The Lightest Path

17

Grace's alarm woke both of them. Bucky grunted and did not move. Grace did not want to get up, either, but she did not have a choice.
"I have to get up," she said and tried to roll over - she was laying on her stomach, with Bucky's face between her shoulder blades. His torso also pressed on her back, with his arm synchronised to hers, their fingers intertwined.
"Not now," he mumbled in her hair and Grace giggled. A deep sigh left his lungs and rolled over her shoulders into her neck.
"Yes now." With her arms she pushed herself up, moving Bucky aside. He landed on his back and squeezed with his eyes to the light she turned on.
"It's our first morning together," he said with a hoarse morning voice, "and you have to get up at... 6 AM." He growled like he was in agony.
Grace laughed and Bucky's eyes followed her as she collected her clothes.
"I'm sorry, Buck," she said and and gathered everything for her morning shower - she loved to shower in the morning. "I'll be back in the afternoon."
"You already told me."
She smiled at him and leaned over to him, kissed him on the cheek. "Go do something fun today," she said, still with her lips against his cheek and his stubbles tickled, "but not something that takes too much energy."
Bucky turned his head, placed his hand behind her hers and caught her lips for another kiss. She smiled into it and wanted to pull away, but Bucky did not let her.
"I'm serious," she said and moved away. Bucky took a deep breath and sighed long.
"I know," he said. "I'll take my rest for this week." She nodded and was satisfied with that answer.
"Good," she said. "I'll see you later."

- - -

And later it would be, indeed. When Grace left Bucky had fallen asleep again, and when he woke up he was alone.
Well, not really.
Bucky was being woken up by... kids? He didn't open his eyes, but their voices reached him. He heard them murmur, rustle and boys giggle.
"Are you playing around with that man again?" asked a young woman - Shuri. Bucky wanted to growl that they had to leave, that he wanted to sleep. He was so tired, because of that cryo. It was almost like a long lasting hangover.
"No."
"You're teasing him again." Bucky felt someone's breath close to his face and he squeezed his eyes close. A boy gasped.
"Don't wake him." Shuri stayed to sounding irritated. "He must rest."
"No, I'm not. No I'm not," said a boy. Bucky sighed and he knew that he wouldn't be able to sleep again.
"Thabo, you're doing that," said Shuri. Another kid answered.
"He's doing it. He's lying," he said to Shuri.
"No, he's resting. Go, go!" Bucky heard the kids run out and he slowly got up. He opened his eyes and the light of the late morning fell into the bedroom.
He couldn't believe it - maybe it wasn't special at all, but it was almost as if he dreamed it. He slept next to Grace this night.
Bucky grinned when he thought about, and that he had been the big spoon. Well, he had to muster some courage to tell that he liked to spoon. But it was totally worth it.
Bucky stood up, put on some clothes. Not really his style - real African. Some kind of red dress for a man, with a blue scarf he could hang over his left shoulder. He walked out the hut, and watched the little village waking up. He looked around. A group of children said a name to him in Xhosa, he had no idea what it meant.
Many people had given him many aliases, like 'Broken White Boy', 'White Boy', but most of all 'White Wolf'.
Shuri was standing in front of the lake, looking how the sun reflected on the soft waves.
He approached her, happy with some company. "Good morning, Sergeant Barnes," she greeted him with a smile and offered him a little cup of tea. He accepted it and took a sip.
"Bucky," he corrected her. He didn't want for anyone to call him like that - not yet. He wasn't ready to hear it, couldn't bear it.
Not yet.
"How are you feeling?" she asked and smiled.
Bucky watched the lake. "Good." A pause fell between them and both looked over their shoulder when the little boys started to take care of the goat.
He just raised his brows and chuckled, like Shuri did. "Thank you," he said, and they both know that it was enough to say.
Thank you for curing me and giving me this chance. With Grace. With myself.
Thank you for everything you are all giving me.
Thank you for this time.
"Come," she said and started walking away. "Much more for you to learn."
Bucky paused for a moment, looking at the landscape. Grace wouldn't be be back soon, and besides, Shuri was right.
He followed her.

- - -

Shuri showed him her lab. It was like something Bucky had never seen before, something he could only imagine about.
It was amazing. With great windows that watched over the vibranium transport. Wakandan music filled the lab with its deep basses.
"Looks amazing," he said and looked at the spiral like walk with graffiti art on the wall. Shuri smiled at him.
"We're not here to admire my lab," she said. "I already know how cool it is."
"Than why am I here?" he asked confused, because everything was way too advanced for him. He had no idea what everything was - he wasn't able to find a light switch, only to find out that there wasn't one.
Bucky had never felt so old.
"Like I said," continued Shuri and she patted on a chair, "to learn."
He sat down. "Like what?"
Shuri sat down in front of him, looking all serious right now.
"First of all I want to talk about your condition right now. It is important," she told him.
"Why isn't Grace here too then?" he asked, because this would affect her too. Well, their relationship, maybe. And he wanted her to know, he knew he wouldn't be able to tell all the information like Shuri could.
"I will give her a rapport, she'll be informed completely. Don't worry about her."
"She's very busy, she told me," he remembered and Shuri smiled apologising.
"I know she is, but I sent her a message. Don't worry." She opened something, like a computer screen, but without the screen. Bucky didn't know how to describe it.
"What the hell?" he whispered and Shuri smiled at him.
"You'll get used to it," she told him and opened something. It was him, a rapport about him. "You see this?" She asked him and showed him the ten trigger words.
He swallowed and shivered at the same time, felt cold and became a bit pale when he thought about those words. What they caused.
"Yes," he said.
"Shall I say them out loud?"
"Have you lost your mind?" he asked and a certain fear started to fill his heart, like it did in Germany when he was sin that glass pod. Captured by Ross.
Oh, how surprised and afraid he had been when he had seen Grace. He'd also felt happy to see her, but faded when she was so cold to him.
And he remembered how scared he was when that fake doctor spoke those words. The only thing he'd been able to think about was that Grace was in the same building. How afraid he was to hurt her without knowing it.
"I haven't," answered Shuri, waking him from his memory. "I am the smartest person in Wakanda. Don't play with me, Barnes." She smiled playfully at him, but Bucky couldn't smile back.
"Longing," she started and Bucky closed his eyes immediately, made his hand a fist and he concentrated on his breath.
Every word she said... caused nothing. And when she was done, Bucky was still him. Surprised he opened his eyes and looked at her. He couldn't believe it.
"You did it," he said. She smiled. More didn't need to be said. She knew how thankful he was.
"HYDRA doesn't have any control over you. I erased it from your system," she said and pointed at his rapport again. "But I can not assure you that you're completely clean. I don't know how deep they've been, and I don't know if the Winter Soldier can be triggered again."
She saw Bucky's concerned look.
"Nothing too serious, they won't be able to trigger him. Not with words or other methods. But there is something that maybe could cause some slight movement."
"Emotions," Bucky said. Shuri nodded, and a smile creeped up her face. It wasn't a happy one.
"Yes," she continued. "Deep, raw emotions. I already told you in a short version. This will be longer one." Bucky took a deep breath.
"I'm ready."
Shuri nodded, too.
"I don't know in what kind of state your relationship with Grace is, but if you two want to do it, I strongly advice to think about it." She took a sip of her juice, completely relaxed. "I am talking about sex, if you didn't make that up yet."
Bucky almost choked up on the word. Yes, of course he loved Grace very much. But he had to admit, he never thought about it. Never.
And he didn't plan to do... sex so soon. Even back in his days, he never laid with a girl.
He didn't think about physical love very often these days. His mind was a big mess and there seemed not to be any room for it.
"Oh," was the only thing he said. "I uh... don't think we are in that state?"
Shuri laughed at him because of his deep blush.
"Well, not especially sex, but we all know that love is one of the deepest and strongest emotions. How intenser your relationship gets with Grace - how further you two go -, be careful. It may trigger something that we've been able to silent."
Bucky nodded and thought about that.
"Only love?"
Shuri pursed her lips as she thought.
"As far as we know, yes. Depressive feelings or rage can be intense, too, but love is the most dramatic one. It's not positive for you two, I know that." Bucky looked at his rapport and didn't like it.
"So our relationship can't really develop?" he cautiously asked her.
"It can," she said, "but do it slowly. Don't rush. You two will be able to do more, but take baby steps. No intense love emotions. So no sex... for now."
"Don't worry about that," he mumbled. Shuri laughed again at his blush.
"Enough heavy information for now," she said and closed the file. "Time to tell you what you can do, White Wolf."