment. Eya smiled, then turned her eyes on Bucky.

"And you," she said, brandishing a finger at him. "You need to bring her treats more often. You let her study for the past two months with no treats? Shame on you."

"Noted." he said with a smile, holding up his hand. "At least one a week now."

"Psh, to start with." Eya said. She smiled and waved goodbye as they grabbed their spoils, edging their way past the incoming customers and back into the alley. They sat on the steps of the big theater to eat their meal, one of them keeping an eye on the people behind them and the other on the people in front of them. They wanted to trust everyone, but he had a feeling this would be a habit they could never break.

"Do you know where the bookstore is?" Luce asked, digging into her second pastry. Bucky nodded, wiping his hands with a napkin and gathering the papers that previously wrapped their food.

"I found it two days ago when I came for groceries. It's huge, you'll like it." he said.

"That's what all the guys say." she said lightly, making Bucky's jaw go slack.

"Exactly what other guys have been saying that to you?" he asked, raising an eyebrow and seeing how far she'd go to sell the joke.

"Like I said, all of them." she replied, refusing to meet his eyes.

"The only other guys you see are Sam and Steve." he said, and the green monster that lived in the back of his head cracked an eye open. He quickly swallowed the jealousy; they were playing, that was all. The stupid serum just made it so easy to feel it. "Have Sam and Steve been discussing their bookstores with you?"

"Oh, all the time." she said, finally looking up at him, daring him. He held her stare for a long time, and she gave him a pity grin. "Don't worry, love, yours is the only bookstore I visit."

"Maybe I shouldn't take you to my bookstore anymore."

"But I know you enjoy using the bookstore as much as I do."

"But…" he wracked his brain, trying to come up with another response. She looked at him with her eyebrows raised, waiting on his comeback. Finally he groaned out, "Fuck."

"Ha ha! I got you." she said. She chuckled at the joke, finishing her pastry with one large bite. How sexy of her.

"This time. You got me this time." he agreed, unable to keep his serious face. She was an absolute pest, and he loved her so fucking much. He gathered the last of the trash and deposited it in the proper receptacle. Luce tried to tuck her hand into his elbow and he pretended like he wasn't going to allow it, but with one well placed pout his resolve completely crumbled. God she was a nuisance. He never wanted to be without her.

They wound through the streets towards the city center, leaving the open air market behind. Now, instead of stalls and one-story store fronts, full on buildings and skyscrapers stacked next to each other on the busy streets. Luce, after being locked away studying for the past two months, was having some trouble keeping focus as they moved, but Bucky held her close to him as they walked and murmured soothing things to her. They weren't far now, just a couple more blocks, and they would be safe in the confines of the store.

The last bookstore they'd been to was tiny, and dusty, and empty. This was the exact opposite of that.

Wakanda had a massive digital store of books, and Bucky generally loved all things technology, but both of them agreed that these electronic books didn't have the same feel as print books. The print books felt like their old life, something solid and real and completely unchanged since they got taken. The store here in Wakanda stood a proud three stories tall, the lights shining on the stacks and the patrons milling about. When they went through the front doors, they found the building was even bigger than it looked from the outside. Hundreds of shelves stood in proud lines, and every inch of them were covered in books. At first, the sheer volume overwhelmed them, but then Luce grabbed his hand and turned to him with a smile.

"Shall we start at the top?" she asked. He nodded.

The top floor, turns out, was the children's floor. Kids ran rampant through the literal maze of shelves, hiding from their parents or trying to find them. Bucky and Luce dodged a little girl carrying a book as big as her torso, the front emblazoned with a majestic horse. A half a breath later, Luce reached down with fast accuracy to catch the top few books of a stack, the boy carrying it nearly losing control of them. A jaunty tune sang over the speakers and the kids stampeded to one corner, settling onto cushions in front of a beautiful woman in a flowy blue dress and a bookstore badge. She sat on a cushion as well, and held a book with a cartoon goat on the front, evidently on some adventure. She spoke in the lovely lilting language native to the region, and even if neither Luce nor Bucky could understand what she was saying they couldn't help but stop and listen for the first few pages.

"Do you want to buy that book? I know how you love goats." Luce murmured, leaning into Bucky's side. The children gasped at something dramatic, making something in him twinge.

"Absolutely. Sounds better than the romances you have at home." he said back, earning a pinch to his side. He was glad she said goats and not kids.

"Should we go downstairs?" she asked, neither one of them moving away from the story time in the corner. The other parents were still up here, chatting amongst themselves as the kids listened to the story, so they weren't exactly out of place. Except, of course, Luce and Bucky didn't exactly look like one of their biological kids was in the crowd.

"In a second." Bucky responded, without shame. They still had no clue what was going on, but the pictures showed the baby goat parading down the street, evidently escaping from his home pen. At the point where they really should have gone down to the lower floors, a wolf had found the goat, and it was unsure whether he would survive. Of course they had to wait until he made it back home safe, especially when the kids were losing their minds at the storyteller's voices and expressions. For the first time in a while, they missed something Hydra took besides their time.

"Let's go." Luce whispered, taking his hand again. The goat officially made it back home, and it was time for them to move on.

The middle floor was half magazines and half books, and the books seemed to be more for teens. There was no story time on this floor, and while the magazines were certainly glossy and boasted many interesting topics, it was not what they were here for. And so, hand in hand, they made it back down to the ground floor. Bucky stayed with Luce as she found the romance section, watching as she perused the different titles. They all looked the same to Bucky, with some buxom lady and shirtless man touching sensually under a double entendre of a title. Apparently Luce was also bored by the options, and wandered to the next aisle, which was labeled Fantasy Romance. Interesting.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," Luce started, her brows pinching together as she scanned the titles in the new section. "But I think there's too many choices."

"I can help you look." he offered. "What are you feeling?"

"Hmm, something…" she thought for a second, tapping her chin as she thought. "Different. Maybe a little more adventurous."

"On it." he said, happy to have a mission. He started scanning the titles, looking for something different from the stuff they already had at home. At first glance some of them sounded good, but when he went to read the synopsis there was always something involving murder or soldiers or war. Until he hit the G's.

He picked up Outlander because he liked the blue color on the cover and the interesting gold crown. He smiled as he read the synopsis, letting out a huff of a laugh that got Luce's attention.

"What?" she asked, putting down a different book and coming to stand next to him. He tilted the book over so she could read it too.

"I found your alternate universe self." he said, handing it over to her so she could look at it fully. Claire, a former army nurse, gets sent back in time to 1743 Scotland…

"Oh, now this, this is different." she said, flipping through a few of the pages. It was certainly longer than most things she read, and the heft of the book seemed to excite her. She closed it and clutched it to her chest, her eyes shining.

"I have even better news for you." he said, smiling. He gestured to the shelf where he found Outlander. "There's eight of them."

Luce's eyes went wide as she eyed the stack. "I can't take them all."

"Sure you can. We can afford it." He'd buy her the whole damn shop if she wanted.

"But then I will fail medical school." she pointed out.

"…perhaps just the first one then." he said, slipping a finger through her belt loop and pulling her away. "You can reward yourself each quarter. For the next two years."

She smiled, holding her book with utter joy. "Every time I think there couldn't be any more reasons for me to love you…" she said, leaning in to kiss him. He welcomed the kiss, but kept it brief; after all, they were still on a mission.

"Alright." he said, pulling back. This time her pout did nothing to him. "My turn."

Normally he'd go straight to the science fiction section, but he'd had enough of science for a while. So instead he bee lined to the normal fantasy section, a weird sense of nostalgia coming over him as he saw all the covers with swords and axes and dragons. He used to love this stuff as a kid. He and Steve used to sit in the back of the stores and read so they didn't have to pay for the book, or wait until the library got a copy. That was how he met his librarian girl, who was also the reason he hadn't been to a library since 1939.

"Hey." Luce got his attention, pulling him away from a book called A Way of Kings. She held up a green book the same color as her eyes, a dragon's tail penned across the bottom. "Didn't you read this before?"

Bucky hadn't thought about The Hobbit in a very long time, but seeing that cover brought back all the memories. It was one of the few books he actually purchased, devouring it over a couple days and rereading it a week later. He'd never read anything like it before, and it gave him a weird sense of comfort as he went through police academy training. "Yea," he said, coming over to pick the book up from her. Though he couldn't tell her the first few words of the book, they were familiar as he read them. "A long time ago. I loved this book."

"Well, you're in luck." she said. She pulled out another book, this one significantly bigger. "The author kept writing."

"No shit?" he said. Tolkien fought in WWI, he knew that. There was a newspaper article in the New York Times about it when The Hobbit came out. He wondered if the man fought in WWII as well, and if his later books were any good. Based on the sheer number of different copies on the shelves - the covers varied, even including what looked like movie posters - it was popular. Very popular. He turned to the back cover.

"'Following the events of The Hobbit…' oh, fuck. Oh, fuck." he said, flipping through the pages. "The ring was bad the whole time?!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm very excited for you." she said. "Which editions are we getting?"

"We don't - I mean, I can just get the first one." he said, trying to pull himself back to the stoic soldier despite the real and true giddiness he felt. He'd spotted the name Gandalf during his flip through, so clearly this was the same world.

"Bull shit, we're getting all three." she said. She scanned the shelf before reaching out and picking a set, the hardbacks covered with pretty gold designs. "I like these."

"You're only getting one, I can't get three."

"You are supporting me while I do medical school." she said, putting the books in his hand. "You deserve all three. Hell, you deserve the whole shelf."

He had no response to that, so he simply nodded. "I am…pretty excited about this." It was an equivocation, and they both knew it, but she let it slide.

"Good." she said, leaning forward and kissing his cheek. "Maybe you'll interrupt me less with this kind of book."

"I make no promises. You're pretty when you're studying." he said cheekily. She rolled her eyes, pushing him towards the front.

"Come on. Let's buy these so we can be old people reading next to each other on the couch." she said. Since his arm was full, he wasn't able to put it around her, but he did affectionately bump her with his hip.

"That's all I've wanted this whole time." he said. "To grow old with you."

"You're already old. I'm still a young woman in my nineties." she said, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder. He chuckled, shaking his head. He wanted to tell her that she was perfect, that he loved her so much it still took the breath out of him, that every day with her was worth it.

"Let's go, old lady." is what he said instead. And Luce didn't seem to mind.

I couldn't watch that F&TWS snippet and not write tolkien nerd Bucky lol. Anyone else pumped for the show? Bucky and Luce chapters are gonna be more slice of life happy stuff, cause the 40s are...rough for them right now lol. Any requests?

Thank you so much for your reviews. Y'all are the best readers a girl could ask for, for real. I love hearing all your thoughts and opinions and predictions, so please keep them coming!

Be safe, tell your friends you love them.

-XM