28

(Steve POV) 

We get a call later on in the week that Shuri is ready to forgive Bucky and put a new arm on him.

While on the jet to Wakanda, I notice Bucky very obviously avoiding windows.

"I don't like heights," he explains once he sees me staring. It makes sense. The fall that killed him was a considerably high one, and no one would want an event like that to happen twice.

"Me either," I agree softly, recalling my plummet into the ocean. 

Upon our arrival in Wakanda, T'Challa pulls Bucky into a hug and greets me with a nod and a small, "Captain." 

Sometimes I forget that Buck spent a pretty good amount of time here and that it should be completely normal that he's so familiar with the people.

Shuri is standing a little ways away, watching the interaction with her arms folded strictly across her chest. I don't think she's nearly as forgiving as she has advertised. 

"We don't have all day!" she calls out once she decides that this has gone on for too long. "I am a very busy woman!" 

She turns around and begins walking without another word, leaving us with no choice but to follow her into her lab. She aggressively slaps the back of a chair and commands Bucky to sit down. 

"Shuri, you could be a little kinder to our guests," her brother suggests. 

"Our guests don't deserve my kindness," she retorts, seating herself on a rolling stool and propelling herself around the room to grab various tools. She pulls a tray table toward her and begins sticking weird node looking things onto Bucky's head. "Since I need to put on a new port for your arm, I'm going to be messing with your nerves a bit, so we need to monitor your brain activity." She looks up from what she's doing and takes note of my concerned look. "It's safe, Captain, don't worry. The monitor is just a precaution." She begins to get back to work, then looks up at me again. "It's going to take a while, so get comfortable." 

"I'm comfortable," Bucky speaks up.

"Not you; you're terrible." Although her words are harsh, there's an endearing undertone to them. Bucky obviously takes note of this- or is just used to her speaking to him that way- because he grins at her. 

As Shuri works, Bucky keeps his head turned toward me, very much not looking at his left arm- or rather, where his left arm will soon be.

"I can't believe you're not watching the process," I comment, referring to how much of a nerd he is. "I thought you'd be all over the whole science aspect of it."

"I already know how it works," he explains. "This will be my third time having a new arm put on, after all." 

"And your last," Shuri mutters, not looking away from her work. She sets down whatever tool she was working with and grabs Bucky by the ear. "You understand me, White Wolf? This is the last arm you are ever going to get, so take care of it. If it breaks, I will not repair it. If you lose it, I will not replace it. You are going to respect this prosthetic, or you are going to spend the rest of your life with only one arm." 

"Yes, ma'am," he complies with a small salute. 

Shuri pushes herself away, wheeling to a different end of the room to grab the actual arm. She rolls herself back over to us and, without giving Bucky any kind of warning, shoves the arm into the port.

Maybe it's not as painful as it looks, because the only reaction he offers is clenching his jaw and scrunching up his nose a little bit. 

The princess completely ignores any pain he might be feeling and continues her process, rapping on the arm with the knuckle of her index finger. "You can feel that?" 

"I can feel that," he confirms.

"You can move it?" 

He rotates the wrist back and forth a few times, then curls his fingers into a fist. "I can move it." 

"Wonderful, now get out of my country." 

I turn toward T'Challa, who looks slightly amused but remains really neutral. "Is she always this rude?" 

"She's just upset," he assures me. "Shuri worked very hard on that last arm. It's understandable that she is angered by Barnes losing it." 

I nod in agreement. When I'm not thinking about it from the point of view of someone who loves Bucky very much, I can see how that would be frustrating. 

"I really am sorry about the last one," I hear Bucky saying quietly to Shuri. "I swear I didn't mean to lose it like that." 

"I already forgave you," she reminds him. "If I hadn't, you wouldn't be sitting there with a new arm- which is better than the last one." 

"How's it better?" 

"It's better because I said so. And because it's more waterproof. The last one wasn't nearly as waterproof as I might have advertised." 

"Does this one come off?" 

She looks up at me for a moment before answering, guilt weighing heavily in her eyes. "Yes. It can be removed remotely, like the other one. I'm giving you the remote, though." 

"That's good. That it comes off, I mean. That can be handy." 

"No, it would be the opposite." She looks as serious as death when she says it, but the two of them very quickly devolve into fits of laughter.

Personally, I don't think it's that funny, but whatever. 

"I think Steve should have the remote," Bucky says when they finally stop laughing. "Just.. just in case." 

He doesn't elaborate, but I know what he means. He's saying that I should keep the remote in case he ever gets violent as the Winter Soldier. I don't think that would ever happen, or that I would be able to do that to him in that situation, but I don't argue. 

(im so tired so if this is written like someone who is running on four cups of coffee and three hours of sleep wrote it, that's why. Not that I'm running on four cups of coffee. I actually only had three today. And I slept for more than three hours. I'm just exhausted :D )