Author's Note: Italics indicates thoughts.
~~~ MCU ~~~
"What do you see?" Shuri asked Bucky. She had been walking by his room in the medical ward and noticed him standing in front of the mirror, staring at it.
Dressed in a red shuka, he couldn't take his eyes off the remnants of his metal arm. The Wakandans had cleaned it up a bit, removed the burnt tips and sharp edges, but he couldn't stop looking at the harsh silver glinting in the light.
"Sergeant?"
Bucky had been in the medical ward since Shuri woke him from Cryo a couple of days ago and they were preparing to move him to a more peaceful place to continue recuperating. He was told it would be outside the hustle and bustle of the city in one of their many quiet rural areas.
T'Challa had also reiterated that they were committed to protecting him and to continue helping him with his emotional recovery now that Shuri had successfully removed the trigger words.
Shuri stepped up to him and asked again, "What do you see?"
"A monster" was the first thing to go through his mind, but he hesitated to say it. Finally breaking the trance he was in, he shook his head and decided to go with "I ... I don't know."
"Mmm Hmmm ..." Shuri responded. "Here, let's try this. About face!"
His military training kicking in, he swiftly turned to face her. She then draped a blue scarf over his left shoulder.
"What do you see ... now?"
He slowly turned and looked up. With the metal hidden, he could focus on the rest. The long hair and beard, the face with the wounds almost healed, the arm and two feet that definitely looked normal … human.
"You see it now, right?" Shuri then stated. "You see the man you are. You are a man, not a cyborg ... or a monster."
Bucky lowered his head, almost holding back the tears. "Are you sure about that?"
Shuri laughed. "Yes, if anything I'd say you're a ghost. You could use some quality time in the sun!"
He gave her a side-eye glance.
"Bucky, you are a man ... a broken white one, yes, but a man. The good news is is that you can be fixed. We're halfway there already and have a good strategy for the rest. You'll see. Soon you'll be as good as new ... or as good as a 100-year-old can be. Man! You are old!"
Finally, he was able to smile. Shuri's youthful exuberance was infectious.
"Yeah. I am old. But I could still run circles around you ... and your brother."
"Oh, really?" Shuri took a step back. "Looks like I should have done something about that cockiness."
"Nope, sorry, Kid," Bucky replied with a wry smile. "There ain't nothing that can be done about that."
~~~ THE END ~~~
Author's Note: Credit to "devildears" from Tumblr for the term for what Bucky was wearing in the Black Panther End Credits scene. If it still is not correct, please let me know so I can correct it.
