Chapter Sixty Eight: Beautiful Night

545 12 0
                                    

"I've always been a very young person with a very old soul."
- Kehlani

Song: Fancy Like by Walker Hayes

"My girl is banging, she's so amazing."

**************

Nights in Wakanda were always one of Harlow's favorite things to experience. Harlow would sit by the window and stare up at the stars for at least an hour after putting Jodie to bed. Bucky would sinetunes sit with her, and when he didn't, he was either showering or reading on their bed.

Bucky often read to try and catch up on a lot of the literature he missed because of HYDRA. He loved reading, especially when he was able to read with Harlow and Jodie. That was some of the best times he ever had.

"When Jodie goes to bed, do you want to go sit out and look at the stars?" Bucky asked, watching as Harlow glanced out of the window at the stars for the first time that night.

She often would glanced out the window a few times a night, before her nightly meditation after Jodie would lay down. Most of the time the meditation helped her relax after training for an entire day. Most days the routine was Harlow would take Jodie to Shuri for school, then she'd go straight to training until around four. Bucky would pick Jodie up at three, and Harlow would be home at four to shower and be ready to either make dinner, help make dinner, or eat the dinner Bucky had made for them.

Having a new routine in Wakanda was very pleasant. Bucky spent a lot of time reading, taking care of goats, or walking around outside. He enjoyed nature, and it helped him remember some of his past. He wrote down quite a lot of his memories, but he kept the book hidden away from everyone. He didn't want anyone to read what he had written, since some of it was personal, but quite a bit of it was names and memories of the people he hurt while being the Winter Soldier. He didn't want anyone to know how many people he hurt, but he also felt like if someone else knew they'd be disappointed in him.

Well, he wouldn't be upset if many people were disappointed in him, since he knew he deserved the disappointment and anger. He still felt so guilty, even though it wasn't completely his fault. He still felt like it was his fault though, even when everyone told him HYDRA was to blame. He seemed to believe that even though HYDRA had power over him, he still felt like he was to blame and that he could've stopped himself from hurting people if he wanted to-even though he and everyone else knew he couldn't.

Life for him was hard, yes, but the two people he couldn't have feeling disappointed in him were Harlow and Jodie. They were his life now, and he wouldn't let HYDRA ruin his life anymore. They were no longer in his head, they no longer ran his life, and he no longer had any of them to answer to.

Anyhow, after an hour or so, Harlow had gotten Jodie put to bed and all tucked in. Jodie seemed to sleep easier in Wakanda, since she could hear all of the natural sounds of nature through her windows. She did still have a nightlight though, since she couldn't sleep well without a little bit of light. The moon wasn't enough light for her, unless it was close to being a full moon.

"I've got a sheet laid out on the grass. I figured you'd want to lay on a sheet instead of the ground, since you already took a shower," Bucky commented, as he lead Harlow outside.

"Thank you, Bucky," She replied, as she sat down on the blanket.

The two stared up at the sky for a bit as they sat, but when Harlow's neck began to ache from the angle she was sitting, she slowly laid back, and put her arm under her head to get comfortable. Bucky looked over at her and smiled before copying her position.

"Wade use to try and teach me the constellations, but I was too busy admiring the stars to really pay any attention to what he tried to teach me," Harlow reminisced,"After he passed, I spent hours looking up at the stars from my bedroom window. When the chance came, I would sit outside and look up at the stars. The stars were another connection I had with Wade. It took me almost two years to learn all of the constellations, but once I did, I felt so achieved. I felt like Wade would be proud of me for learning all of them. I plan to teach them to Jodie one day," She said, smiling at the stars.

"I have a feeling you've made your brother proud time and time again. No matter what you've done in your life, rather you've felt it was right or wrong, I think Wade would be proud of you. I also think Jodie would enjoy learning the constellations. It would give her something else to expand her mind," Bucky replied, smiling over at the woman.

Her reflection from the stars and the moon seemed to make her face glow. She was beautiful, and she always would be to Bucky, but in this light, she was even more beautiful. It was like an angel was laying next to him, and he had the chance to lay in her presence. He loved her more than anything in the world, and he could gaze at her for hours without feeling even slightly bored or unhappy.

He hoped to have moments like this with her forever. Simple moments, such as laying under the stars, made him cherish the life he was given, even if it was a bit unconventional at times. Yes, he did have it hard for many years, but he was finally happy again, and he was always going to be happy with his girls around...

Apartment 102 (B. Barnes) (AU)Where stories live. Discover now