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New York, 2016 – Outside the Raft, after your escape

You could feel the cold air fill your lungs as the events of the past few days played before your eyes. That morning in the subway you had met Steve, the way he had looked at you when he realized you weren’t who he thought you were, the explosion in Vienna, the death of T’Chaka (the king of Wakanda), and every single moment that had followed. You had been through a lot – and had lost even more – but for some reason, being on the quinjet with the remainder of the Avengers, made you feel content.

    You knew by taking Steve’s hand you’d turn your back on everything you had ever known. Once that would have scared you, but the determination Steve had shown you to help his friend – how much he had been willing to give up for Bucky – had made you realize some things were worth fighting for. Or in your case; rebel against.

    “Where to?” Clint asked, when the door of the quinjet had been closed, taking away all sounds from outside.

    “Somewhere… safe,” Steve answered, giving Clint a set of coordinates that would most likely lead you to the middle of the jungle. Clint nodded shortly while Steve told everyone he’d find a way to get them home... Eventually.

    The others had taken a seat in the aircraft and smiled at each other, knowing they had escaped the Raft and would leave it behind forever. You were happy to be out of there yourself, but you also knew there was nothing to smile about. Not yet. Hard times would still be coming and until everything had cooled down – if it ever would – you had to lay low. You had chosen this life, but they hadn’t. They had been forced to.

     “For a moment there I thought you weren’t coming,” Steve said in a whisper, turning to you. He pulled you into his arms, not seeming to care the others were only a feet away (who all casually turned their heads to the other side).

    “Have a little faith,” you smiled, resting your hand on his cheek and letting your thumb caress the bruises on his face. You could see the fatigue in his eyes and you swallowed hard, staring into his blue orbs. “I’m sorry about Stark. What happened?”

    Steve sighed, shaking his head shortly. “Do you know what happened to his parents?” he asked, looking at you seriously until you nodded your head. “The car crash… It wasn’t an accident. Bucky caused it… He–he killed them,” Steve swallowed hard. “The doctor told Tony”

    “I take it he didn’t handle it very well.”

    “No…”

    “And you knew?”

    The super soldier nodded. “Not for sure, but yes, I suspected as much.”

    “You should have told him, Steve. He’s your friend too.”

    “I know,” he sighed again. “I made a mistake. I put my own feelings above his and I… I shouldn’t have.”

    “You both made mistakes. I’m sure Tony sees that. He’ll come around.”

    “I hope so.”

    “I know so,” you whispered, pressing a short kiss on his lips. “Just give him time.”

    Steve smiled, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against yours. “If you say so, boss.”

    You laughed softly, pushing yourself from his arms slightly and letting out a long sigh. “That’s not going away any time soon, is it?”

    Everyone started laughing and Steve shook his head, a boyish grin curling his lips. “Welcome to the team…”



A few hours later you arrived in Wakanda. As you had suspected, the man that had helped Steve get you out of the Raft was no one other than the new king; T’Challa. He welcomed you with open arms and asked if you had a good flight. You all nodded, though what had happened in Russia between Steve and Stark – what Steve had told you all about it – was still fresh in all your minds. You could see in their eyes they now truly realized they weren’t going home to New York any time soon. Which was harder for some than others.

    “It is good to see you, agent [Last Name],” T’Challa said, as he walked you all towards the rooms you’d be calling home for the coming time. “I would have hated to be on opposite sides.”

    You smiled. “Likewise. How are you holding up?”

    “I am… fine,” he swallowed hard. “There is much to be done. Wakanda has had rough times in the past, so I need to continue my father’s work to ensure we do not have them again.”

    “I understand. If there’s anything I can do to help…”

    “I’ll let you know, thank you. Right now the best thing for you is to have some rest. You are safe here and you can stay for as long as you need,” he said, directing his words to the rest as well.

    “That is very kind of you. A hot bath would be nice,” you smiled, looking back at the others, seeing them agree with you wholeheartedly.

    “That should be no problem. Your rooms are at the end of the hallway. You will find everything you need there. If there is anything else, just let me know.”

    “Thank you again, T’Challa,” Steve said, nodding at the king. “I really can’t thank you enough for helping us.”

    “There is no need, Captain. It is what my father would have wanted. In my culture we have a saying. ‘Nogomanyano sime, kwisahlulo siye sibe’. It means: ‘In unity we stand, in division we fall’. It is good to have friends, family. Especially in times like these.”

    T’Challa nodded his goodbye, leaving you alone to think on his words and find your way into one of the rooms. You quickly discussed who would get which room and even though you were dying to take a long shower and scrub the days of sweat from your body, you stayed behind to have a short word with Steve.

    “The room is big enough for two… If you’re interested,” you smiled shortly, suddenly feeling a wave of nerves surge through your body as you spoke the words.

    Steve nodded, a small smile curling his lips as well. “I know and thank you for the offer, but I think it’s best if we take things slow. After everything that happened…”

    “I understand.”

    “It’s not that I don’t want to, I just–”

    “It’s okay,” you reassured him, laying your hand on his arm. “Really.”

    A grateful sigh left his longs and he pressed a kiss on your forehead. “Come see me when you’re ready. I have someone I’d like you to meet… properly.”

    “I will,” you nodded, opening the door to the room behind you and walking in.

    Steve waited for you to be inside before he made his way to his own room, or wherever he thought he needed to be. The door closed on its own and when you were finally alone after all this time running after the Avengers and being locked inside the Raft with them, you took in a long, deep breath and let yourself drop onto the bed.

    You had to supress the urge to close your eyes, knowing you’d fall asleep for at least a day. You had promised you’d come to find Steve in a hour, which left you with 55 minutes to shower. Already dropping your clothes on the floor you made your way towards the bathroom. You turned on the faucet and waited until the water was warm before you stepped underneath it. The hot, strong beams of water massaged your skin and you felt yourself relax slowly as the water pattered on the stone floor.

    You didn’t know how much time had passed when you walked back into the bedroom. A layer of steam covered the large windows near the bed, which overlooked the entire jungle. It was a beautiful sight, especially since it was nearing sunset and a foggy, orange glow spread across the damp top of the trees. It wasn’t until then you truly realized why T’challa loved Wakanda so much.

    You quickly dressed yourself in the clothes you found in the closet – a simple jeans with a white top – and made your way outside again, hoping you’d still know the way back towards the areas T’Challa had shown you earlier.

    “Molo Kunjani,” one of the many researchers and staff inside the large building nodded at you.

    You nodded back, knowing she was biding you a good evening. “Enkosi,” you said hesitantly, hoping you had remembered the Wakandan word for ‘thank you’ correctly. The woman nodded again and continued her way through the hallway.

    You followed the way she had come from and when you turned the corner you could already see Steve standing inside the research lab together with a one-armed Bucky. You smiled, relieved you had found your way through the building and wouldn’t have to roam all the halls to find the super soldier and his friend.

    “Hey,” you said, walking into the room, kindly nodding at the staff that was still at work, seemingly preparing for something that was still to come. A modern cryo cell was standing on the other side of the room and one of the doctors was checking it’s functions. “I thought I might find you here.”

    “Hey,” Steve repeated, turning from Bucky to you. “Buck, I’d like you to meet [Name] [Last Name]. Without her we wouldn’t be here.”

    You laughed softly, shaking Bucky’s hand as he offered it. “Right. I think you would have been fine without me. I got myself in prison after all.”

    “You’re the girl that brought us our gear,” Bucky stated. “Without it we wouldn’t have gotten very far, so thank you.”

    “I was just doing what I thought was right.”

    Steve smiled at that and you could see the two friends exchange a quick look, which you could only guess meant. It was silent for a moment until T’Challa appeared in the door opening of the lab and called for Steve.

    “Give me a moment,” the super soldier told Bucky and you and walked towards the king, leaving you alone with the Winter Soldier.

    Even though the past few days had been all about him, you actually hadn’t spoken a word to him. You wanted to, but even now you had no idea what to say. Especially not now you realized he would be put back in a cryo cell and might never be awoken again.

    “I’m sorry,” Bucky suddenly sighed, looking up at you from his place on the table.

    “What for?” you frowned, letting your eyes shift over his face; his blue eyes staring back at you filled with regret.

    “Steve told me what happened… What you had to sacrifice… I know that’s my fault. I’m sorry.”

    You smiled. “I didn’t sacrifice anything, Bucky. I chose to be here. It isn’t your fault. None of this is.”

    “Now you sound like Steve…”

    You laughed softly, following his gaze towards the super soldier that was talking with T’Challa on the other side of the glass wall. A deep frown covered Steve’s brow, but if something was wrong you knew he’d tell you. “He’s right you know.”

    “Yeah…” A deep sigh filled Bucky’s longs and he nodded slowly. “I heard Peggy died. That must have hit him hard.”

    “She did. I wasn’t at her funeral, but I don’t think he has had much time to process everything.”

    “You’ll take care of him, won’t you? I know he’ll probably won’t feel like he sacrificed everything, but he has. He’ll need you.”

    “I will,” you nodded. “As long as he’ll have me anyway,” you joked, trying to lighten the mood, which – thankfully – got you a smile from the Winter Soldier. “It will be okay,” you continued, seeing the pained expression in his eyes. “I promise.”

     “What are we talking about?” Steve asked, walking back into the room and taking his position by your side again.

    “Nothing much. Bucky was just telling me how you guys met. It’s quite the heroic story.”

    Steve smiled, nodding at your words. “If you think getting beat up in an alley is heroic, then yes. We were both very heroic.”

    “You were as much of an idiot then as you are now,” Bucky laughed.

    “Maybe... We’ve sure been through a lot together,” Steve swallowed hard, taking in a deep breath. “Are you sure about this?”

    Bucky sighed, smiling slightly, knowing as well as you did Steve was talking about him going back into a cryo cell. “I can’t trust my own mind…” he said, looking from his friend towards the glass cell behind him. “So until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing… For everybody.”

    Steve nodded slowly and you both followed the Winter Soldier as he got down from the table and walked over to the cryo cell that was finally ready for him. The doctors explained to him what would happen and how this cell was different from the one he had been in before – more advanced and durable. He nodded at everything the doctor told him and eventually stepped inside. He looked up at the both of you hesitantly when the glass door slid down, though sighed determinately when the process was started.

    A layer of ice spread over the glass, freezing the cell – and everything in it – to a steady temperature. Bucky’s last breath evaporated quickly. Ice crystals formed on his skin and only the soft beeps of the machines in the background confirmed that he was in fact still alive. It was a frightening sight and you couldn’t imagine that Bucky would ever do this willingly if there wasn’t any other option.

    You swallowed hard, knowing Steve had spent 75 years in the same state.

    “Come on,” you whispered, letting your hand slip into Steve’s. “Let’s get some fresh air.”

    The super soldier didn’t say a word as you pulled him along with you and you walked out of the lab and towards the large balcony on the other side. The day was growing shorter by the minute and the sounds of the night animals awakening echoed through the trees of the jungle. You could see the pain in Steve’s eyes as he looked at the place that would be his home for the coming time, but you could only guess at the real reason for his pain.

    “I know you probably don’t want me to ask this, but… Are you okay?”

    Steve sighed loudly and swallowed hard, staring out into the vast jungle. “Honestly, I don’t know. I thought I had everything figured out, but after everything that happened I feel like I’m back to square one. I’ve lost Bucky, Peggy…” he paused, rubbing his eyes. “And You, Clint, Sam and Wanda wouldn’t have to be here if it wasn’t for me. I can’t help but feel like all of this is my fault.”

    You lay your hand on his shoulder, making him turn his head towards you. “I’m going to tell you exactly what I told Bucky,” you started, moving your hand towards his face. “None of this is your fault. I chose to be here. With you. Not because I had no other choice, or because I’ve come to care about you, but simply because I believe in you; in the Avengers. The U.N. might not realize it, but the world needs you. All of you,” you said, letting your eyes shift over his face. “Nogomanyano sime,” you finished, hoping you had remembered T’Challa’s words correctly.

    Steve smiled, nodding at your words. “In unity we stand…”

    “You’re not alone, Steve. I’m here for you if you need me. You can talk to me about anything.”

    “Thank you,” he said, laying his hand over yours and pressing a small kiss on your lips. “I will… but right now I just need some time. I hope you understand.”

    “Of course,” you smiled shortly. “Take all the time you need. I’m not going anywhere,” you continued, turning from him and looking out into the jungle. Steve took his position behind you and closed his arms around you, resting his chin in your neck. “Not even if I could,” you finished, assuring him you were exactly where you wanted to be. With him.

    Steve pressed a kiss into your neck and pulled you tighter into his embrace. “I wasn’t planning on letting you go.”

    You could feel a smile curl your lips and as the sun slowly set on the lands of Wakanda, signalling the end of a long day, you could only think of the great beginning this would be to the rest of your life.



Extended ending

You lay awake in your room in the Wakandan Research Facility, staring up at the ceiling for gods knew how long. You had left Steve alone on the balcony with his own thoughts and grieve about the things he had lost these past few days.

    You had the same things on your mind; every little detail of the past few days flashed before your eyes and – even though you tried not to – your thoughts kept returning to Steve. He had given up a lot to keep Bucky safe and even though things had turned out remarkably well considering everything that had happened, you couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He deserved some happiness in his life and until now he hadn’t gotten any of it.

    After a while you turned on your side and closed your eyes, trying to get all the images from your mind and hoping you’d finally get some sleep. A thin blanket was wrapped around your body and the air-conditioning hummed softly on the background, almost humming you to sleep, until there was a soft click in the background.

    You slowly pushed yourself up by one arm and stared at the area near the door, which was illuminated up by the light of the moon that shone through the curtains, creating a beam of light in the room. You watched Steve close the door behind him and silently walk up to your bed. Without a word he crawled inside and nested himself against you; a soft, warm sigh heating up your neck.

    A small smile curled your lips as you felt his arms closing around your stomach, pulling you closer against him. He didn’t have to say anything for you to know what he was feeling.

    “Good night, Steve,” you whispered, snuggling against him and pulling the sheets up to your chin. Even with the penthouse apartment you’d had in New York and the job you had always dreams of, there was no place you’d rather be but here, in his arms. You had never felt happier and you knew Steve felt the exact same way.

    “Good night, boss…”

THE END!!