Her White Wolf

Chapter Nineteen

Steve slept more deeply that first night in Wakanda than he'd slept in decades. Dual heartbeats had lulled him to sleep, and it wasn't until light began to peek into the room that he was roused. It was a little disorienting, actually, a full night's sleep. To his surprise, as he sat up he realized he was the only one still in bed. He laughed hoarsely to himself. Everything here is backwards. Yet he felt lighter than perhaps he ever had.

He climbed out of the bed and realized all of his clothes were in his bag downstairs. He found what appeared to be Bucky's clothes and pulled on a shirt before he put on his jeans from the night before. Once his boots were back on, he walked down the stairs in the direction of the sounds he heard there.

Down in the kitchen, James sat at the island with a mug of coffee in front of him. He looked over at the stairs just as Steve reached the bottom. "Morning."

Steve smiled as he found Bucky to his right and he made his way into the kitchen. "Morning," he replied easily. He stood in front of the coffee cask and poured himself some before he turned around to face his friend. "Cleo gone already?"

"She had an early morning shift today," James explained, a soft smile on his face. "But she normally comes home for lunch."

"She's a woman in demand," Steve observed, slipping one hand into his pocket as the other held the coffee mug. "What you have with her runs deep, man. I can see it. Feel it, even."

James smiled before taking a drink of his coffee. "She's special. Cleo is part of the reason why I'm doing so well. I don't know where I would be without her."

Steve stepped over to the island and rested his elbows on it, sipping his coffee before resting it gently against the countertop. "Have you thought about marrying her?" he asked sincerely. The picture was cloudier now but... that didn't take away from what they had.

"I... I haven't really thought about it," James answered in reply. "But... I think I could picture being with both of you forever."

Steve's smile softened. "I don't ask because it would upset me," he shared, wanting to be sure that he wasn't jealous of what Bucky had. He would get to create his own relationship with Cleo. "And you and I, we're gonna be around a long time. Unless the universe ends."

"Again you mean?" James jested. "But I don't want to upset you, Steve. If the time ever comes, maybe we can ask her as a couple? Could hyphen our names if she chooses to."

Steve nodded as the option bounced around in his head. "We could... I just don't want a girl like her to not get a wedding if she wants one. She'd be beautiful," he replied, easily able to picture Cleo looking radiant in a white dress.

James smiled as the image came to mind. "Yes, she would. She would look like an angel." He looked over at his best friend before reaching out to cover his hand with his. "Are you alright since yesterday?"

Steve smiled softly as his friend reached for his hand. "I am," he answered. "I think it'll take a little while to fully kick in and seem... you know, real. But I slept better last night than I have in decades."

"Feeling comfortable tends to make that happen. As soon as I started sleeping by Cleo, nights got better. I still have nightmares, but they're not as bad as they used to be."

"Man, poor girl's got two guys with nightmares," Steve replied. "There's something about her, though. It doesn't seem to bother her at all. And just being in her presence makes me feel... I can't even describe it well."

James grinned and nodded. "She's enhanced," he answered. "It's subtle, but she's an empath. Cleo can calm anyone, including animals, if she chooses to. Her aura is also just calming."