Certainty (A Bucky Barnes Fanfic)

━◦○◦6.1: We're Getting the Band Back Together◦○◦━

episode 6 - One World, One People

Bucky strode down the street with Shamara, both of them dressed in their suits. She had driven them to the edge of the barricades, and they walked in from there. As they had been getting ready to leave her apartment, he had turned on the TV and seen the lockdown begin. So far, there weren't any explicit threats, just chaos in the boardroom. Which they somewhat deserve. But that's not a helpful way to be thinking.

Bucky glanced down at Shamara, who kept staring at her hands. Her tattoo was covered by Shuri's bandage, but she kept scratching it anyway. It had been a long week for both of them. From the nightmares to work to drawn-out non-conversations about them, it had been exhausting. On top of that, Shamara was growing more powerful as the serum in her veins moved deeper. Bucky tried not to bring it up more than necessary. Shuri texted them daily updates, and none of them had been good, just confirmation of what they already guessed or knew.

In another week, at the most, the serum would enter Shamara's brain. The only reason it hadn't yet was the drug was still fading from her blood. Shuri said the drug hadn't been spreading effects for months, but its neutralizers were still present. Shamara seemed unaffected by all the news, but Bucky was pretty sure she was just trying not to give up hope, especially for his sake. She was nearly numb at times. He wanted to believe his own words to her, wanted to keep repeating them until they were true. He trusted Shuri would find the answers, but this was a fight he couldn't take for Shamara. And it made him feel helpless. And alone, even right beside her.

"Are you good?" Bucky stepped around a barrier.

"Yes," Shamara flexed her hand. "Feels weird. Tingly almost."

"Punch me."

"Yeah, no."

"I'm curious," Bucky managed a smile.

"So your first instinct is to have me punch you? You are such a man," Shamara rolled her eyes.

"You are the one who made me spar with you even when you weren't getting stronger yet."

"Don't act like you didn't enjoy that, James Barnes," she lifted one eyebrow, her lips twitching.

This woman. How was she indifferent to most of his flirting yet made him nearly freeze up with hers? (Though, he knew she wasn't as indifferent as she pretended to be.) Bucky looked down at her, then back at the rows of officers bearing weapons.

"I'm not pretending anything," Bucky wanted to slip his arm around her but was too aware of the surrounding situation. "Just making the point that you had me try to beat you up."

"You were holding back."

"I always hold back now, Shamara," he heaved a heavy breath, looking down at his phone. "Using my full strength is dangerous. It actually hurts me as much as other people."

"Mentally or physically?" Shamara shrunk closer when someone looked their way.

"Both. It is easy for me to hurt myself with a hard punch or kick. Do you not remember that personally?"

"Not really. I was trained not to acknowledge my own physical pain. It is when it is internal that I recognize it," Shamara puffed out a breath.

"Then you'll need to be careful now."

Their earpieces dinged. Sam must've finally entered close enough airspace for the Bluetooth to reconnect. At some point, I should see if we can all get kimoyo beads. That way, we would have much better connections.

"Hey, Sam," Bucky looked up at the night sky but couldn't see anything--no-fly-zone, technically. "How's the suit?"

"Was it supposed to make me look like a falcon?" Sam sounded like he was trying to hide how pleased he really was.