Worth The Risk (bucky barnes x reader fanfiction)

Part Five

As the days went by, you and Bucky got along surprisingly well.  Although you could tell he was still closing himself off, the two of you spent most of your time slowly getting to know one another.

On the first day you'd offered to accompany him to the lab. Bucky politely declined, assuring you that he'd be perfectly fine on his own. Steve was just a worry wart; he didn't really need someone there with him. So instead you took to continuing your research in the labs, making Bucky promise that he would call if he ever needed something.

The days passed by and you and Bucky continued on with your own work. You'd made a habit of checking up on one another at the end of the day, meeting up at one of the two labs before walking to your small apartment together to have dinner and pass the time.

Bucky entered the small lab you'd claimed as your own and leaned against the wall, watching as you worked. If you hadn't been so focused on the data in front of you, you would have noticed when he entered. Instead, you continued on working in silence as the taller man stood in your doorway.

Bucky cleared his throat with a grin and you swiveled around in your chair to face him. You looked down at your wristwatch in surprise, greeting him.

"You're out early. Is everything okay?" you asked curiously, taking in his exhausted appearance.

Bucky nodded his head and made his way over to take a seat. As he all but sunk in to the chair you rolled your own closer to him, curling your legs up in to your seat comfortably as you handed him your glass of water.  He thankfully brought the glass to his lips and took a sip before answering your question.

"Everything's fine," he smiled softly, "They just finished the tests. I'm clear."

You immediately sat up straighter, scooting your butt to the back of the chair and not even trying to hide the ecstatic smile that broke out across your face. "Are you serious?" you asked incredulously.

Bucky almost chuckled, his own excitement and relief beginning to seep through. "They're just checking for side effects now."

"That's great!" you exclaimed, lifting your hand up and receiving a somewhat hesitant high five.

Bucky really did let out a chuckle this time, shaking his head lightly.

"How about I pack up and we head home early?" you asked hopefully, already shuffling the papers in front of you together and pushing them to the corner of your desk.

"Brooklyn?" he suggested, following you to the door and holding it open as you slipped on the cardigan you'd been wearing earlier.

"Brooklyn it is." You grinned, the two of you leaving the lab and heading back to the apartment for a celebratory night in.

You were glad you'd introduced Bucky to Netflix. You weren't sure what else you could have done to really break the ice (especially in the middle of a jungle) other than make Bucky watch Brooklyn Nine Nine. You'd seen it all before but it really did make Bucky laugh and god was his laugh contagious.

It wasn't until four days later that Bucky was completely cleared.

The two of you had spent your last day in Wakanda finishing up in the lab before packing up and relaxing, taking full advantage of the down time before the long flight home. You were ecstatic to be seeing the others so soon but while you were looking forward to the trip, you could tell Bucky was growing increasingly nervous.

He was terrified of going to the tower. There he would not only have to face Tony, but the real world as well and no matter how many times you and Steve had tried to reassure him, the guilt and nerves continued to gnaw away at him. The last night in Wakanda was the worst. You'd tried to lighten up the evening and offer him comfort but Bucky instead retired to his room early, leaving you to sit restless and awake alone.