Days Away - Bucky Barnes x Reader - Soulmate AU

Chapter 7 - Day 1

The whole morning was a blur for Bucky, ever since the moment he woke up half the facility seemed to be in panic mode. Before he knew it once again he had been dragged out of his warm bed, into the unforgiving chill of morning. It was still early spring and the dew stuck to the grass, making each morning and most days chilly. A hot cooked meal was placed in front of him, the steam waking him up and warming his face. Beside the meal stood a mug of coffee, his favourite one. He smiled slightly at this, knowing it was mostly likely Natasha who had done that for him. Even though she knew he could do it himself, she still wanted to make sure he was on his way for that day. Everyone seemed to be awake that morning, eating their food quickly and chatting quietly. His name and the word soulmate didn't fail to reach his ears as they chattered about him. Soon, his breakfast was gone, and Shuri and Valkyrie were once again up and harassing Bucky about the clothing they had picked.

"It's all in the shoes white wolf! If you don't wear good shoes then they'll make fun of you," Shuri insisted, holding up the plain brown shoes. Bucky rolled his eyes as he took them from her, fully dressed in the casual outfit they had for him.

"No, you'll make fun of me," Bucky replied rolling his eyes. While he had some stocks in what Shuri had said, after the pep talk from Steve that morning he knew it was best to be as self-assured as possible, even if it was just for that day. He stood once again, fully dressed and hair brushed, jokingly doing a twirl for the two women. They clapped as he did so, Shuri giggling as it happened. He smiled softly, brushing his brown hair behind his ear. Was he scared? Yes, if he wasn't then clearly, he was doing something wrong. It was a big day, a huge one. One he'd been waiting over 100 years for, a day he thought would never come because he believed his watch was broken.

"It's finally happening," He whispered softly to himself, not intending anyone else to hear, as he stared at his watch. Only 2 hours, that was it, that was all that was left. Soon, he'd be on his own in this, no one else to support him during the moment if he fell. That was scary, he was man enough to admit that to himself.

"Well, I wish you happiness, wherever this takes you. I know how important these are, so look after yours," Valkyrie spoke confidently, her voice full of wisdom and what Bucky assumed was experience. They both shared a smile, a sense of friendship brewing between them. Before he could thank her for her kind words, Steve had strolled into the room, obviously with an intent.

"Bucky, Tony's offered to drop you into the city since a lot of us have been put on a last-minute mission. You're lucky you were let off this one," Steve informed, signaling Bucky to follow him. Bucky nodded, following quietly without much protest. It was strange, it was going to be over soon, this whole process, all the support he had. He hadn't realized, but he whole life felt like he was holding his breath, waiting for this moment, and now here he was, almost there and soon he was going to exhale. Finally, Bucky reached the living room, where the regular Avengers were chatting quietly to themselves. He stopped for a second, each one of them dressed ready for the mission, but a fair distance away from the hanger.

"What are you all doing here? I thought you had a mission..." Bucky trailed off, not wanting to assume something he knew nothing about. Maybe it was a bad habit, but he always backed off in situations like this, or usually, he kept his mouth shut. But in these last few days, he wasn't quiet anymore, he knew what he wanted to say. Natasha was the first to come forward, a quaint smile on her face as she faced him, everyone else also turning to face Bucky.

"We wanted to wish you good luck before you head off, we know how important this is, and wanted to let you know we're here to support you," Natasha spoke frankly, and although her voice was blunt the tone was anything but that. Each member grinned, and while Bucky could put a name to every face, a hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his thoughts.