Eunoia [Bucky Barnes]

chapter 29

Ava didn't cry when she sat back in the jet. Bucky had tried to come and speak to her but Ava had dismissed him quickly, she needed time to think.

She had thought after the airport that all her friends would go back to being just that, friends again. Obviously she was wrong. Standing up, Ava walked over to the cockpit where both Steve and Bucky were sitting.

"Mind if I punch you for a minute?" Ava asked Bucky as he turned to her.

"Wha-" Steve also turned looking totally confused.

"Of course." Bucky stepped forward and held up his arm in front of him. They began sparring as Ava began to feel all the tension she had felt building up just melt away. She smiled at Bucky as he lifted his hand to sit flat on his chest. Ava moved forward and jabbed his hand with her elbow before hooking her leg around his as Bucky pretended to fall to the ground. She too sat on the floor as she caught her breath.

"Feeling better?" Bucky asked her, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Loads." Ava smiled back as Bucky pulled her into a hug. She put her head on his shoulder as she sighed out. It was what she liked about them, a mutual understanding for nearly every situation.

"I better not see any funny business." Steve called from the front as Bucky laughed. He began to sit back again as Ava kissed him quickly on his cheek, making him smile.

"What's the plan, Steven?" Ava asked as she took Bucky's hand to pull her to her feet.

"Oh just going to go and break a few friends out of an underwater prison. You know, normal things that normal people do." Steve told the other two as she saw the top of the prison jutting out.

"Yeah, super normal." She smiled sarcastically as she felt the jet begin to land, getting ready to help those who had helped her.

***

Wakanda.

It was somewhere Ava had only heard about before or seen on the news. It was beautiful.

Steve and Ava had managed to free those that had been confined to the prison and had told them to go and hide until they returned. Well, two of them.

T'Challa had contacted Steve and offered to try and help Bucky once he realised that he had not been the cause of his father's death. Ava knew this meant Bucky going away from her again, but she also knew that this was for the best. Not just for him but for the whole world. Once they had landed, T'Challa was standing ready to welcome them. Steve walked ahead as Ava waited for Bucky. He looked around cautiously before joining her side.

"Are you nervous?" Ava asked him while following T'Challa through the corridors.

"No, not really. This place obviously knows what it's doing. Just think, when I wake up again we can just leave, go live our lives." Bucky's eyes lit up at the thought as Ava smiled at him.

"Where would you want to visit?" She wondered.

"Busy places. Capitol city's. Where I no longer have to be careful." Bucky thought out loud as Ava's smile dropped a bit.

"Well I hope we can clear up the mess of our reputation before you wake up then, cause that's kind of a crucial part." Ava told Bucky as he shrugged.

"You'll do it, easy. May even be back to hero status."

"I was never hero status, just agent." Ava laughed back making Bucky smile.

"Hey, Ave. I've been thinking and-"

"Mr Barnes? This is your room." T'Challa turned around making Bucky's words falter. She pushed him forward gently, allowing him and Steve to have some time to themselves before walking to the window that overlooked Wakanda.

"I would like to personally apologise, Miss Wiley, for many things. Wrongly accusing your friend but also harming you. I'll introduce you to my sister sometime, she will be able to heal your leg fairly quickly. Your face may take more time but I'm sure she would be able to clear the scarring." T'Challa stood beside her as he looked over his kingdom. Ava looked to him and smiled a little.

"I would like that. I need to apologise as well. Looking back, I didn't treat you like the obvious royalty you are.. and also for kicking you down those stairs." Ava apologised as T'Challa nodded.

"In some ways it's probably a good thing you put a gap between us. I was blinded by anger." T'Challa stopped looking out the window and turned to completely face Ava. "Your friend will be safe here, I promise. Nothing can harm while he heals."

"I know." Ava turned too as she saw Steve walking over to them.

"You can go and see him now." He told Ava as she nodded a goodbye in T'Challa's direction. Walking forward, she stepped into the room to see doctors getting Bucky ready to go under the ice. He smiled at her, opening his arm to welcome her next to him.

"Hey, Avalanche." He said softly.

"Hi." She whispered back.

"This is going to be a good thing, remember that. I'm not going anywhere at all, still going to be right here the next time you come to see me."

"Can we please read the room, guys? Let's give these two some time." A voice came from the door as Ava looked up to see a girl yelling to the doctors around Bucky as they moved out the room.

"I know you're not going, but you're out of my hands once again. I'm not saying don't do it even for a second, that doesn't mean I'm not going to miss you." Ava moved Bucky's hand from around her back to her lap as she just held onto his hand. He suddenly lifted it from her grasp to hold onto her chin, gently turning it to look into his eyes. Bucky leaned in as Ava moved her hands to his face and closed her eyes. It was soft. Gentle. Just trying to stay sweet and nice.

"I think I love you, Ave." Bucky mumbled out through the kiss making Ava push his face back a little.

"Don't say that now, save it for when we're off going round the world." Ava began to move in again as Bucky this time pushed her back a little.

"I just wanted to let you know." Bucky whispered as Ava moved her hands to wrap around his neck, burying her face into it. She leaned back up to his face and when he didn't push her away she closed the gap. The two couldn't stop smiling into each other's lips as Ava ran her fingers through Bucky's hair. Sitting back for air, Bucky pulled Ava back in for a hug, sighing against her hair.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but we need to begin work on Mr Barnes." A doctor walked back into the room making Ava stand up from the bed and clear her throat.

"I'll see you soon." Ava held out a hand as Bucky took it, pulling himself up to stand beside her. Ava reached up to kiss his cheek as he moved to follow the doctor. Ava stepped back outside to join Steve and T'Challa again.

"Thank you for this." She said to T'Challa as she looked out at the natural wilderness below.

"Your friend and my father, they were both victims. If I can help one of them find peace.." T'Challa explained to her.

"You know if they find out he's here.. they'll come for him." Steve warned T'Challa and Ava saw a glimmer of amusement show on his face.

"Let them try."

end of part 3