The Liberty War || Infinity War & Endgame

Chapter Fifteen: Nomads and Vagabonds

Music is "Brother (Acoustic)" by Kodaline.

Picture is Lee Min Ho as Grant Barnes.

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CHAPTER FIFTEEN: Nomads and Vagabonds

Early the next morning is when we can finally get a hold of Steve, Natasha, and Sam in Sarajevo. Evidently, they'd been held up by local military and couldn't get out of the country or to a long-range communication. They had to ditch their phones and stay undercover for a few days. I was just glad to know they were okay, they were out, and they were coming back to Wakanda.

When they arrive a few hours later, Steve's eyes lock on Bucky as soon as he exits the Quinjet. For a moment, all they do is stare at each other. Soon enough, big smile spread across both of their faces. They pull each other into a tight, brotherly embrace, glad to have each other back.

"You're really you again?" Steve asks, pulling back but keeping his hands on Bucky's shoulders.

Bucky nods. "It's unfortunate, I know." Steve lets out a hearty laugh, and Bucky turns to his companions. First he gestures to Sam. "Sorry about trying to kill you several times. Y'know, in Washington."

"And in Romania," Sam reminds him.

Bucky nods. "And Romania."

Sam waves it off. "That's in the past. It might be just a few months ago for you, but for me, that was four years ago. Just glad to see you're you again, whoever that is."

Bucky sighs, reassured. He turns to Natasha with a look of nostalgia and guilt. Bucky told me about how he knew Natasha Romanoff, how he helped train all the Black Widow recruits in the Krasnaya Komnata. The Red Room. She was only a child then, barely a teenager, but he'd grown soft on her. He told me he saw himself in her, the same way I saw myself in Grant.

He tried to help her escape when he saw what they were going to do to her, her graduation ceremony, but the Red Room found out. Ivan Somodorov found out. It turns out that the man who tortured me in Manaus in 1991, Yuri Somodorov, gave some of my DNA to his brother, Ivan. Ivan then used the research to alter the Black Widow trainees. Twenty-eight girls, including Natalia Romanova, were turned into assassins. Not immortal like Grant and me, but near impossible to kill.

When Bucky tried to save Natasha, Ivan found out. He punished them both for that. Natasha was turned into the one and only Black Widow, and Bucky was put back under the ice. Neither of them knew who the other really was until recently.

"Natalia, I..." He trails off, not knowing what else to say.

Natasha gives Bucky a small smile, a glint of recognition in her eyes. "It's all right, Dzheyms." She uses the Russian phonetic pronunciation of his given name. "It's in the past."

Bucky breathes a sigh of relief and reaches down to take my hand. Steve's eyes flicker to mine for a brief moment, and I nod with a smile on my face. He seems relieved to see us both together, in one piece, happy. It's been a long while since it's just been Bucky, Steve, and Emma--not the Winter Soldier, Captain America, and Lady Liberty. Finally, we're just us again. A bunch of nomads and vagabonds, but we're us.

I push Bucky towards Steve, giving them both a gentle shove through the ice--pun intended. "You boys catch up. I need to get a few things done today. Will you be all right if I leave you for now?"

Both boys nod. "I'll see you soon," Bucky mutters, pressing a gentle kiss to my hairline.

I blow him a kiss as I turn for the exit of the airplane hanger. The path leads up to Shuri's laboratory. Something has been on my mind all morning, something that came out during our conversation last night at the waterfall.