Separate Universe (HP/MCU)

Chapter Sixty Two

Nanala had watched Bucky from afar for a week, as he was given goats to take care of, and he tried to get back to a semblance of normalcy. Obviously, his life wasn't ever going to be as it was in the forties, but at least he wasn't a pawn of HYDRA anymore. The one thing that stuck out to Nanala was that Bucky didn't mind when Henry went over to visit him everyday after practicing his schooling and magic.

Henry wasn't that old, soon to be four, but he was very smart. Nanala had decided to teach him school stuff early, since she had decided to go ahead and start teaching him magic early as well. Nanala would watch from her window as Henry talked to Bucky or helped him with his goats. Henry really liked the goats, and Nanala was happy when Henry had come home and told her that Bucky had allowed him to name a goat.

The goat, Sam, was all white and was a bit of a trouble maker, but he was very sweet to Henry. Nanala had found it funny that Henry had named the goat Sam, since she remembered their friend Sam as a bit of a troublemaker or a jokester. He kind of reminded her of Sirius, if only thinking of him didn't hurt so much.

Anyhow, Nanala could see that the bond between Henry and Bucky was growing, and she could also see that having Henry around helped Bucky mentally. Bucky seemed lighter and more spirited than he was when he first came to Wakanda and when he was first defrosted after Shuri's medical work.

Over the week, she could see that Bucky was only eating sandwiches, which made her wonder if he was having trouble with his kitchen, or if he was just unsure of the food inside. She wanted to offer her help more than once, but she didn't want to overstep her boundaries and upset Bucky. If she upset Bucky, she would be upset with herself and she would've also possibly angered Steve.

After a week had passed though, Nanala had decided that Bucky had plenty of time to settle in on his own, and she could go over and offer her help, as well as offer him a nice meal. Nanala waited for Henry to finish his lessons, before she decided to go with him over to Bucky's. When they arrived, Bucky was outside tending to the goats. Henry quickly ran over to help him, and Nanala watched the two from up close as they tended to the goats together.

Once they were done, Henry helped Bucky put everything away, before they both turned in the direction of Nanala. Nanala smiled at them, and waved a bit in their direction.

"I wasn't expecting to see you," Bucky commented, and Nanala smiled again.

"I decided to give you a week to adjust to your surroundings, before coming over here to see how you're doing or if you needed any help," Nanala replied, causing Bucky to nod.

"Actually, I'm doing well here. It's nice and quiet, quite calm. Having Henry around everyday helps when the quiet becomes too much," He answered, making her smile to herself.

"Well, I like to hear that, at least I know I'm not slacking on my duties of helping you," She commented, causing him to chuckle.

"You can help me by explaining some of the stuff in the kitchen," He said, feeling embarrassed that he didn't know how to use the stuff in the kitchen.

"The microwave and coffee pot, right?" She questioned, and he nodded,"I didn't know how to use those either when I came here. Everything had to be explained to me, so don't feel too embarrassed," She said, making him chuckle.

Nanala walked into the kitchen with Bucky and Henry, before she explained to Bucky how to use everything in the kitchen. Once everything was explained, she decided to write down a couple of recipes for him that were easy enough for him to make himself.

"Hey, I know it's a bit sudden and last minute, but I was wondering if you'd like to have dinner with Henry and I tonight?" She asked,"We're having homemade lasagna and carrot cake for dessert," She said, causing him to bite his lip.

"You sure I'm not imposing?" He asked, making her smile.

"I wouldn't have offered if you were," She replied,"Besides, I figured if you like the food tonight, Henry and I are more than happy to have you over as much as you want for dinner or whenever," She somewhat rambled, forcing back a blush that was trying to rise to her cheeks.

After Bucky agreed to dinner, Nanala excused herself to start getting everything ready, as Bucky cleaned himself up from tending to the goats. Henry had decided to stay with Bucky, so Nanala summoned a new shirt for him and handed it to Bucky.

"You two get cleaned up, and I'll start on dinner," Nanala said, before she left the hut.

Nanala started making noodles, which she had learned from watching cooking shows with Wanda. Wanda seemed to he obsessed with cooking shows, and Nanala really didn't feel any disappointment watching them either. So, Nanala had learned quite a bit from the shows, and she was proud of how her food was turning out.

By the time she had some of the lasagna constructed, she heard Bucky and Henry come into the hut. Smiling to herself, she listened as the two talked about whatever they had been discussing on the way over.

"What do you boys want to drink with dinner?" Nanala asked, as they entered the kitchen.

"Butterbeer!" Henry exclaimed, causing Nanala to laugh lightly.

"I can make some, but it won't be warm," She replied, as Bucky simply furrowed his eyebrows.

"What's butterbeer?" He asked, making the woman smile.

"It's a drink from the wizarding world. Lucky for us, I was taught how to make it by Madam Rosemerta when I was fifteen. The ingredients are common in this world, but I did try all of the butterbeer they make here, except all of these are sodas or some type of ice cream drink," Nanala explained, and Bucky nodded.

"I'll try some," He murmured, causing her to smile again.

"I'll get a couple sodas, just in case you don't like it," She replied, and he gave her a smile.

He really was a nice guy, and she hoped she wouldn't upset him with anything she made tonight...