I know some people have done their own versions of this, and finally, six or so months after the movie, I'm getting this out! *yay procrastination* Sorry for any OOCness that may arise! Anyways, hope you guys enjoy!
Disclaimer: Nope, I still do not own Marvel.
The clanging of the metal shield against the cold, concrete ground rang in Steve's ears. It was the final act of the battle. Against everything; the Accords, his friends, his mantle, he had chosen his best friend. When the entire world, minus a few people, had turned against him, he stood up to them and did what he felt was right. He had saved the man that he had failed to help so many times before.
That left him staggering out of the base with Bucky clinging onto his shoulder and Steve holding on just as tight.
Steve had no idea if Tony had come alone, but by the time they made it back outside, he didn't care. Neither he or Bucky was in much shape to fight, but he would put everything he had into protecting his friend.
They clambered through the metal doors as Steve peered through the snow towards the Quinjet. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed another jet parked behind some rocks. If Stark's team was coming, they were already there and there was nothing he could do.
"Can we stop for a minute?" Bucky rasped out. Steve nodded, which angered his already pounding head. He set Bucky down on one of the rocks that peeked out from the snow. Steve stood up next to him, ready for a fight if there was one coming. Blood pounded in his ears and dripped down his face from the multiple gashes on it.
With his suit, Tony would be able to call for help. But he wasn't able to fly, which should buy them some time.
"We need to get moving, Buck," Steve replied a minute later, psyching himself up for the trek to the Quinjet, and then for the flight back.
But back where? They couldn't exactly go home. Governments in the majority of countries were looking for them and would turn them in. To add on to the list, they both needed some amount of medical attention. It was then that Steve realized that while he may have saved Bucky for the time being, there was no way that he could keep both of them safe and protected in their current condition.
Bucky took a few deep breaths and shook his head. His eyes were trained on the snow in front of him.
"Just a few hundred meters and then we're fine," Steve pushed. "You can do it."
Then Bucky did something unexpected. He cracked a smile and shook his head again. "I don't need time to sit down, Steve, you do. You just fought one of your friends half to the death. You guys beat each other senseless. You've gotta be hurting, and not in just one way."
Steve nodded in slow admittance. "How's your shoulder?" he asked, trying to shift the conversation without directly mentioning Bucky's missing limb.
"Doesn't hurt as much as it should," he replied absentmindedly. Bucky turned his gaze up to Steve. "You saw what I did back there, Steve. And it's not just Howard and Maria. Tens of people, many of them with families. I did the same thing to them too, without even a second thought."
Now it was Steve's turn to shake his head. He took a seat on the rock next to Bucky and winced. His ribs seemed to crack as he breathed in and out. His head spun and everything hurt. The past few days had left him exhausted, both emotionally and physically. They still had to get to safety, avoid capture, and somehow get the rest of their team back. But in that moment, Steve was focused on only one thing.
He put a hand on Bucky's shoulder, the one that was still attached to him anyways. "It wasn't you, Buck. That was all HYDRA. The orders, the brainwashing, the missions."
"But I still did it," Bucky sighed, turning his gaze back to the snow. "Nothing can change the fact that it was my hands on the triggers. My fingers gripping the knives, holding the grenades, squeezing the life out of someone." He flexed the fingers of his flesh hand and made a fist before letting it fall away.
Steve sat in silence next to his friend. With time, he hoped that Bucky's condition would improve. That eventually he would understand that it was all HYDRA's fault. Even if he had to repeat the same sentence over and over a hundred times a day, he would do it if it meant a good outcome.
That silence, however, was interrupted by the light sound of crunching snow behind them. Steve shot up and spun around, causing himself to nearly fall over as a wave of dizziness hit him. Bucky steadied him by grabbing his arm. Steve nodded thanks and readied his hands for a fight. His gloved fingers felt empty without his shield. As a whole, he felt much more defenseless and open
T'challa approached from behind one of the rock formations. His mask was off and his claws were retracted. He approached the two injured men slowly, as if trying not to scare them.
"Buck, get to the jet," Steve whispered, moving in front of Bucky to protect him.
"Not without you," was the reply. Soon Bucky was standing next to Steve, facing T'challa.
The man stopped ten or so feet away. "I am not here to harm you," he said quietly, his voice thick with the Wakandan accent.
"I've heard that one before," Steve replied defensively.
"I have realized the error of my ways. It has taken me some time, and much pain, to come to this conclusion. Now I only wish to help."
Steve cast Bucky a sideways glance before lowering his hands. "What changed your mind?"
"The man you were chasing, Zemo, confessed. He is currently unconscious but otherwise uninjured aboard my jet," T'challa said, pointing to his jet which sat a few hundred feet away. "The entire time, I was chasing the wrong man. And I apologize for that." He looked towards Bucky, who nodded in response. Whether that nod was acceptance or understanding, Steve didn't know.
"You said that you were here to help?" was Steve's next question, to which T'challa nodded.
"I am offering to take you and your friend back to Wakanda. No one will know where you are and you can take however much time you need. I am offering food, medical supplies, and a safe place to reside."
Steve thought over the offer in his head. The man that had just tried to kill him and Bucky multiple times over the past few days, suddenly saying that he would willingly give them help and shelter. It was an offer that seemed almost too good to be true.
"But why, after everything, would you help us? You fought on Stark's side," he questioned, still trying to understand T'challa's change of heart.
"I was simply chasing revenge for my father's death. It took too long for me to realize that vengeance is not the answer, but justice is. Zemo will get his and I am hoping that I will be able to right my wrongs against both of you."
"How can we tell you're not lying?" The next question came from Bucky, who still looked towards the man with uncertainty in his eyes.
T'challa sighed and took a few steps forward. "I witnessed your fight with Mr. Stark and the events leading up to it. Zemo's speech, the video, and what happened afterwards. If I were truly lying, why did I not help Mr. Stark to take you down? Or attack you here where you are mostly defenseless?"
Bucky stepped closer to Steve and whispered, "he makes a fairly good point," to which Steve nodded.
"You are free to leave Wakanda at any point in time as well," T'challa added. A few more minutes passed before Steve finally nodded his head.
"We will accept your offer. And thank you, your highness," Steve replied.
A small smirk played on T'challa's face. Bucky got his arm around Steve's shoulders and they began walking slowly back to the king's jet.
"What about the Quinjet?" Bucky asked quietly as they neared their destination.
"Tony, while his suit can't fly, he can still move. He can use the Quinjet to leave," Steve nodded. Even after the events that had transpired, he didn't want to strand Tony in a frozen Siberian wasteland.
T'challa opened the back of the jet and allowed Steve and Bucky to step inside. Zemo was taking up part of his space in the cargo area. His head lolled to the side and both his hands and feet were shackled together.
"He's not going anywhere," T'challa mentioned before closing the hatch and moving up to the cockpit of the jet. A few minutes later, the engine hummed to life and the jet took off.
Steve and Bucky sat next to each other, on the opposite side of where Zemo lay. Bucky bounced his leg uneasily, a habit that had followed him since he was young. Steve was glad to see that not everything had changed. Through the small glass window, Steve watched the frozen base disappear behind them as they shot forwards and up through the clouds.
"What if something else happens? What if someone finds us or finds the book? What if they figure out how to control me again?" Bucky asked quietly. Worry seeped into his voice as Steve shook his head.
"Just go to sleep, Buck. You need some rest."
Bucky chuckled. "You saying that I don't look pretty without my beauty sleep?" Steve smiled in response and gave a breathy laugh. This was what he missed. The smiles, the easiness between the two of them. While Steve was incredibly close to his other teammates, it was nothing compared to the bond he shared with Bucky.
"Maybe. However, the absence of war paint does help your look a lot."
Bucky knocked Steve's arm with his elbow. "It's tactical blackening powder."
"Winter raccoon," Steve shot back with a smile.
"Shut up you walking flag."
The banter lessened as Bucky closed his eyes and leaned back against the metal wall of the jet. His breathing eventually evened out and Steve found himself relaxing. The weight of the last few days seemed to ease off of his shoulders slightly. However, he couldn't close his eyes for more than five minutes. If he did, the only image that would appear was the one of Tony terrified for his life, holding his metal hands in front of his face.
Steve tried to shake the memory away, think of something else. But the only thing that came to mind was the fight.
The ride to Wakanda took a little under seven hours. In that time, Steve had dozed off a few times but had mostly stayed awake. Bucky was out for the entire ride. He only awakened when the doors to the cargo bay opened.
"We have arrived. A medical team is standing by for Mr. Barnes," T'challa announced, pointing to four people in scrubs standing next to the jet. The hangar that there were in was medium sized. Its doors were already closed, offering no views of the outside.
Both Steve and Bucky nodded together. He was still leaning on Steve's shoulder as they made their way though the compound to the medical wing. An agent behind them picked up Zemo and transported him in another direction.
Eventually they got Bucky into a medical room, where he was met with two nurses. Steve stood outside the glass walls, watching everything transpire. He wanted to make sure that Bucky was safe before he left and received any treatment himself.
T'challa moved to stand next to him.
"I have a favor to ask," Steve began quietly, to which T'challa smirked.
"I am assuming that this is about your friends that were taken in?"
Steve nodded in reply. "If possible, would they be able to take up refuge here? I can find where Ross is holding them and get them out, but they too need a place to stay."
"My home is welcome to all," T'challa replied with a nod and a smile.
Steve took another look at Bucky through the glass and sighed. One of the nurses was affixing a bandage to what remained of his arm.
"Thank you so much, for all of this. I feel guilty for asking for more assistance."
T'challa shook his head. "It is the least that I can do." He took a few steps away from Steve before turning around. "Whenever you decide that the time is right to help your friends, a jet is fueled and ready. Have one of my assistants contact me and I will gladly accompany you on your mission."
Steve nodded in gratitude as T'challa walked down one of the long halls before turning and disappearing from Steve's line of sight. The hallway itself was completely silent, and the absence of sound made Steve's ears ring.
He turned his attention back to Bucky, who looked at him with a tired, sideways smirk. And Steve found himself smiling back. Because for the first time in almost a week, there was a minuscule chance that things could turn out okay.