The sounds of chirping insects and calling night creatures faded away and the morning songs of birds took their place.
After taking a long drink, Bucky placed the jug of water by the fire pit. A slight chill passed through him which was unusual, considering the warmth of the morning, but he shook it off. He took advantage of the moment to view his little kingdom and reflect over the past several months. He was the same person he was when the year started, but life around him had changed in ways he couldn't have imagined. Steve had come back to him, in the guise of a stranger but somehow the same Steve he thought he'd lost all those years ago. Bucky learned new things about himself, the bits and pieces snapping together to form a complete picture. It was disconcerting at first, but embracing the truth about himself was liberating. He and Steve were officially together, and their close friends who knew the true nature of their relationship never batted an eye when they explained it. Why had he doubted them, or Steve?
"Bucky! Bucky!" Steve's frantic call shattered the quiet causing the birds to temporarily stop their welcome of the morning. Another nightmare. They had gotten worse, ever since they came back from the place they called Sanctuary. Bad dreams, some going back to the events of the War were common because post-mission stress was a part of their lives. Steve normally shook these things off after a week or so, but this time, the dreams weren't going away. Bucky started back to the house, wondering if he should tell Sam. Their mutual friend had more experience at this than he did.
"Steve," he said as he entered the back room where they slept. Small rays of light streamed through the open door to reveal his life partner sitting up on the pallet, his eyes wide open, staring at nothing, clutching at his chest.
"Where were you?" He asked, his voice almost accusatory. "I woke up, you weren't there…"
"I was thirsty, I got a drink," Bucky replied. "It's all right. It's over. We're safe."
"No, it's not all right! I dreamed…"
"Come on, lay back down," Bucky tried to sound as soothing as possible. He sat down by Steve Steve carefully guiding him down onto the bed. "Go back to sleep. It's ok. I'm here."
"You're here," Steve said, the tone of his voice flat. Bucky pushed him back down on the pallet and laid down beside him draping his arm around him. Eventually, his muscles relaxed and his heartbeat slowed down. It wasn't long until his breathing returned to normal.
He didn't mean to, but he drifted off himself. He woke to find Steve awake, laying on his side facing him. "Been awake long?" he asked.
"Not long. Just here, admiring the view," Steve said. Bucky felt his cheeks grown warm at his words. He knew he was blushing and he suspected Steve enjoyed doing this.
"We're late. We've got things to do…" Bucky raised himself up but Steve reached out to restrain him.
"I know, but can we…fool around for a few minutes?" Steve asked. This was something else he was doing more of but normally not first thing in the morning. Bucky nodded. Steve gave up a lot for him, it was only fair. He allowed Steve to pull him into a tight embrace, closing his eyes as he felt his skin against his own, and concentrated as his fingers wandered across his bare back and his lips nuzzle against his neck. It was nice. Part of him could stay here all day, enjoying their closeness and his warmth but after a few minutes of this, he forced himself away.
"Steve, we have things to do. Remember? The repairs to the pier? We promised we'd help them finish?"
Steve rolled over on his back and smiled at the ceiling. "I remember."
"You volunteered us. We can save them a lot of labor if we finish putting the new piling in place, you said, and they all agreed."
"Well then, we should get to it!" he said as he sat up. Bucky knew enough to ask him the specifics of his nightmare. He wouldn't talk about it or maybe he didn't remember.
Because they got a late start, breakfast was quick and the impatient goats didn't waste time coming out of their night house and diving into their feed. The rest of the chores could wait until later. They left the goats to their own devices and followed the shoreline of the lake to the place where everyone had gathered. The villagers had already built the pier itself, part of it was floating in the water, a part of it still on the bank. The wood was sanded smooth by hand and put together by traditional methods. The workers were on temporary barges, putting on the finishing touches. It didn't surprise Bucky to see so many people there. A new pier was a big thing for the community, even the children were there, accompanied by their teacher.
Together, he and Steve worked on the piling, beating them down into the hole already scooped out on the river bottom. This work would have taken days by a team of ordinary men and out in the world, a hydraulic jack could have done the job but here it was all Steve and Bucky, beating the poles down in a systematic rhythm. It wasn't long until they finished; the pier pulled the rest of the way into the water and tied to the piling. Applause greeted their efforts.
Out in the distance, something appeared on the lake and Bucky saw a person piloting what looked like a new canoe. It was fancy, not the normal run-of-the-mill dugouts that patrolled the shores. The wood was shiny and there were symbols painted on the side in bright red. Bucky could speak Wakandan but his ability to decipher the symbols was sketchy. He thought at first it must belong to an official but as it came closer he recognized the young man rowing. Musa, a villager. He hopped out, a large smile on his face and the beautiful canoe became the first boat to tie up to the new pier. An elder of the tribe, Jabu, the community head, motioned for Bucky to come over.
"For you," he said.
It took Bucky a moment to realize what was happening. "For me?" he asked, not believing his words.
"Our gift to you, for all you've done for us. It's been a year since you came to live among us, and our village is richer for it."
This was no small thing. They had created this work out of art out of a simple dugout design. It overwhelmed Bucky with emotion. He knew the usual western fake formalities of ' you shouldn't have, I don't deserve this' wouldn't fly here. He looked over the faces of the crowd and back to his companion. Steve had a knowing smile on his face. He'd been in on it the whole time.
Bucky bowed to the leader and faced the small crowd. "Thank you, for allowing me to live here among you. I'm the one who should give you gifts, but I accept this. Thank you again."
Another elder, Manla, chanted a few words over it, and the crowd waited. Bucky picked up the oar but Steve stopped him.
"What are you doing?" He asked, his voice lowered so only Bucky could hear.
"Taking it for a spin. It's traditional. I row around the lake for about an hour, by myself, come back and we have a party."
"I don't think you should go alone…"
"Steve, I can swim. The dangerous wildlife is on the south end of the lake. I'll be fine. You know we keep the customs while we're here. Look, I'll pass by our inlet in about thirty minutes. Meet me there. It'll be ok."
Steve stepped back but Bucky knew him well enough to be able to tell he wasn't happy about it. Getting into the boat took a little bit of finesse as it gently rocked back and forth. He positioned himself, dipped the oar into the water and was on his way. He had been in borrowed vessels while they were out fishing but he didn't go out by himself and even then, they normally stayed close to familiar fishing spots. This ritual was something young boys and girls did when they came of age but they had grown up here and knew the territory a lot better than he did. After a few minutes, he relaxed. He looked back at the crowd and they waved to him. He could see Steve edging his way to the back of the crowd. Even from this distance, Bucky could tell he didn't look happy.
He got his bearing and eventually found and steered himself into the inlet. This was one of Steve's favorite places, where he liked to swim and 'fool around in the water. He never got around to explaining his fixation with that. Bucky pulled the boat up to the shore and got out just as Steve came out of the thick brush. Without a word, he rushed over and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Steve, I'm ok. See, nothing happened. I'm going to get in and row back to the pier. You need to get back over there. You're my family, they know that. They expect you to be there, When it's all over, we'll come back here. Won't take as long, a lot shorter than walking here, Ok?" Bucky said. He didn't like talking to Steve like he was a child. He felt like he was back to taking care of him again just like the old days.
Steve said nothing but let him go. Bucky returned to the boat, looking back to see Steve with a worried look on his face. He looked back again as he steered out of the inlet back into the lake proper. Steve was still there.
Thirty minutes later, he returned to the group and Steve had made it back. The crowd rushed down to greet him; the children dancing. They brought food out, and they all took part in a community picnic. Those who had boats brought them around to dock them in the new location. Bucky went through the crowd, thanking everyone. After a few hours, the crowd dissipated, everyone appeared reluctant to leave but they all had things to do. Steve was the only one who remained.
"You want to explain that?" Bucky asked.
"Explain what?" Steve said.
"Explain why you can't seem to let me out of your sight. Are you going to hold my hand every time I have to pee?"
"Don't be stupid. I thought it was dangerous that's all."
"It's a lot safer than a lot of other things I've done. Talk to me."
"There's nothing to say."
"Ok, if you're going to be that way. Hop in and we'll take a ride back to the inlet."
Steve said nothing but stood back as Bucky eased himself back in the boat and then carefully joined him. As Bucky dipped his oar in the water, he was surprised at a faint feeling of soreness where his skin met metal. It was an unfamiliar sensation. He dismissed it as overwork so he could concentrate it on his other problem. He came to a decision. He had to get in touch with Sam. The two of them needed to have a talk.