“If I were you, I’d hope he don’t come back for a while. The moment he does is the moment the world’s gone to shit out past our borders.” Erik had said. Bucky hadn’t said anything at the time, not sure if he agreed or not. Now, seeing T’Challa approach his hut with a squad of Dora and a grim expression on his face, Bucky knew Erik had been right.
“Are you excited to see him?” Shuri asks, glancing at him with a smile as she types away frantically at her screen. It is filled with dozens of research tabs in all sorts of languages that neither of them can read, from outer space someone had mentioned. Bucky doesn’t comment that he can see that her smile is fake; they all know the ‘reunion’ is only happening under the direst of circumstances.
“I guess, wish it weren’t like this.” He sighs, looking out the window. They aren’t in her lab for once, instead in one of the rooms of the healing center. He’d been a few times for various reasons but never like this.
There had been some debate on what was actually to be expected. Vision, as Steve had called it, was an artificial creation. A robot with a consciousness and an all powerful magic space rock in his head. Did they treat him as a robot or as a person? Eventually T’Challa had deemed the healing center the base of operations having been the only one to see this Vision guy in person.
“It is hard to believe. The end of the world because of some rock from space? I suppose we are not ones to talk though, we owe our way of life to a space rock.” She comments, swiping away one window and beginning to type on another.
“Why do they need you anyway? They created the robot and put the stone there in the first place, why can’t they take it out themselves?”
Shuri chuckles “You really have been here too long if you are starting to think it unwise to let outsiders in our borders. Besides, this does mean that they acknowledge that I am the smartest person in the world.”
Bucky can’t help but keep the small smile from his face. This was more like the Shuri he knew, she hadn’t really been herself since they’d been told the Avengers were coming just ahead of an intergalactic threat because some crazy guy wanted to collect a handful of space rocks.
“You sure are kid. That’s something no one can dispute.” He said fondly.
Her Kimoyo beads pinged and she gave them a glance before frowning. “Still nothing?” Bucky asked, causing her to shake her head. She had tried to contact Peter the moment she’d seen the news of New York, when she got no reply she had set her beads to sweep for distress signals every few hours.
“I assume he is wherever Tony Stark is, last thing T’Challa heard was that Stark had ended up on the ship that attacked New York.” Her hands paused and she took a deep breath to collect herself “At least neither of them are alone, wherever they are.”
“It’s okay to be worried about him you know? Just cause we don’t all get along perfectly doesn’t mean we don’t want you to be happy. Whether we like it or not, you two make each other happy.”
“We have not seen each other in person in months and the last time we spoke was almost a week ago.” She looked at Bucky, her expression nearly hopeless.
In an instant he moved to embrace her, chin resting on top of her head. He felt her whole body hitch with the beginnings of sobs. “He is not made for fighting in space, he would not even let me make him a Vibranium suit. The best I could do was reinforce Stark’s design. He could already be dead.”
“Hey now, it’s gonna be alright. Stark wouldn’t let the kid get hurt. I guarantee you he had something up his sleeve to keep Peter safe. The only people who care more about Peter than you are his aunt and Stark. For all we know Peter’s still on Earth and his phone is just broken so you can’t contact him. And if he is in space, he is definitely going to be with Iron Man. And I hate to admit it, but last I checked he was pretty strong himself.”
Despite the threat on its way to Wakanda, Shuri was one of the people under the most stress of them all. T’Challa and Okyoe were preparing the military and Erik had been patrolling the borders nonstop since they had heard what was happening, but Shuri, if she didn’t succeed in her task. Well he didn’t really want to think about the consequences.
“You need to take a break from all this work kid. The stress is starting to get to you.” He said in the best brotherly tone he could muster. “Why don’t you come down to my room and help me pick out my world-saving outfit? I need something to match all the fancy gold details you added to my arm.”
Shuri pulled away from him and wiped at her eyes while she nodded. “A break might be nice. Even a short one.”
She gave a small chuckle suddenly and Bucky said “What?”
“We do not want your boyfriend to be unimpressed with what he left for me to fix hm?” She said with a teasing smile before heading towards the door.
“How many times do I hafta tell you? He’s not my boyfriend.” Bucky argued but Shuri was already almost out the door.
“Shuri I’m serious, this isn’t the time for you to put me in a good-looking suit or anything. It has to be practical. Shuri!” Bucky called as he ran out after her.
The Quinjet lands several hours later and they watch it from the healing center window together. “Fancy ship from what I remember.” Bucky comments.
“I could improve it. Our tech is better.”
“Course you could kid.” He scoffs, reaching over to try and ruffle her hair as he starts towards the door to head to the landing pad, but she dodges out of the way before he can.
“Don’t freeze!” She calls teasingly.
“Who do you think I am? T’Challa?”
“and the Dora Milaje as well.” T’Challa is telling the Avengers as Bucky walks out of the palace and towards the group.
“And a semi-stable hundred year-old man.” He adds to the list with a smile, his eyes meeting Steve’s.
“How’ya been Buck?” Steve asks, putting his hand on Bucky’s shoulder, the one with the real arm. Bucky gives him a soft smile, glad to have him back and in such good spirits. Last time he’d seen Steve, the man had been radiating anxiety and worry, over Bucky and his captured team. Now, despite the threat to everything, he seemed back to his old self.
Bucky gives him a coy smile, “Not bad, for the end of the world.”