Tangled Paths | Bucky Barnes

Epilogue

Epilogue

11 months later

The sun beamed in on Darla's face from the high-up window, waking her from her queen-sized bed in her small main-floor flat on the outskirts of the city. She sat up with a yawn as she ran her hands down her face and then rubbed her eyes. She looked at the four cement walls she'd been waking up to for months now then reached over and grabbed the cell phone T'Challa had given her to see if she'd gotten any texts from Steve, Nat, Sam, or Wanda which she Hadn't. However, she did have a text from Cinza telling her to get to the lab. She groaned and sent a text back saying that she was on her way and crawled out of bed.

She moved to the kitchenette by the front door and tossed two pieces of bread in the toaster then slammed the mechanism down quickly, she pulled a butter knife out and laid it on the counter beside her already open butter block then walked over to the closet and slid open the door. She eyed Bucky's duffel bag which lived on the top shelf since she'd moved in, before grabbing her long white vest and pulling it on to surround the black tank top that she was already wearing. She slipped out of her pyjama shorts and slid on some high-waisted blue Jean ones then began to do them up as she hurried to the bathroom to make sure her hair wasn't a complete mess. She smoothed it down as the bracelets the kids in the village had made her jingled up and down her wrists, then gargled some mouthwash and made sure there was nothing in her teeth before running to the toaster which had just popped and quickly slapped some butter on the toast. From there she shoved both pieces in her mouth and grab her shoulder bag off of the hook by the door. She slipped on her sandals as she put her head through the hole to secure the bag over her chest then pulled her keys off of the same hook and ran out the front door then locked it after pulling it closed behind her.

She moved to the pole out front and unlocked her hover scooter then jumped on and headed for the palace. Eating her toast with one hand while she steered with the other. Normally she'd actually take the time to get ready, but the text from Cinza demanding her presence at the lab this early meant there must have been a breakthrough of sorts, and if that was the case she didn't want to waste a moment.

When she pulled up outside of the medical building she parked her scooter, locked it, then ran inside and she was greeted with many 'hello's and 'good morning's which she replied to quickly on her way to the elevator. She took it to the top floor of the medical building which since their arrival had been dedicated fully to Bucky's cause. As she stepped out of the elevator she was greeted by the company of Cinza, Ayo, Shuri, Okoye and T'Challa.

"I'm sorry, I slept with my ringer off, I don't know why." She said as she moved to Shuri's Keurig to make herself a coffee. Everyone stayed silent which made Darla nervous, she didn't bother asking them what was wrong as she reached into the jar of pods and placed one in the machine. If they had waited this long for her they could wait an extra few minutes.

She eyed Bucky's cryo tank as she grabbed a mug from the nearby cupboard then placed it under the spout and pressed the button. Darla had spent many nights sitting on a chair near by Bucky's tank and staring at the night through the windows just enjoying his company even though he had no clue she was there. She noticed the squiggly smiley face and unibrow that had been drawn over top of his face on the glass with a blue marker. She sighed and grabbed a nearby tissue from a box then bridged the gap to his tank as her coffee brewed and wiped down the glass.

"Shuri how many times do I have to tell you to stop drawing on Bucky?" Darla scolded lightly as she eyed her in disapproval.
"I have told you, Darla. Him just laying there is a boring sight, it is nice to have a different face every so often keeping you company when you are working beside it all day." Shuri argued. Darla rolled her eyes and threw the tissue out then grabbed some creamer and sugar to finish making her coffee. Once it was done she sat down between Okoye and Shuri.