The Mimic

145

Several months passed, and not another word was uttered about that night in the training room.

Every morning, y/n would train with T'Challa. It wasn't for long, and nor was it a full on session, but it gave her a chance to let off some steam. T'Challa had promised her that he wouldn't tell anyone - not even Bucky - about that night in the training room, and whilst it was a tough task, he had to respect y/n's wishes.

All y/n wanted was a happy life. It was inevitable that they were going to become Avengers again, and, apart from being forced to be around certain people on the team, y/n wasn't upset about that. There were so many people on that team that felt like family to her, and yes, missions were messy and the team was extremely dysfunctional, but it was all that y/n knew. She was desperate to have a nerf-gun battle again, or get banned from the kitchen after almost burning the whole compound down, or even have another week-long game of tag between the whole team. God, she'd had some amazing times. But even with the fun that she'd had with the team, she'd happily give it away to be able to spend time with Bucky.

The past year or so with Bucky had felt like a dream. They were so, so free, and now that they were back in Wakanda, they didn't have to worry about anything else but each other. Y/n wanted to spend that free time being as happy as possible, that was why she didn't want T'Challa to tell Bucky about that night in the training room. She didn't want Bucky to have another reason to worry about her, she just wanted to be happy. And if that meant painting on a smile some days, that was exactly what she was going to do. A forced smile usually led to a real one with Bucky anyway, but she didn't want to plague him with anymore sadness and frustration. They deserved to have that picture-perfect life, even if it was only for a little while.

Over the past few months, the pair had settled back into their original village in Wakanda. They settled back in pretty quickly, and both of them were happy to be around the children again. Yes, the kids could be annoying at times, but seeing their faces light up every morning was something that Bucky cherished. He was so used to children being terrified of him during his time as the Winter Soldier, so to have them wanting to constantly play with him was something that had definitely brought a happy tears to his eyes.

Currently, Bucky was weaving through the busy marketplace, casually gazing at every food stall in an attempt to choose what he wanted to eat for lunch that day. A thin layer of sweat glistened across his face from the midday heat, and his skin and clothes were peppered with dirt, but he didn't seem to care. It was a normal thing for him, especially now that he'd taken up a job working in the fields with the goats. He loved the peacefulness of it all, and coming home to y/n's face made it even better.

The marketplace, whilst always being busy, was packed with even more people than usual today, and it was all because of the festival/big party that was happening in the evening. It wasn't anyone's birthday, nor was there something massive to celebrate, it was simply an annual party held every summer, but the excitement and buzz around the event told a completely different story. Truckloads of food had been prepared, outfits had been picked out, local musicians had been announced, and stalls specifically curated around the party had already been set up in preparation. It was only a matter of hours until the busy marketplace was full of laughter and dancing, and everyone (including Bucky) was excited.

He let out a soft sigh as he continued to weave through the crowds, following the homely smell of food like his life depended on it. Despite being fed a pretty hearty breakfast, he was starving. Working in the fields wasn't an easy job. He wasn't entirely sure what stall to pick for his lunch, but he was trying his hardest to try as much as he possibly could. Jerk chicken seemed to be calling his name today, and he was never going to ignore that. Almost every stall sold it, but there was one specific stall that made it taste almost heavenly. A small smile appeared on his face at the thought of it, shoving his hand into his pocket to double check that he actually had enough to pay for it as he strolled toward the stall. However, as he walked closer and closer, a familiar face caught his eye.

Y/n.

She was working behind the stall, a bright smile on her face as she happily talked to the customers and the mother that usually worked at the stall alone. Y/n had one of the village babies strapped securely to her front with various fabrics, and a toddler with his arms and legs wrapped around her leg so she had to carry him around with every step. It was a busy environment, but y/n seemed to be thriving. The mother that worked at the stall was teaching her all of the recipes, and y/n was listening to her more than she ever did at a mission, which was pretty amusing.

Even though she was only working at the stall to help prepare for the party, y/n was loving every moment. Yes, it was constantly busy, hot, and cramped, but the atmosphere was infectious for her. So many new faces for her to meet, so many stories to hear and tell, it was great. She was completely oblivious to everything except what was happening at the stall, and even then she was absentmindedly dancing along to the distant music (which made the toddler giggle quite a lot). She was just in a good mood, and nothing could ruin that.

"Is this even going to be edible?"

Well, maybe something could ruin her mood.

Y/n frowned, lifting her head up as she prepared to argue with whoever it was that decided to make such a rude comment. She knew that she was supposed to serve everyone with a smile, but she wasn't going to take slander like that. "Well, this is the best-" Y/n quickly cut herself off once she caught sight of the person that made the comment. Bucky. Of course it was Bucky. Her eyebrows raised in surprise, her bright smile quickly reappearing at the sight of him. "You're so mean!" She laughed. "Of course it's edible! I'm actually good at this, y'know." She hummed with a proud look in her eyes.

Bucky couldn't help but laugh at the sight of y/n preparing to argue. God, he loved her. He raised his eyebrows in disbelief, quickly waving to the baby that was staring up at him. "I don't believe you! How can a person that can't even cook pasta correctly make something like this?" He teased, chuckling as y/n lightly slapped him on the shoulder.

"Don't say that! She thinks I'm an amazing cook!" She quickly hushed, an adoring smile on her face as she continued to prepare the chicken. "Anyway, I'm a good cook now! I've even had compliments from customers. You should try some!" Y/n grinned happily. She was so proud of herself. She had always been known as being a terrible cook, so it was nice to be able to redeem herself. However, as Bucky reached over to take some of the chicken, y/n swatted his hands away. "Don't touch. Your hands are disgusting!" She scolded, earning a laugh from Bucky.

It didn't take long for Bucky to finally get his order, and, to his surprise, the chicken was actually edible. It was amazing. He could see the pride and anticipation in y/n's eyes, which just caused him to smile even wider. "Alright, you were right. This is good." He hummed, his voice muffled from being in the middle of chewing.

Y/n lifted the baby's arms up in the air to simulate cheering as Bucky finally praised her food. He was the only person that she needed approval from, she didn't care about anyone else. "I told you! I told you I'm good!" She exclaimed excitedly, stealing one of the pieces of chicken out of Bucky's box so she could eat one. 

"I've got to get back to work, but I'll see you at the party, yeah?" Bucky hummed after a few moments, wiping his sauce-covered fingers with a napkin before he leant over to press a kiss to y/n's cheek. He didn't want to leave, of course he didn't. But he had work to do, and so did y/n. And as much as he could stand at that stall all day, he didn't want to distract her. That stall always had customers waiting, he didn't want to add to that. "Love you!" He exclaimed as he begun to walk away.

"Love you! And you better shower before the party, you stink of goat poop!"

"What do you mean? That's my new cologne!"