Adamantine (A Post-Black Panther Bucky Barnes Love Story)

5

I grumble under my breath as I look at the clock. Irritated, I throw my blankets off of myself and grab a bathrobe. I slip it on and leave my bedroom. It's one in the morning, and I'm almost positive this will be another sleepless night. I check the inside pocket of my robe for my spare dagger, and I smile to myself when it's there.

Heading to the kitchen, I stop at Michael's door. When I hear his quiet snores, I continue on my way. Uninterested in the fridge's contents, I start going through more cupboards. A small smile ghosts my lips when I spot a bottle of Jack Daniels in the next to last cupboard.

Should I? I hesitate, my hand half outstretched toward the bottle. Oh, what the hell? I deserve it.

I grab the bottle and pour myself a small glass. I find my way through the building and manage to get to the balcony. It overlooks the main part of Wakanda's capital, and I take a sip of my whiskey as I take in the view.

"Lovely," I sigh as the alcohol sends a soothing burn down my throat.

I close my eyes and let my breathing steady. The presence of all the vibranium beneath the ground is obvious to me. It makes my nerves light up, and my blood almost tingles. It's so calming and relaxing, almost as if it's my own brand of heroin.

A hushed call of my name makes my eyes snap open. I glance out into the street, and I'm surprised to see Sergeant Barnes.

"Sergeant Barnes?" I ask, confused.

"Call me Bucky," he replies. "What are you doing?"

Raising my eyebrows, I raise my glass. "Want some?"

His chuckle is all the response I need.

•••••

"So what are you doing out roaming the streets at 1 A.M.?" I ask him as we sit in the parlor. He takes a drink from the glass I poured him.

"Couldn't sleep. Figured a walk might help," he shrugs. He sets his glass down. "What about you? Most people drink warm milk when they can't sleep, not whiskey."

I laugh at that, just a hint of darkness peaking through. "I'm not most people, Bucky."

"That you aren't," he agrees. "I've heard a lot about you, you know."

"Oh?" I take a sip. "Like what?"

"For one, you're an incredible assassin," he replies. "The people at Hydra used to talk about taking you down all the time."

"I know," I smirk. "They tried."

He gets what I'm implying and simply nods. I've killed more Hydra agents than I can count.

"Everybody said you had some power, some ability that made you extremely dangerous," Bucky says slowly. He pauses for a moment. "Is that true?"

I shoot back the rest of the whiskey in my glass before putting it on the coffee table. "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. Anyone who knows but shouldn't is dead. Anyone who knew and told is also dead." I crack my knuckles. "Trust me, you don't want to know. Because if you do, it means one of three things."

"And those are?"

"You're a highly-ranked member of the United States government, you're about to die, or, well," I shrug, "something very, very bad is happening."