He was late.

Digging into the pocket of his jeans he pulled out the pass Shuri had made for him, scanning himself into the lab and breaking into a quick walk. He was supposed to have met Harper for their usual training session in the simulator half an hour previous but had been unable to catch a ride.

"Is she mad?" he asked Shuri as soon as he spotted her, his eyebrows furrowing when he checked the monitor on her desk to see the simulation was empty "Where-?" he began, his eyes rolling when he spotted Shuri making her way over to him with her measuring tape in hand.

"I just want to make sure it fits you correctly!" she argued, ready for his comment "You don't want odd length arms do you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow as she reached for his right arm.

"I don't care either way," he answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Stop playing it cool," Shuri said with a roll of her eyes "Any of that pain I asked you about?"

"No."

"Are you lying?"

Bucky's eyebrows raised as he glanced down to her "No."

"Hmmm," Shuri said, scribbling away in her notebook "So are you going to help me then?" she asked, gesturing to the folded up bit of fabric on her desk "You're tall and can pass me things while I'm on the step ladder."

"Sure," Bucky answered with a shrug of her shoulders, he had no idea what she was talking about but had reached the stage with her where he didn't like to ask too many questions.

"It's for Harper," she explained, seemingly done with him as she began dragging the step ladder over to the wall behind Harper's desk "To welcome her in when she gets here?" she added, almost pushing him for a reaction "I told her to come in late today, have a lie in...in fact I was pretty sure you'd be helping her celebrate with breakfast in bed!"

His heart dropped as he unravelled the banner sitting on Shuri's desk, a happy birthday message to Harper printed across it "Oh God," he groaned, rubbing his hand down his face.

Shuri's jaw dropped open and she placed her hands on her hips "You forgot?!"

"No!" he exclaimed quickly "We never...she never told me when it was, we didn't celebrate birthdays while we were on the run," he said, pinching the bridge of his nose "I feel awful."

"You never thought to ask?" Shuri tutted, a smile coming to her lips "Don't worry about it, you can help me decorate the lab and we'll pretend it was your idea as well. I want her to have a good day though so you better be on your best behaviour," she warned, pointing her finger toward him.

Bucky raised his hand innocently "Just put me to work."

So she did. Along with the banner Shuri had organised for everyone Harper had befriended in Wakanda to come to celebrate her special - Bucky had groaned even louder when he realised it was her thirtieth - day. She had a table to put up in the middle of the lab to hold nibbles she'd organised from one of Harper's favourite cafes, party hats and multicoloured bunting.

By the time they were done they were both exhausted, Shuri collapsing onto her chair whilst Bucky took Harper's.

"The two of you, you get on really well," he observed, leaning over and plucking the models of different city monuments sitting beside Harper's keyboard one by one.

Shuri smiled and shrugged her shoulders "She came here not long after my father died," she began, Bucky lowering his eyes as he remembered how he was blamed for the death of the previous Wakandan monarch "I was grieving, lonely and not a lot of my people agreed with how we ran the lab...but Harper was interested. She asked me questions and let me talk about Baba without pushing the subject. She told me stories about you and what you both got up to on your travels and, well, she helped save Wakanda. Anyone who puts their life on the line for our country is treated the way they should."

Bucky smiled, bowing his head slightly and allowing his hair to fall over his face. He had been worried about her when he had made the decision to go back under, he knew it was the right one of course but knowing she would be out there alone since finding out about her past had almost made him put a stop to the entire thing.

"Thank you," he said softly "For not letting her be alone," he added, glancing up in time for Shuri to send him a smile and a shrug "But, those stories she told…?"

A smirk came to Shuri's face as she mimed zipping her lips closed "What happens in the lab stays in the lab," she said with a wink.

They were interrupted by everyone beginning to arrive, Shuri jumping up to greet them with a wide and excitable smile on her face.

Bucky found himself dragged up onto his feet not long after, greeting T'Challa, Okoye and Ayo before being introduced to those he hadn't yet met; Ramonda, Nakia, M'Baku and W'Kabi. He smiled, he nodded and he shook hands, listening to the small talk going on around him as everyone settled into the lab and took in what he and Shuri had done with the decorations.

It, thankfully for him, wasn't long before he spotted Harper making her way into the lab. She was wearing her ripped jeans and an oversized and partly tucked in plaid shirt, her usual messenger bag was crossed over her chest and her boots squeaked on the lab floor as she made her way into it. Her head was bowed as she looked through her bag for something, her eyes widening in surprise as she raised her head, cell phone in hand, to see everyone waiting for her.

"Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes searching the faces before her and only stopping when they connected with Bucky's "Everyone's here!" she continued, clearly not sure on how to react.

"Happy Birthday!" Shuri exclaimed, she'd made sure to let everyone know she was to be the first to say it, as she made her way over to pull Harper into a hug "Come, come," she insisted, grasping onto her hand and tugging her along with her.

Bucky waited, standing beside her desk away from the crowd of people, as Harper was passed from one person to the next. He smiled to himself as he watched her, how she'd laugh with Okoye and tease M'Baku, the grateful hug she gave T'Challa and how she let Ramonda cradle her face in a loving, motherly manner.

She had two plates, one in each hand, full of food by the time she reached him. A huff left her as she pulled a face "Thank god you're here," she said jokingly as she passed him over a plate "Eat. They make the nicest pastries," she encouraged, gesturing toward the food she'd piled up for him "If you'd both let me know I would have dressed a little nicer!"

"I think you look beautiful," Bucky replied, his mouth full, with a shrug of his shoulders and a half smile.

She rolled her eyes, plucking at the collar of her shirt "In a shabby chic kind of way?" she asked, letting out a laugh when he pursed his lips shut "Good choice," she said, picking at the pastries she had on her own plate.

"They love you here," he said, glancing out to where all of the people who had showed up for her were milling around and chatting away. Shuri was explaining something to an unimpressed Okoye while T'Challa hung onto every single word Nakia was saying to him "Not that I can blame them," he added, a soft smile on his lips as he returned his gaze to her.

"I love them too," she answered, smiling fondly, as she ate. Her attention was caught by Nakia waving her over "Are you coming?" she asked, placing a hand on Bucky's shoulder.

"I'll be there in a minute, let me finish this," he answered, gesturing to his plate of food and watching as she made her way over to her friend.

Her face lit up as she listened to whatever Nakia was telling her, nodding along before adding her own input. She looked happy, at home, with the people around her as T'Challa joined the two and their conversation.

Sitting on the outside Bucky found that he felt as happy watching her mingle as he would if it were him himself, surrounded by people he felt at home with. It had been a long while since he'd felt it in a crowd, possibly back in the forties when he was a part of the Howling Commandos.

Running his hand through his hair he got to his feet, he felt hot and overwhelmed as he crossed the room to get some air. The memories of the war, of marching with the Howling Commandos, of being caught and experimented on rushing through his mind.

He sat, just outside of the front door, with his back leaning against the palace walls for a few minutes as he took in deep breath after deep breath. He hadn't realised just how much he had missed the feeling of camaraderie he'd gotten when he was a part of something until he had seen how the family inside had interacted with one another.

"Hey," her voice was soft as it cut through his thoughts, a smile on her face as she settled down beside him "You alright?"

"I didn't know," he admitted, glancing across to her "It's your birthday and I didn't know."

Harper smiled as she reached across and laced her fingers through his "How were you supposed to?" she asked, squeezing her palm against his "There wasn't really time for tea and cake while we were skipping from country to country was there? It didn't seem important at the time, I didn't tell Elena and Sorina either," she said, her voice quietening down when she mentioned her friends from Romania.

"And then...everyone in there…"

Harper nodded in an understanding manner "I've had more time than you to get used to them," she said reassuringly "The one thing the Wakandan Royal Family like to do is make a fuss, no matter whether you want one or not," she continued "It's overwhelming for me too."

"I wanted to be able to do it for you," he said, staring straight ahead. His brow was furrowed slightly "But it just got all a bit too much."

"If I had to explain that group of people in there to anyone they would be the words I'd use," Harper said with a chuckle "They take some time to get used to because all they do is smother you with love," she continued before letting out a sigh and leaning with her head on his shoulder "I sometimes miss our little flat in Bucharest," she said in a whisper.

"Me too," he whispered back, leaning his cheek on the top of her head.

They sat there, sides pressing together and hands joined, for a few more silent moments, both lapping up the peace and quiet.

"There you are!" Shuri's voice was what brought them out of it, the two of them glancing up quickly at the sound of her exclaim "Come on, we're ready to do the cake," she said, reaching her hand down to Harper. Tilting her head to one side she allowed a reassuring smile to come to her lips "I've warned everyone that there is no official cutting of the cake and there is definitely no speeches."

Harper smiled "Fine," she said with an over dramatic sigh, pushing herself up into a standing position "I wouldn't want to deprive the people of their cake," she said with a roll of her eyes as Bucky stood beside her and reached for her hand once more.

He stayed there, right beside her, as they made their way back toward the lab. He ate cake and moved from conversation to conversation with her, listening to Nakia's stories about working on the outreach programme and fending off Shuri's questions about his new prosthetic arm. He smiled when he was supposed to and answered questions about how he was doing with the shamans.

"You ready to go?"

Harper's question, despite how much he had ended up enjoying himself, made his shoulders relax with relief as he nodded his head "I am," he confirmed, placing his hand into the one she was holding out for him.

Shuri hadn't been impressed they were leaving, a pout coming to her lips as they said their goodbyes "You better take some of this with you," she'd said before they escaped out of the door, handing them some of what was left of the cake "Or M'Baku will end up scoffing the lot!"

There was a smile on Harper's lips as they made their way across to her building. Her fingers squeezed his as their hands swung together between them, her teeth biting down on her bottom lip as they came to a stop outside of her door.

"Thank you," she said, a blush scattering along her cheekbones as her eyes flickered up to meet his "I had a great day."

"Good," Bucky answered with faux relief "Shuri had threatened me with a painful death if you didn't get the perfect day," he continued with a chuckle "Happy birthday H," he said, his tone a lot softer as he stepped closer, cradling her face in his hand and pressing his lips to hers.

They had barely parted before she spoke again, her fingers gripping onto his shirt as she asked "Do you wanna come in? For a nightcap?" breathlessly.

She'd been expecting a 'no' and a reminder on how old school his views on dating were but, to her surprise, Bucky nodded "Okay."

"Okay," she repeated, her smile wide as she turned her back on him to open up the door. Her brain felt slightly frazzled from all of the delicious food they had eaten and the expensive champagne Shuri had insisted she sip as she stepped inside with Bucky close behind her "Tea okay?" she asked, her tone noticeably high pitched by the look on his face.

"Tea's fine," he answered, watching her disappear into the kitchen before he settled on her sofa.

"Is tea okay," Harper repeated beneath her breath as she waited for the kettle to boil, raising her eyes to the ceiling at her own lameness.

She felt nervous. Stomach swirling and finger trembling nervous when she thought of what the night could lead on to.

It had been a while since she'd been with a guy and she felt like a whole new person when she compared herself to the Harper who'd dated Patrick. More aware of herself, of where the scars that littered her body had come from…

But this was Bucky. She trusted him with her life, she loved him.

"Here you go," she said, placing both of their mugs onto the coffee table in front of the sofa. Folding her leg beneath her she sat down beside him, eyes studying his face as he turned to glance at her.

As soon as their eyes met she felt a shift in her body, the nerves turning to excitement as an electricity passed between them.

Her stomach dipped as a smile tugged on the corners of his mouth. Lifting her other leg onto the couch she tucked her feet beneath his thigh and shuffled closer as he wrapped his arm around her knees. His fingertips gently rubbed the fabric of her jeans and she found herself speaking before she had even thought of the words which left her mouth.

"Remember when you didn't really understand what Netflix and chill was? And you asked me in front of Shuri?"

He let out a mixture of a groan and a laugh as he allowed his head to drop back against the couch cushion "You two will never let me live that down huh?" he asked, thinking back to his faux pas in the lab not so long ago.

"Probably not, no," Harper said, unable to stop her smirk despite not being able to believe this was how she was bringing the subject up "I was just wondering, yknow, if inviting someone over for a nightcap meant the same thing in the forties as it implies today."

She kept her face set into her best innocent expression as he lifted his head, his eyebrows raised, to look over to her.

A silence passed between them for a couple of seconds before he reached for her hand "Come here," he said, his tone gruff, as he gently tugged her over so she was sitting across his lap.

Her hands immediately went to his hair, her fingertips burying into the softness, as his hand landed at her hip. Their kiss was slow, careful, as they tried to pull the other as close as possible.

"Hold on," Harper whispered against his lips as she wriggled from his grasp, manoeuvring herself around so she was straddling his thighs "Is this o-" she began, unable to finish her question as Bucky pulled her in once more.

They were breathless the next time they parted, Harper's plaid shirt discarded to the floor and Bucky's hand resting on her back beneath the tee she was wearing underneath "Is this your first time since the forties?" Harper asked, her voice a whisper as she ran her hands down his broad chest.

"Well I wasn't out picking people up while we were on the run together," he answered, tensing slightly as her fingertips played with the hem of his shirt "Also my first time with just the one arm," he added, his cheekbones colouring slightly.

Harper placed a kiss on the left side of his blush "Do you trust me?" she asked, feeling his muscles jump beneath her touch as her fingertips danced along his abs "I'm scarred too," she said, deciding on a different route to help him feel more comfortable.

Sitting up straight she pulled her own t-shirt up over her head, dropping it down onto the floor and leaving herself in just her bra. Picking up his hand she traced his fingertips along the scarring decorating her torso, her eyes closing as he took over and leaned forward, pressing a kiss to one running alongside her collarbone.

"You're beautiful," he said against her skin as he dragged his lips across her chest, dodging the dog tags resting against her skin and placing kisses as he went "So beautiful."

She hummed as he made his way up her neck, along her cheek and back to her lips "Do you trust me?" she asked again, before he kissed her "You don't have to do anything you don't want to," she added as she felt him tense beneath her.

"No, no it's okay," he assured her, his hand sliding along the skin of her side "I trust you," he said, pushing himself away from the back of the couch, their chests pressing together, as he allowed her to inch his t-shirt up over his head.

"Pretty beautiful yourself, Sergeant Barnes," Harper said, taking note of the jump in his eyebrows at the use of his title, as she ghosted her fingertips down his bare chest. Leaning forward she left kisses where she had just touched, trailing them from his chest across to his scarred left shoulder.

Straightening up slightly she pressed her lips against his before pushing herself up off his lap "Come on," she said, holding her hand out to him "You're not having your first time in seventy years on my sofa."

There was a smile on her face as she slowly awoke, curled up against Bucky's side with his arm wrapped around her.

She didn't want to move. Especially as she looked up to his sleeping face and the memories from the night before came flooding back.

He hadn't lasted long, as she expected after seventy years, but insisted - despite her genuine argument at how being as close to him as physically possible had been enough for her - on guiding her to her finish with his fingers. His lips at her ear, whispering things that could never be described as sweet nothings to help push her over the edge.

Her eyes closed, rolling back at the mere memory of it, as her heart swelled with happiness. She could lay there, by his side, all day, listening to his gentle snores and tracing her fingertips down the curves of his muscles.

But her bladder, very rudely, had other ideas.

Gently shuffling out from beneath his arm she paused for a second to make sure he was still asleep before she left the room. Plucking her dressing gown from where it was hanging on the back of the bathroom door she pulled it on before using the toilet.

As much as she wanted to crawl back into bed, once her teeth and hair were brushed of course, her rumbling stomach pushed her out of the room and toward the kitchen.

The radio flipped on, as Shuri had programmed it to, as soon as she turned the light on in the kitchen. Dancing across the floor she flipped the coffee machine on before moving over to the refrigerator to see what she had in.

"Bacon it is," she said to herself as she retrieved the packet off the shelf. She most definitely wasn't a chef but she hoped the bacon butties she could rustle up would be enough.

She hopped up on the counter as she waited for the bacon to cook, her legs swinging as she sang along to the song echoing out of the radio.

A smile came to her face as she let her mind wander, from her first meeting with Bucky back at her museum to going on the run with him. From finding out about her past to sitting there, in her own kitchen, making the two of them breakfast.

Her attention was caught by a movement at the doorway, her eyebrows raising and her smile widening when she noticed Bucky making his way through the door.

His boxers hung low on his hip as his hand rubbed at his eyes, his long hair was messy and a yawn stretched at his lips as he crossed the room over to her "Good morning," he said with a lazy smile, standing in between her legs and leaning forward to press a kiss to her lips "I woke up and you were gone."

There was a teasing comment on the tip of her tongue but she pushed it to one side as she rested her arms over his shoulders "I'm sorry," she pouted as his arm curled around her waist, pulling her closer to him "But was it me missing or the smell of bacon which woke you up?" she asked, arching one of her eyebrows.

"I guess you'll never know," he mumbled, resting his chin on her shoulder and smirking against the skin of her neck "I am hungry though."

"Hint taken," Harper laughed, shaking her head and pushing him away slightly "Turn around first," she said, placing her hands on his shoulders and turning him so his back was facing her. Running her fingers through his hair she smiled as he groaned and leaned back toward her "Keep still," she chuckled, gathering his hair up away from his face and securing it with the hairband decorating her wrist "Ta-da," she said, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss to his cheekbone.

"Trying to tell me something?" he asked, reaching up to feel out what she had done to his hair "You ready for me to have the big chop?" he continued as he turned back to face her, her legs wrapping around his hips as he leaned into her.

"I'll be ready whenever you are ready," she answered, reaching up and brushing the stray strands she had missed from his face "But I do like the long hair," she added with a smirk, looping her arms around his shoulders as he pressed his lips to hers. Her eyes closed as his arm tightened its grip around her waist, a surprised giggle left her as he lifted her off the kitchen counter.

"I thought you were hungry," she laughed as he carried her back toward her bedroom, leaving the bacon to burn.

Hey! So I'm not really a sex scene kinda gal so I hope this wasn't awkward! If you follow me on tumblr (sgtbuckyybarnes) you'll know I identify as ace so not my forte...but neither is shooting guns or flipping knives but Harper does those things too!