WAKANDA

Steve feels like Snow White's prince, finding the love of his life only to have them trapped in eternal sleep in a glass coffin. And he does love Bucky, quietly, fiercely, unspoken. It feels as natural as breathing, this love, and it takes him by surprise when he finds that this function has always been there. That only makes it all the harder to have Bucky on the other side of the glass, unable to hear even if Steve ever were able to work up nerve to say the damn words.

He fills a sketchbook with pictures of Bucky in cryosleep, drawn from every angle, until Wanda finds him filling yet another page with rows of identical faces and forces him outside. He climbs a new waterfall every day until he runs out of Wakandan waterfalls. He, Sam, Wanda and T'Challa all spar, and he adjusts to fighting without his shield. He hadn't realised how exposed he would feel without it; even throwing himself into every dangerous situation he could, Steve has always fought defensively.

Wanda flourishes in Wakanda. She beats herself up over what she did to Vision and aches over her brother, but she finds a nurturing environment to learn about her powers. A group of Wakandan engineers work enthusiastically with Sam on a new pair of wings. Steve watches Wanda get stronger every day, sees Sam flying better than ever and T'Challa growing more into leadership at every moment, and feels like he's stagnating. He's under unofficial house arrest – albeit a 'house' that is technically the borders of an actual country – and he feels useless.

He misses American things. Steve and Sam swap lists of what they miss from home, the way he and the Commandos did when they were stuck on long missions: baseball, football, hotdogs, yellow taxis, angry pedestrians. He misses Bucky, even though he technically sees his face every day. He misses Tony, and Natasha, and Peggy. He stands on top of a waterfall, yelling Gaelic swearwords into the jungle, and misses being vulnerable and small.

'We've got a mission,' Sam says to him one day, and he perks up so quickly that Sam snorts. 'You're like a damn Labrador and I just said it was time for walkies.'

'What's the mission?' Steve asks, pretending not to be offended. He has seen pictures of himself drawn as a Labrador. Tony stuck them all over Avengers Tower. Like a true patriot, Steve's favourite dog is a Boston Terrier.

'T'Challa says they're having some border troubles, wants us to go check it out and see if we can do anything. You in?' Sam is doing that thing where he pretends to be asking a casual question but is actually analysing every facet of Steve's response. Steve pretends again, this time that he doesn't notice that he's having his head shrunk.

'Just lead the way,' he says.

'Oh, so you're letting me be the leader now? Isn't that your thing?' Sam ribs.

'You complaining?'Steve grins.

'No, no, I'd love to be Captain Falcon.' He puffs himself up, posing like Steve on the poster for one of those dinky propaganda films. 'Sam Wilson, fearless leader of Avengers-lite.'

'Y'know, I'm not sure '"Captain Falcon" has quite the same ring to it,' Steve says. 'Sounds like some kinda cereal.'

'Yeah, well, I'm sure you'd know all about that. Surely you've had your face on a box of Patriot-O's,' Sam snaps back, jostling Steve with his elbow. Steve turns pink; his face has definitely been on a cereal box.

'You jealous?'

'Hell yeah! I'd love to have my face on a food product. Imagine going to the supermarket and running into some cute girl and she's all,' Same puts on a high-pitched voice and points excitedly, '"Oh my god, you're the guy on the cereal! Let me just spoon you up!"'

'That definitely sounds like a thing. I'm sure Tony the Tiger is rolling in pussy,' Steve remarks drily, like it's the kind of thing he's said before a thousand times. Sam snorts in surprise, his eyes bulging.

'I know I did not just hear Captain-Blessed-America use the phrase "rolling in pussy",' he says, looking around for another witness. 'Tell me someone else heard that.'

'No one will ever believe you,' Steve replies, grinning bigger than he has in a long time.

'I'm gonna need a minute. I think I gotta sit down.' Sam shakes his head. 'This is a dark, dark day for America.'

Steve is surprised by how long it is since he's laughed properly. He thinks he's probably passed Sam's test.

Bucky wakes to the sight of a giant panther coming out of the fog. He stiffens, muscles tensed to spring. Then the physical effects of being unfrozen hit him and he falls forward. He is caught; firm hands, but gentle. A familiar face. Handler? No, enemy: he remembers fighting the one with this face. He tenses again, ready for the attack.

'James Barnes? Do you remember me?' The enemy's voice is gentle, accented. Bucky remembers him.

'T'Challa.' Not enemy. Not… friend, but… ally?

'Good. Do you know where you are?'

'Wakanda.' Bucky is helped to his feet then sat down again on a leather chair. His limbs feel heavy, but pleasantly so. He is handed a cup of sweet-smelling liquid and sips it suspiciously.

'Good, very good,' T'Challa says, waving over a woman in a crisp white suit. 'Follow the light, please.'

The woman shines a torch in his eyes. He flinches, but does as he is told. She holds up a stethoscope, turns it in front of him so that he can see it. She warms it in her hands, a kindness, and places it gently on his chest. He tries to control his spiking adrenaline by focusing on her face; she has kind eyes, soft features, dimples even when she isn't smiling. Bucky trusts her immediately, which is strange, for him.

'This is Dr Jahi, one of our very best.' T'Challa is watching him closely; Bucky knows the look of someone who is assessing a potential threat. He tries to relax his posture further. 'She has several degrees from Harvard University, with a specialisation in neuroscience.' He sounds proud. Jahi is pleased; Bucky can tell by the fact that her dimples have deepened.

'I've been working on a treatment plan for you,' she says, 'largely experimental in nature, but given the, uh, variety of methods used to influence your subconscious, a conventional approach seemed unsatisfactory.'

Everything she's just said has Bucky wanting to scream out of his skull. He starts shaking like he's freezing to death, teeth rattling in his head. He whimpers.

'I'll talk you through every single step. We're not going to do anything you don't agree to first.' He laughs at that, short and sharp, and tries to roll his eyes at her, but mostly his eyes are just rolling. T'Challa is all crossed arms and set jaw, but Jahi takes his hand. 'I'm a doctor, James. Not a mad scientist. I'm not going to cut into you or strap you down. I'm not going to make you hurt anyone. Will you let me give it a go?'

He nods weakly, still shaking, then spits out through chattering teeth, 'where's St-Steve?' Jahi glances at her king.

'We've sent him away for a while,' T'Challa says, 'so he can't interfere with your recovery.'

'Why would he interfere?' Bucky feels like he's going to cry. He knows he sounds like a petulant child when he says, 'I wanted him to be here when I woke up.'

Jahi squeezes his hand. 'We know he's important to you, but so do HYDRA. We need to make sure they didn't do anything to try and exploit that bond.'

Bucky sinks back into the chair. He wants to punch something but his metal arm is a silver stump and the doctor has a tight grip on his other hand. He drags up a bunch of memories at once, forcing himself to remember their training, scouring for any hint of Steve. What if he was in danger every moment he was with me? What if he said the wrong word and I just reached out and snapped his neck? He jerks sideways and falls to the floor, clutching his stomach. Another doctor produces a bucket just as he throws up.

'Sorry,' he mumbles as T'Challa helps him to his feet again.

'It's alright. We have two months to make progress on this before Steve Rogers is due to return.' T'Challa half-carries Bucky to an ornate lounge suite, upholstered in a dusky purple suede. He sits them both in comfortable armchairs.

'Two months? Where'd you send the guy?' Bucky tries to sound casual but the idea of not seeing Steve for another two months makes him miserable, no matter the likelihood of endangering him.

'Sam Wilson is taking him on a number of missions, mostly located around Wakanda's border.' T'Challa makes a waving motion and a tray of tea is produced. 'Steve is currently unaware of our treatment plans for you.'

'Our hope,' Jahi says, pulling up a chair of her own, 'is that we will have made substantial improvements by the time he returns.'

Bucky considers. He thinks about the look on Steve's face when he returns to find Bucky is back to his old self again, and smiles despite himself. 'That sounds nice.'