Chapter Text
2018
“Millie, no!” James watched from across the yard as Darcy struggled to free the tail of her shirt from the mouth of their troublesome goat while maintaining a hold on her grocery bags.
“Millie.” He let out a shrill whistle and the goat immediately released Darcy and trotted over butt her head against his shoulder affectionately. “You gotta be nicer to your mama,” he murmured.
“I am not that goat’s mother,” Darcy snapped as she marched over to stand in front of him. He looked up from his position kneeling to fix the gate and waved Millie off when she gave a bleat in objection to his divided attention. “That goat is a menace! She’s eaten two of my favorite shirts. Look!” Darcy was turning on her heel to try and show him the torn tail of her top.
“She likes you,” James said and then reached out on instinct to stabilize Darcy before she tripped over her own feet.
“Well, I don’t like her.” Darcy looked down at the goat. “I don’t like you.” Millie let out a shrill scream, “Stop chewing on me!” Darcy shouted back.
James let out a low laugh. “Don’t mind her Millie, she just had a bad day.” He smiled up at Darcy through his lashes. “Get what you needed from the market?”
“Mostly, they didn’t have any plums though.” She leaned against the fence post next to him and he went back to working on the bolt he’d been trying to loosen.
“Probably not real common here, doll,” he said as his wrench finally started turning.
“I know, I just miss them. I also miss sweaters and boots.” He looked up in time to see her wipe a hand over her brow.
They’d been in Wakanda for almost six months and it was the height of summer. He wasn’t going to complain about weather that kept Darcy in loose skirts and the tops with the tiny straps but he didn’t disagree with her about the heat. It could be oppressive. He assumed they’d get used to it.
“We can go on vacation,” he said as he abandoned the fence bolt and rose to his feet. “We can go somewhere cold where you can wear boots and they have plums.” He reeled her in with a hand on her hip until she was pressed against him, the grocery bags hanging limply at her side. He trailed a hand down her neck to play with one of those tiny straps where it lay over her collarbone. “I’d miss these shirts though,” he murmured.
“I’m sure we could find something else you’d like just as much,” she said against his lips.
“I’m sure we could,” he agreed, closing the distance to kiss her. He’d just started to turn them so she was pressed between his body and the fence post when there was a loud rip. The thud of the groceries hitting the ground was followed by a bleat from Millie. James let out a huff, and dropped his head to rest against Darcy’s shoulder.
“We’re having mutton for dinner I swear to god,” Darcy muttered.
“Go on inside, I’ll gather all this up and put her away for the night.” He stepped back to give Darcy room to move around him.
“We’re fighting, Millie,” Darcy hissed at the goat who gave a plaintive bleat in response.
He waited until Darcy had disappeared into the small house and then examined the mess of groceries and the small black goat still milling about at his feet. “You gotta cut me a break Millie-girl,” he muttered, holding out a hand for her to butt against. “I promise she’s not really gonna cook ya.” He gave one last rub to her ears and then started to gather up the groceries and produce. He picked up the package of broken eggs and sighed, “Well, I’ll try to stop her at least.”
—
“Shuri said to tell you hi,” Darcy mumbled around a mouthful of noodles. James had picked up takeout after Millie’s escapades ruined Darcy’s original dinner plans. He liked that Wakanda made it possible to keep a goat in the yard and walk for takeaway from the same house.
“Why doesn’t she just stop by?” he asked. He also really liked that the city was protected enough to allow Darcy to wander the market and meet her friends for lunch without fear. She deserved it.
“She’s probably scared of that damn goat,” Darcy said around a teasing smile.
He leaned across the couch to pull the noodles out of her hands and tugged her into his lap. “That damn goat is adorable.” He cupped Darcy’s face, his thumbs tracing the curve of her cheeks.
“I’m cuter,” Darcy pouted against his mouth and he smiled.
“Infinitely,” he agreed, “you know you’re my best girl.”
“Your best girl huh?” She was grinding her hips down into his, infinitesimal movements that already had his pants feeling tight. He let his hand ghost down her throat to pluck at the thin strap of her shirt. He loved these shirts.
“Yes,” he said before capturing her lips. He tangled a hand in her hair to pull her closer, tighter against him, forcing her thighs wide over his hips, her skirt rucking up to expose more smooth, tan skin.
She kissed him fiercely. Her mouth moving against his as her hips kept up their rhythm. Her hands twisted in the front of his shirt, her nails biting into his chest through the thin cotton.“Need you,” she gasped and he felt the words land right between his legs.
“Yes,” He muttered, and he gave one of the tiny straps a sharp tug, relishing Darcy’s little moan when it snapped. He kissed down her neck, leaving a wet trail in his wake until he reached the torn edge of her shirt. Her fingers carded through his hair as he nosed the fabric down to expose one full breast.
“Feels so good,” Darcy groaned when his lips wrapped around her nipple, his teeth scraping against the flesh and her back arched into the hurt. “So good,” she sighed.
His cock was hard and heavy between his legs, twitching with every grind of her weight down into his lap. Her hands were tugging at his hair, digging into his neck and sliding down his shoulders. He tugged shamelessly at the other side of her shirt until she was sitting in his lap almost topless. His mouth worked at her chest, leaving red marks behind as he kissed and bit at every inch of soft skin he could reach, only breaking away when her demanding hands forced his own shirt over his head.
She trailed gentle fingers down the sensitive line of flesh between his left arm and his chest. He used to shy away from letting her touch him there, the scarred tissue too raw but Darcy’s fascination with the transition between flesh and metal had only gotten stronger with the new vibranium arm. She kissed at his pec, following the line of metal down his chest, and then lower. He let her go, leaning back into the plush couch as she slid from his lap to the ground between his feet.
She looked up at him through her lashes and his mouth went dry. He would never get used to the sight of her like this. Her hair a dark tumble around her shoulders, color high on her cheeks, her lips swollen, her breasts heavy and bare. “Beautiful,” he whispered and reached out to twirl a loose curl around a metal finger.
“So sweet to me,” she said, grabbing for his belt and he helped her by lifting his hips as she tugged his pants down, freeing his length. “Perfect,” she breathed and his cock twitched in response to the praise. Her smile was sly as she wrapped a hand around him, working him from base to tip for a few slow strokes. “Want you,” she said softly and he let out a low groan.
It was all the warning she gave him before he was enveloped in warm, wet heat. He moaned, both hands tangling in her hair. She had one hand braced on his thigh as she moved her head up and down, the other hand sliding in time with her lips. He could feel her tongue teasing at his foreskin on every slide up and he let out another low moan. “Darce, feels so good.”
She made a noise of agreement in her throat, and his balls tightened up in response. The hand on his thigh disappeared and he just knew it was between her own thighs. She’d be wet by now, dripping for him probably. He could almost taste her on the back of his tongue. He wanted to feel her, have her thighs wrapped around him, dig his hands into her flesh.
“C’mere.” He pulled her to her feet and pushed her skirt down over her hips until she was bare. She didn’t give him a moment to appreciate the view before she was clambering into his lap, her thighs parting over his and he could feel the heat of her hovering over him. He gripped her hip with one hand and wrapped the other around the back of her neck to bring her lips down to his.
Her tongue forced its way into his mouth at the same time as she sank down onto him in one long slide. She broke away from his mouth with a groan and James’ hips jerked up into her involuntarily. “Yes,” she murmured against his mouth and then turned her head to bury her face in his neck as she started to move, his hands at her hip and neck helping her keep pace.
She was so good. So warm, perfect, wet, tight, all around him. He could feel her tits bouncing against his chest as she rose and fell in his lap. Her panting breaths were loud in his ear and his fingers snagged in the sweat-damp hair at the base of her skull. She was rambling into his skin, words of love and praise and encouragement falling over him and he flexed his thighs in an effort to get closer, faster, harder.
“More, please,” she panted and he moved on instinct. Gripping her thighs to keep them connected as he flipped her until she was under him on the couch. He pulled one smooth leg up over his hip and Darcy keened at the deeper angle. “Yes, so good James. So good.” Her back was arched against him as he moved and licked and bit at her neck and chest. Her nails dug into his shoulders and he loved when she left marks behind.
He was close, god, how could he not be with her looking up at him through half lidded eyes, almost black with want. Her hair was spread out over the couch cushion, her mouth open, and he wanted to watch her come undone more than anything. He trailed a hand down between them to find her clit. His fingers sliding easily across the sensitive flesh until he found the spot that had her bearing down around him. “Please,” she moaned, her head tipping back to expose the long line of her throat.
“I’ve got you, I’ve got you.” He worked his fingers in small tight circles, his hips never slowing. “C’mon sweetheart, show me how good it feels.”
Her eyes were slits as she watched him, she was clenching around him rhythmically, her legs tensing around his hips. He kept it up, never faltering until she let out a whine and he felt her fall over the edge, her whole body going tense under his. He kept moving, fucking her through her release until she pushed sloppily at his shoulder. Years of experience meant he knew exactly what the low whine she gave meant, and he shifted to kneel, dragging her body up over his bent legs as he went.
God, he loved this angle. Darcy stretched out before him, her thighs spread around his hips, her tits bouncing with every thrust. She was gorgeous and she knew it based on the way she trailed her hands down her own chest, stopping to pluck at her nipples. Her eyes were heavy-lidded, “Feel so good James,” she whispered, “so good. Make me feel amazing. Love coming around your cock.”
The need to come was a sharp tug low in his stomach. Darcy had perfected talking him over the edge. Her husky voice unleashing a stream of dirtier and dirtier commentary. His fingers dug into her hips and she ground back against him. “So hard for me. No on else can fuck me like you do. No one else. All yours. Only yours.” He picked up speed with every word and she started to rise in volume until the she trailed off into unintelligible noises.
He was close. So close. But he could feel her starting to pulse again and he reached between them to rub at her with his thumb. “One more for me Darce?” She was shaking her head but the low noises she was making told a different story. It was a near thing, her second orgasm seemed to steal through her slowly but with more intensity than the first. The hot clutch of her body forcing his own release from him as he locked his hips and spilled into her willing body with a loud moan.
He fell forward over her, catching himself before he could crush her with his full weight. Her small hands tugged at his sweaty back until he gave in, lowering himself over her, his face buried in her neck. “You’ve got a dirty mouth, doll,” he said into her skin.
“You love my dirty mouth,” she quipped and then bit playfully at his shoulder. His cock, still buried inside her, twitched at the dull pain and she laughed, loud and bright.
“I do.” He pushed up, holding himself in a plank so he could stare down at her bare body. She was wrecked, red marks littering her chest, finger shaped lines across her hips, her hair a sweaty mess around her face. God, he loved her so much.
“I love you too,” she said and her smile was knowing.
“Shower?” he asked and she nodded. “Excellent.” He rolled off the couch and then swung her up over his shoulder, ignoring her resulting shriek and swatting hands. “You can use that vocabulary to talk me into round two.”
Her high pitched giggle chased them through the house.
—
He woke up early the next morning, wrapped up in Darcy and sleep-warm sheets. He stared up the ceiling and reveled in the feeling of Darcy’s weight, warm and comforting against his side. They’d had stretches of peace over the years. Weeks or sometimes months at a time where they’d lived in one place and been able to create memories. But days like this, where he woke up and his first thought wasn’t for perimeter security or backup plans were few and far between. These last months in Wakanda there had been more days like this than not and he loved it.
He rolled over, wrapping an arm around Darcy. His fingers reached down until he found her hand to play with the engagement and wedding rings on her finger. She’d started wearing them both publicly now that they didn’t need to hide as much and he loved catching sight of the black stone glinting when she waved her hands as she talked.
“Go back to sleep.” Her voice was morning rough and her hands smoothed at his.
“I’ll go get you coffee,” he bartered as she pressed herself closer, trying to pull him deeper into the blankets.
“Later,” she muttered into the pillow, squeezing her eyes shut. She pressed against him, still bare from the night before and he ran his hands over the curve of her hip. “Much later,” she mumbled into the pillow.
“We’ve probably only got—“ He was interrupted by the loud and, impossible to ignore, bleat of Millie just outside the bedroom window.
“I hate that goat,” Darcy groaned, rolling over and pressing her pillow into her face as she let out a frustrated scream.
“She didn’t mean it Millie,” he called and Darcy whined. “I’ll bring back coffee sweetheart.” He dropped a kiss to her shoulder and climbed from the bed.
It was a Saturday but that wasn’t important. It was important that it was a new moon and the day before the late harvest preparation was set to start. It meant both of them would be busy in just a few hours. He needed to meet W’Kabi down in the fields before noon. Darcy would have more time to relax today but tonight she’d be on with Jane, taking simultaneous readings with the astrophysicist who was across the globe in Greenland again with Thor.
He got the coffee started and then went out into the dirt yard to fill the trough for Millie and spread feed for the chickens. He waved to M’asea, the retired Dora Milaje who lived across the alley, already on her porch with her favorite mutt perched in her lap. “Where’s that girl of yours?” She called.
“Still in bed,” James yelled back and M’asea cackled, her bald head tipping into the morning light.
“You should be too after what I heard last night!” Her laughter at her own joke was echoed by a group of women walking by and James felt color flush high on his cheeks. “If you ever need an extra hand you can always come visit me.” The wink she gave him left no room to doubt how she would lend a hand.
“Aww M’asea you know you’re too good for me,” he called back and she made a loud noise of objection.
“Feed that goat, then come over here and let me give you some bambalouni. Fresh today. You need to keep meat on that girl’s bones.” She was already getting to her feet and James shook his head. There would be no escaping her. He really had no idea how she always had food ready to hand out between her shifts training the new Dora Milaje and her volunteer work at the local schools.
Sure enough, thirty minutes later found him shuffling back into the house his arms loaded down with a thermos of dark coffee and a bag of the small handmade donuts. M’asea’s fingerprints probably permanently bruised into his ass from her good-natured efforts to cop a feel. Darcy appeared in the bedroom doorway wrapped in a colorful silk robe, a knowing smile on her face.
“M’asea got ya’ huh, Sarge?” She danced forward to snag the bag of donuts and there was a bambalouni dangling from her mouth before he’d even managed to kick the front door shut.
“She’s brutal,” he muttered as he rubbed at his stinging ass. “She’s got strong fingers.”
Darcy laughed, “But great coffee,” she said, making grabby-hands for the thermos.
“You have work tonight with Jane right?” he asked around his own bite of pastry and Darcy nodded.
“She’s still on me to come visit her and Thor soon. After we collect the last of the data during this lunar cycle it would be easier to analyze the data if we were together.” Darcy was watching him over the rim of her mug and he set his bambalouni down.
“You’d go to Greenland?” His mind was racing. He had commitments here for the next few weeks but he could go with her after that. It would be tricky though, even with the Wakandan quinjets at their disposal. He’d been added to even more watch lists after the events with Ross a few months ago. Tony had been successful in getting Darcy’s name mostly cleared but James was still a wanted man, on several fronts.
“It would be easier than her bringing all the equipment here,” Darcy sounded casual but he could tell from the set of her shoulders she was nervous about the conversation. He leaned over the counter, dropping his head.
“I know you can take care of yourself,” he said softly, “but—”
“I know,” Darcy said. “We haven’t really been apart in years.”
“If something happened—“ He looked up to meet her eyes. The fact that he’d be too far away to help went unsaid.
“Thor is there. We’d have the quinjet on the property.” His brow furrowed. That sounded like she already had plans. This wasn’t a casual mention.
“You’ve been planning this,” he accused.
Darcy stared at him. “I’ve talked to Jane about it a few times.” He slapped the counter, “It’s not like I’ve set dates or packed a bag! I’ve just made some logistical inquiries.”
“What if something happens and I’m not there.” His voice was getting steadily louder.
“You’ve been teaching me how to handle things on my own since the day we met!” She shouted back and he let out a low groan.
“I know.” He ran his hands through his hair, “I know,” he said softer. Then he moved around the counter to stand in front of her, pinning her between his body and the counter, an arm on either side of her waist. He pressed his forehead to hers, “I’m just — since day one it’s been you and me.”
She took a breath, “I won’t go if you don’t want me to.” His heart sank. He could tell she meant it and he hated that. He didn’t want to hold her back. There was nothing he’d hate more than keeping her from doing the things that made her happy.
“No,” he breathed. “No. You can’t—“ He pushed closer to her, his hands clenching at her hips, “Of course you have to go.”
“You could come with me.” She rubbed at his chest and then slid her hands up to card both hands through his hair. “Jane would love to see you.”
“No, this is normal. Normal married couples spend time apart. They go on business trips and travel alone sometimes.” He curled his arms low around her back and buried his face in her neck. “You just might need to humor me a bit on the planning,” he thought for a moment, “and being armed, and body armor.”
He could feel her laughter through his entire frame and he sucked in a deep breath, surrounding himself with the smell of her. She was still warm from sleep and he could stand like this with her in his arms forever. “Anything you want, Sarge,” she said, her hands scratching at his scalp. “You can wrap me in bubble wrap if you need to.”
“I’ll talk to Shuri,” he mumbled and Darcy laughed.
“You wanna give M’asea something else to tease you about?” He yelped, jumping back when she emphasized the question with a pinch to his left butt cheek.
“Fuck Darce,” he glared at her as she laughed, “she’s got strong fingers, you gotta give a guy some time to recover.”
“Come on big guy, I’ll kiss it better.” She gave him a sultry look and he let her take him by the hand and drag him back to the bedroom until he had to leave to meet W’Kabi.
—
“And you’re okay with it?” Steve had gotten the lay of the situation almost immediately.
“I’m not sure I have a choice,” Bucky said, running a hand over his face. “She’s a modern woman. She can go on a trip by herself.”
“It’s not about women’s rights,” Steve said, “It’s about security.”
“She knows how to handle herself. Shuri is going to make her some lightweight body armor to make me feel better.” It hadn’t even been hard to convince the Princess to help. She’d jumped at the chance to apply the Black Panther armor to a new use.
“Thor’s a good guy,” Steve offered.
“I know.” James leaned forward to put his elbows on his knees. “I just don’t know what I’d do if something happened,” he admitted softly.
“You could call Tony,” Steve suggested and James shook his head.
“Already thought of that but I think she’d be more upset about that than if I asked her not to go. I can’t rat my wife out to her dad because I’m scared about what will happen if she’s away from me for two weeks.”
“It’ll be fine.” Steve’s confidence did not translate over holo-call the same way it did in person. “And if Nat, Clint, and I end up traveling through Greenland around the same time for a day or two Darcy doesn’t need to know why.”
James looked up at his oldest friend and let a smile twist his lips. “You’re a punk.”
“Jerk,” Steve replied.
“She’s going to know exactly why you’re there,” James warned and Steve gave an innocent shrug.
“Yeah but she’ll be mad at me not you.” Steve said and James laughed. “How’s everything else going? Tell me what Millie ate this week.”
“Oh man.” James leaned back in his chair with a groan, “Have you ever seen a grown woman fight a goat for a shoe?”
“No!” Steve was laughing already.
“So Darcy has these heels right…”
They talked for another hour. James told the latest saga of Darcy vs. Millie until Steve was laughing so hard he cried. Steve told a story about Clint’s latest tumble off a building and Nat’s less than sympathetic reaction. They traded a few other pieces of news and James promised to keep Steve up to date about Darcy’s travel plans. Then they signed off and James remained seated for a long moment.
It would all be okay.
—
“We can’t wait to see you!” Jane’s image was blurry due to the reduced signal in Nuuk.
“I can’t wait to see you!” Darcy cried and James kept chopping vegetables in the background.
“I’m sad you’re not coming too James,” Jane said and he waved to her from his post in the kitchen.
“I’ve got to help the border tribe here get in the harvest,” he said with a shrug, not bothering to mention that he was also still on a dozen most wanted lists. “You two will have more fun without me. No drinking though.” He pointed with the knife for emphasis and Jane nodded emphatically.
“No, we learned that lesson,” Jane laughed and Darcy turned to wink at him.
“I can’t drink if my favorite hero won’t be there to carry me to safety,” she teased and he nodded, swiping the veggies into the pan. “Okay, I got to go Janie. I’ll see you in a few days. Love you!”
“Love you too,” Jane said and Darcy disconnected the call.
“What’s for dinner?” Darcy asked.
“Stir fry, I got some good —“ He was interrupted by a knock at the door.
Darcy jumped up, almost tripped over the rug, and caught herself on the door handle to yank it open. “Shuri!” Darcy pulled the door open wider to admit the Princess, her arms loaded down with bags.
“I come bearing gifts and just in time for dinner.” She gave James a grin.
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” he asked, already knowing the answer and Shuri’s grin got wider.
“How nice of you to ask, I’d love to.” She dropped her bags on the couch. “And how modern of you to do all the cooking.”
“I’m a consummate feminist,” he said dryly and Darcy rolled her eyes in his direction.
“Let me show you what I brought,” Shuri said and she started pulling things out of bags, spreading them out over every inch of free space in the living room.
“Look what Shuri brought,” Darcy said. “Do you see all the body armor James?”
“He said he wanted you prepared so I brought options.” Shuri looked around at all the clothing, “I might have gotten carried away.”
“You think?” Darcy asked and James made a scolding noise in his throat.
“Thank you Shuri,” he said.
“Yes, thank you Shuri,” Darcy parroted.
“Look this one is a bulletproof hoodie.” Shuri held up a sweatshirt and Darcy’s eyes went wide in interest.
“Where was this two years ago!” Darcy snatched at the fabric and Shuri laughed.
At least he knew she’d wear the damn thing. Not all of the options were hits though. Darcy expressed a firm no to the cat suit, muttering about needing more support for the “girls.” Dinner was good, the vegetables M’asea brought over that morning were a great addition, James had to remember to thank her tomorrow.
Shuri was always a great dinner guest. She had stories from the palace, gossip from the city, and a lot of unneeded advice for Darcy about travel. By the time she left for the evening, leaving a dozen options for armored clothing behind, Darcy had a smile plastered on her face and James was feeling more relaxed.
“Carry me to bed.” Darcy was sprawled out over the couch, her head hanging off the side, her eyes hazy with the two bottles of wine they’d gone through at dinner.
“What do I get if I do?” He was already pushing himself up from his chair.
“My undying love and affection,” She said and he laughed as he got an arm under back and another under her knees, hefting her up into his arms bridal style.
“I thought I’d already managed to lock that down. Should I be worried?” He started toward the bedroom.
“Would you really turn down having it reaffirmed?” She was poking at his cheeks and he smiled despite himself.
“Of course not,” he agreed indulgently and then dropped her onto the fluffy bed.
“Hey!”
“You’re a menace.” He crawled onto the bed with her, helping get her out of her sandals and skirt before taking off his own shirt and pants.
“ Your menace,” she said, fluttering her lashes.
“Yes,” he agreed. “My menace.”
“I love you,” she mumbled into his chest.
“Love you too, sweetheart.” He tugged the covers over them both and tucked her into the curl of his body. “So much.”
—
“You’ve got your gun?”
“Yes.”
“All the body armor?”
“Literally wearing the hoodie right now, Sarge.”
“Sat phone?”
“Yep.”
“Magazines for the flight?”
“You’re stretching now. I’ve got everything, including an actual printed picture of you because I’m old-school like my man.” Darcy stretched up on her toes to press a quick kiss to his lips.
They were standing at the edge of the Wakandan airfield. Darcy’s quinjet left in fifteen minutes, piloted by a member of the air-crew handpicked by T’Challa for the task. James was trying very hard not to let his anxiety overtake him. So far they’d kept the goodbyes to jokes and lighthearted banter but god was he going to miss her.
“Darcy—“
“I know,” she said softly and it was the first time her voice sounded thick.
“Darcy, god, just please be careful. Have fun with Jane but please pay attention, don’t walk and eat, keep yourself safe. No risks sweetheart. If anything seems wrong or off at all, call me, call Steve, call Tony.” He pulled her close, pressing his face into the top of her head and inhaling deeply. “I love you so much.”
“I love you too,” she said and her hands fisted in the back of his shirt. “I could stay.” Her voice was wet and he let out a rough laugh.
“You gotta go. It’s a good thing, doll. It’ll be a good thing. You’re going to be fine, and in two weeks you’ll come home and we’ll get to make up for lost time.” He tried to tease but it came out weaker than he intended.
“Homecoming sex,” she mumbled into his chest, “The real reason you agreed to this plan.”
He leaned back to look her in the eye, cradling her face in both hands. “You are smart and capable and my absolute favorite person. You do what you want remember.”
“Yea,” she sniffled, “I do.” She let out a wet laugh, “Am I really your favorite person? What about Steve?”
He winced in mock indecision, “It was close.”
“Rude!” She swatted at his chest and he laughed, pulling her back in to wrap her up tight, cupping her head against his shoulder.
“Love you,” he said into her hair.
“Love you too,” she mumbled, “We’re both procrastinating me getting on the jet?”
“Yes,” he admitted and then with one last squeeze he took a step back. “Be good.”
“Always,” she agreed and with a wave she walked up the ramp, leaving him on the tarmac, hands shoved in his pockets. He stayed planted there while the quinjet went through preflight checks and took off, watching it until it disappeared through the air-shield.
As soon as it passed out of sight he pulled his phone from his pocket and hit the first speed dial. “How’s it going Buck?” Steve sounded relaxed, which was rare these days.
“Her jet just took off.”
“Ahh, how you holding up?”
“I don’t like it,” James admitted and Steve made a sympathetic noise.
“She’s going to visit a friend for a few weeks. Everything is going to be fine.” Steve had turned on his Captain America voice, all confident reassurance.
“I know, I just have this feeling something is coming. You know that moment before the storm on the battlefield?” James kicked at some loose gravel and looked back up at the cloudless sky.
“You’ve been on the run too long,” Steve said.
“You’re probably right,” James sighed. “You’ll never believe what Millie tried to eat this week.” He changed the subject and Steve took the bait, the conversation turning towards their usual catch up topics. James found a bench and settled in, forcing himself to believe he wasn’t in the calm before the storm.
—
Six days later an alien ship landed in Manhattan.
Global communication went down before he could get a hold of Darcy.
It didn’t matter though because the fight came to Wakanda hours later. And thank god she wasn’t here. Thank god. Thank god. Thank god.
Because Steve Rogers showed up with Nat and Clint and Wilson and Wanda and Vision. And then James was on a battlefield, a real ranged battlefield, for the first time since 1943 and all he could think was at least Darcy wasn’t here hiding in their little house with the damn goat.
Then he didn’t have room to think anything at all, because the tide was turning, and not in their favor.
Wanda was screaming, Vision was dying, and Steve was running through the woods, the David to Thanos’ Golliath.
Then.
There was a snap.
.
.
.
.
.
Five years later, a portal opened onto the mid morning snow in Nuuk, Greenland and James Barnes stepped through just in time to catch Darcy Lewis with both arms.