Work Text:
I go out walkin' after midnight
Out in the moonlight
Just like we used to do, I'm always walkin'
After midnight, searchin' for you
I walk for miles along the highway
Well, that's just my way
Of sayin' I love you, I'm always walkin'
After midnight, searchin' for you
The first time you saw him, he startled you. You were walking along a back road in the dark, which was something you often did when you couldn’t sleep. You weren’t afraid, the crime rate in Wakanda was so low that you had no fear of roaming around in the dark. You loved the silence and the way the fireflies danced along the edges of the path. The moon was bright tonight, and you had no trouble seeing the path, or where you were going. You were surprised however to see the vague outline of someone else on the path ahead of you. The figure stopped walking and you stopped as well. He turned to you “It’s okay, I’m not gonna hurt you.”
“How do you know I’m not going to hurt you ?” You said as you walked closer to him.
“You make way too much noise to be an assassin.” He grinned to let you know he was teasing.
“Well then, that clears it up. Fair enough.” You say as you walk up to him and give him a smile. You look up at his face and recognition dawns in you mind. “Hey, I know you! You are the White Wolf! The one everyone is always talking about.” You had heard rumors that there was a former assassin hiding out in Wakanda, but never thought you would meet him.
“Yes.” He admitted. “But you can call me Bucky.”
“What are you doing out in the woods in the middle of the night?” You questioned raising one eyebrow.
“I like to walk when I can’t sleep. I could ask you the same thing.”
“Same.” You stated. He grinned at your response. “Would you like to walk with me?”
“I would be delighted.”
And that was the beginning of your friendship with Bucky Barnes. You met up almost every night on the path and you would just walk and talk. You listened intently as he told you stories from his past. He especially liked to talk about Steve.
“Steve has been my best friend forever. He has never not been around. Back before the War, when his parents died, we became roommates, and eventually we became much more.”
You loved the way Bucky’s face softened and his eyes held a hint of sparkle when he talked about Steve. It made you happy to know that kind of love existed.
“We used to take walks like this around Brooklyn when we couldn’t sleep. We would spend all night just walking, holding hands and talking about our dreams. Back then, we couldn’t just walk around during the day holding hands. The night became our refuge. The time when we could be ourselves outside of our apartment walls. Then the War happened. There was no way I could not sign up. I needed to do my part, and I know Steve felt the same way. It crushed him when he was rejected time and time again. The night before I shipped out, we spent all night on one of our walks, not going home until the sun came up. We didn’t want to sleep because we didn’t want the morning to come, knowing we had to say goodbye.”
He looked so sad at the memory that you almost didn’t want him to continue. It seemed to be painful for him to talk about.
“You don’t have to talk about this if you don’t want to.” You looked at the sadness in his features and it broke your heart.
“It’s okay, Y/N. I like telling the story.” He smiled at you as he continued. “I didn’t know if I would ever see Steve again, and when I was captured, I knew for sure that I was going to die. I was filled with so much regret for the life Steve and I would never get to have. So, you can imagine my surprise when none other than Steve Rogers broke into the facility to rescue me. I was confused at first, mostly by his size, but I knew he was my Steve and I would follow him anywhere.”
The two of you had reached the edge of the river that ran along the border to Wakanda. You sat there throwing rocks into the water as you talked. Well, Bucky talked. You mostly just listened. That seemed to be what Bucky needed most.
“I can tell you love him very much. Where is Steve now?”
“I don’t know.” He was pulling the leaves off of a flower and absentmindedly throwing them on the ground. “I haven’t heard from him in almost 2 years. I guess that is kind of why I go on these late night walks. After Steve rescued me and the other guys from the 107th, we resumed our relationship. It was really the only time we could be alone, late at night, walking in the woods out behind the camp. Making out like a couple of teenagers.” He smiled and gave a brief laugh as he recalled the memory. “I guess I keep walking and thinking about him, and hope that wherever he is, he is walking and thinking about me. Just like that Patsy Cline song.”
The next night, you were walking your usual route when Bucky stopped you. “Shh, Y/N.” Bucky placed his finger to his lips indicating you should stop talking. “We are being followed. This time by someone who does move like an assassin.” You could tell he was on edge, wondering how HYDRA had found him here. The change in his demeanor was startling. He instantly became the White Wolf, your protector.
“Bucky.” A man’s voice said from the shadows.
That one word was all it took. Bucky’s whole body changed in an instant, his features lighting up at the sound of his name. “Steve?”
“I’m here, Bucky.” A figure stepped out of the woods, tall and muscular. His size would have made him intimidating except for the wide smile on his face. “I missed you so much. I’m so sorry to leave you for so long.”
“I missed you too, baby.” Bucky moved quickly towards Steve, reaching him in a few strides.
You watched at the two men collided, kissing passionately as if they were dying of thirst and the other man was the last drop of water. Tongues and teeth clashing, hands roaming everywhere. “Thought. Of. You. Every. Day.” Each word punctuated with kisses. “Never. Leave. You. Again.”
“Um.” You cleared your throat, reminding them that you were there. “Hello.” The two men broke apart, gasping for breath.
“Oh! Steve, this is Y/N.” Bucky said laughing. Steve nodded his greeting. “Y/N keeps me company on my nightly walks and listens as I incessantly talk about you.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Steve. I feel like I know you already.” You smile at Steve and Bucky and can’t help the joy you feel at seeing their reunion.
“Well, I guess I will leave you two to catch up.” You say giving Bucky a wink.
“Thank you for always listening.”
“It was my pleasure, Bucky.”
You can hear them laughing as you walk along the path heading toward your house. The sound made you smile. It didn’t matter that you would no longer have your walks with Bucky. You used to walk alone at night and you could walk alone again. You knew you would inevitably run into them some night as you made your way through the dark. Bucky was happy. He had his Steve, and that was all that mattered.