The North Star (B. Barnes & S. Rogers)

Chapter Nineteen

Bucky drops onto the couch next to North who is curled up as tight as she can get. Bucky ended up being really late for dinner. It was both unintentional and on purpose. He wants Steve and North to get to know each other. And he got held up with a stupid report. But he gets food now. After Steve and North have already finished theirs.

"Sorry" He mumbles, North glances at him. "For being late" he explains, she shrugs a little.

"Not your mother" she grumbles back. Bucky stares at her and then smirks.

"That was such an Earth thing to say" he comments, she shoots him a look. "Right" he realizes. "You...spent more time with us than your own people" she nods. "That was a stupid thing for me to say" he scolds himself and frowns looking away from her. It was a really stupid thing for him to say to her. She has Earth written into her experiences, of course, something is going to stick. "How was it? With Steve?" she shrugs a little and glances at Steve who finishes cleaning the dishes. It was fine. Awkward. Silent. But they tried to make conversation.

"Fine" She manages through her teeth.

"What is it?" he asks her, she huffs. He can still read her so well. Even after all the changes in their life.

"I don't understand" North admits, Bucky cocks his head. "Why is he being nice to me?" she asks, Bucky softens slightly.

"Because Steve is a good guy" Bucky answers. "And he knows how important you are to me...." she lowers her eyes.

"But...you're together" She reminds him, Bucky nods.

"Yeah, we are..." He agrees. "So that means he is going to be mean to someone I love? Someone that cared for me? Someone that helped me?" she looks back at him. "North, you saved my life. Every time I was with you, I felt more human, I felt stronger....and when I went out for them, I knew you were waiting for me...so I fought harder....to survive, to get back to you...and because of that. I...remet Steve, I got free...." she swallows a little. "I found you again." he smiles at her. "You are free. And I know things are difficult, and different, but if at the end of this you go back to Asgard as my friend, I will be happy, and I think you will be too, knowing that you have friends" She smiles and nods a little. "Steve is being nice to you because he wants to be your friend too" Bucky adds. "He's being nice because he wants to be nice to you" he touches her arm and squeezes softly. Steve watches them together. He knows Bucky's missed having her around like this. His friend. The one person he had whilst with Hydra that never caused him pain. And Steve should perhaps feel jealous and angry that Bucky still wants to be close to her. That he and she did have sex. But he doesn't feel any of that. He actually feels happy. Seeing them together. Seeing them talking and relaxed. Seeing Bucky smiling. He knows Bucky loves him. But Bucky loves her too.

...........

It's late when North finally leaves. She, Bucky, and Steve had spent time talking. Discussing what she has missed in the world. The music. The movies. The tv. The stuff Hydra never told her about. They kept a lot from her. Only telling her things that they deemed important for her to know. North takes a breath and looks at Steve who stands at the door, Bucky has already headed to their room to shower, again leaving them to have a moment.

"Thank you" She whispers to Steve. "For....dinner. It was very nice" he smiles at her.

"You're welcome....just sorry Bucky was so late..." she shrugs a little and plays with the zipper of her hoodie. "It was nice to finally meet you, North" Steve adds, she tilts her head in confusion. "To meet the woman under all those powers" he adds, she smiles a little. "I am just so sorry it took us so long to find you" She shrugs a little.

"I should have reached out to Loki sooner" she counters. "I just...I was scared" she admits. "It had been such a long time I wasn't sure he'd remember me" Steve smiles at her.

"He wasn't ever going to forget you, North" he assures her, she nods. She knows that now. But with everything that Hydra did to her, everything they put her through, she had lost that hope. It was stolen from her by bad men, but she knows now, she knows Loki never gave up hope.

..........

Bucky sleeps. For the first time in a while he sleeps. He feels lighter having spent the night with Steve and North, bonding and talking. But Steve....he doesn't sleep. He is trying to work out how to make this work. He still thinks there might come a time when Bucky will struggle....with hi feelings for the two of them and Steve just wants to be prepared. So he researches and makes notes. He researches many different options. He even makes a note that he could step aside. Whilst Steve and Bucky technically weren't together in the 40's. They did love one another then but nothing ever happened. Then Bucky became the Winter Solider and met North. She was his first. And he was hers first. Steve is the one that could potentially be getting in the way of them. And he doesn't want that. Steve can say that if it came down to it, he would step aside for the sake of Bucky's happiness. He's that sort of man. He knows Bucky would never ask it of him, that he would never expect that sort of decision, but Steve knows that it might come down to that. He doesn't want to be the thing that gets in the way of Bucky's true happiness, it will hurt, but Steve will know that it's the best thing, the right thing. He lets out a breath and glances at Bucky sleeping in their bed. Peaceful. Content. And Steve knows that is because of North. Bucky normally has nightmares, has had them every night since his recovery started, but not tonight. He just needs some time. Steve needs time to think this through, to figure out what will be best for all of them. To give them all a happily ever after.