Bucky's Anchor

Chapter 34 - Building Trust

In the quiet moments, when the world outside the palace walls seemed like a distant memory, Bucky and I talked. We talked about everything—the nightmares that still haunted him, the choices we'd made, and the uncertain path that lay ahead of us.

"There are nights when I wake up, and I'm back there," Bucky confessed one night, his voice barely above a whisper. "Back in that darkness."

I reached out, taking his hand in mine. "But you're here now, Bucky. You made it out. And every day is a step away from that place."

He looked at me, his eyes filled with the pain of the memories that still clung to him. "It's easier when you're here," he admitted. "You make it easier to believe in a future."

I felt a lump in my throat, overwhelmed by the honesty in his words. "We'll build it together," I said softly. "One day at a time."

We spent many nights like this, finding comfort in each other's presence. We were healing, not just from the physical wounds but from the emotional scars that had marked us for so long.

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As the weeks passed, we began to talk about the future—about what we wanted beyond the safety of Wakanda's borders. Bucky spoke of helping others, of using his skills not as a weapon, but as a protector. I shared my desire to continue helping people, to use my skills to bring light into a world that had been dark for so long.

"Maybe one day, we find a place of our own," Bucky mused one evening as we lay under the stars. "Somewhere quiet."

"Somewhere we can call home," I agreed, feeling a warmth spread through my chest at the thought. "I'd like that."

We knew the road ahead wasn't going to be easy. But for the first time, we were facing it together, not as broken people trying to survive, but as two individuals choosing to live.