The Assassin Shadow - Bucky Barnes

Chapter 23

Today is May 15th and it's my birthday. I'm going to celebrate it with the royal family. Unfortunately, the person I want to see the most on Earth is not here right now, my father. I'm reading in my room, waiting for Shuri to come warn me when everything is ready. She told me that it would be the best birthday I will ever have. I just hope that today, maybe, I can forget the fact that my father isn't here. And who knows, maybe this is the first of many birthdays he won't be.

~~~

(Shuri pov)

I just left the palace, making sure that Lydia wouldn't follow. She can't see this right now. I walk for some time before arriving at the hut that she'll live in soon. I stand in front of the small lake and waterfall, admiring the beauty of my country. At some point, I hear rustling behind me. I turn around and see three little boys coming out of the small house, hugging me. It's as if they're hiding or trying to protect themselves in a playful way.

"Are you playing around with that man again? You're teasing him, aren't you guys?" I ask them playfully. They all answer with a timid no, which clearly betrays them. "Don't wake him up. He needs the rest." I chuckle. We chat for a bit before the man comes out of the hut and the little children run off, laughing and thinking they're in trouble. He comes closer to me, I smile at him.

"Good morning, Sergeant Barnes."

"Bucky. Please, call me Bucky." He responds.

I nod at his request. "How are you feeling?"

He thinks a little, I can see that he's searching to see how he feels. "Good. Thank you."

"Do you know what today is?" I ask him.

"In fact, no, because there's not a single thing to tell me what day it is." He replies.

I chuckle softly. "Make sure to remind me to put a calendar in here. But I'll give you a hint, it's the 15th of May." His eyes widden as he realizes what this means.

"It's May 15th? You're telling me that it's my daughter's birthday and I don't have anything for her?" He said, looking around for something to give to Lydia.

I shake my head, softly laughing at him. "Don't worry about a present, I am pretty sure that just you is gonna be awesome. She's been waiting for you for two months now." He nods still kind of disappointed in himself. "Why not take a shower and dress more cleanly? We'll meet at my place, okay?"

"Yeah." He replies and I turn around to go back before Lydia starts to worry. "Wait, do you think I could use a shower at the palace? Because there's literally no pressure here."

I look at him and chuckle. "Of course, I'll fix that soon, don't worry." I assure him. We walk together and I tell him everything that happened in the last two months. When we finally arrive, I take him to my brother and the men go together while I go back to the birthday girl.

~~~

(Normal pov)

I look up from my book as Shuri enters my room and jumps on my bed. "Why are you still in your pajamas? Come on, get ready. Celebrations are starting at 1 p.m. and it's already 11:30. Did you eat the breakfast I made you?" She asks. I answer her question with a nod, she gets up and goes to my drawer. I roll my eyes and close my book. I join her to my dresser and she's already going through my clothes. "Alright, since it's hot outside, a short and a t-shirt would be the best. Oooh, what about this lavender shirt with that black short. It would be so cute, go put it on."

"Sir, yes Sir." I answer with a chuckle and a military salute. I go put it on and I have to say, Shuri has incredible taste in fashion because the outfit is amazing. I don't forget to also put on my necklaces. Then I come out of my bathroom and she smiles at me.

"Perfect. Now you prefer your hair loose, a ponytail or maybe a bun?" She asks.

"The first option. Unless you've planned something sporty?" I answer and she shakes her head, laughing softly. We finish getting ready and head downstairs to the main salon. It's decorated with balloons and a garland that says 'Happy Birthday Lydia'. T'Challa, Queen Ramonda, Nakia and Okoye were already in the room.

"Alright, let's start with the first activity!" Shuri orders. We play board games and take part in activities she has planned for us. The day is amazing, if only my father was here. No, Lydia, come on don't think about that. "Now that we've finished eating and the cake is done, let's move on to the presents." The princess tells us, we all agree.

T'Challa is the first to give me his gift. When I open it, I find a beautiful frame with a photo of the two of us. "It's beautiful, thank you!" I say hugging him.

"Okay, okay, but it's nothing compared to mine. Open it!" Shuri says, excited. I open the little box and it's a Kimoyo Beads bracelet. "Now if you want to call me or text me, it can be quicker and easier." She says while putting it on me and activating it.

"I love it, Shuri! Thank you so much!" I say. The others give me their gifts and I open them. When there's no gifts left I'm about to choose a film since it's a movie night for my birthday.

"Wait, Lydia, there's one more gift." T'Challa tells me.

"What, where? I don't see it." I say searching for it until I turn around to see if it's not behind me. I can't believe it, papa is standing right in front of me. Is he real? It feels like a dream.

"Hey Doll. I'm sorry I don't have a present, I didn't have the time." He says, confirming that I am not dreaming. I run to him and hug him as tight as I can, not ever wanting to let go of him. He hugs me back.

"Papa, I missed you so much!" I cry on his shoulder.

He gives me a kiss on my head. "I missed you too."

"Since when are you back?" I say wiping away some tears that escaped.

"A few weeks." He replies.

He's out of the ice for a few weeks and no one told me? "You should have told me sooner. I would have come to see you."

"It's fine, okay? I heard it's movie night, so go pick a movie and we can all enjoy it together."

I go to all the CDs they have here and go through them. I finally made my choice and it turns out to be Tangled. You can never go wrong with this one. I put it in the player and we all sit down to enjoy this wonderful end of the day. As the movie comes to an end I fall asleep in papa's embrace. The last thing I remember is my father carrying me to bed before tucking me in.