Bucky was amazed at Tony's attitude. He was ecstatic. He kept telling Bucky that they were about to meet a true genius. The fact that Tony was admitting to someone else being smarter than him was a little strange. Tony was the smartest person he knew, besides Bruce. Sure they had different interests and strong suits, but Bucky figured they were more or less on the same level. The way they talked and worked together was amazing. Bucky couldn't imagine the man that would be smarter than them.

Yet as suspicious as he was that this wouldn't work, Tony's attitude was really starting to rub off on him. He couldn't be fully excited though. Everytime he looked at Tony's eye, his heart panged in his chest. It wasn't swollen anymore, but it was still a nasty shade of purple that made Bucky feel sick. So whoever this was and whatever their plan was, he needed it to work.

Walking into the lab, Bucky was slightly confused. A group of people stood in the center of the room. A man, a girl, and what looked like two body guards flanked them. Bucky recognized the man as the Prince that blamed him for his fathers death. No, not a Prince anymore. Now he was a King, and apparently smarter than Tony. Bucky was impressed.

"Tada!" Tony said gesturing to the group of people.

"Your majesty." Bucky said awkwardly as a greeting. It was his first proper interaction with royalty, and he and the King didn't exactly have the best history.

"It is great to see you again, Sergeant." The man's accent was thick. "I am sorry it isn't under better circumstances."

"Well I'm glad you're here to help." Bucky said. The King may have started his journey trying to kill Bucky, but now he was going to save him. He was eternally grateful, even if the King didn't actually succeed. Bucky noticed the shift in body language immediately. It wasn't just the King, but everyone. He even noticed Tony shuffle from one foot to the other.

"Actually, he's not. I am." The young girl standing next to the King told him. Bucky was confused. She was just a child. "My Brother is an idiot."

"Shuri!" The King looked offended.

"T'Challa!" Shuri mocked her brother. Bucky just stared at them.

"I'm confused." Bucky told them honestly. This wasn't what he had expected when Tony said he would fix him.

"Tell me, Sergeant Barnes, is it my gender or my race that you have a problem with?" The girl's face transformed into a sour glare.

"Both." Bucky told her honestly. "But I wouldn't say it's a problem. It's just sometimes I forget how far the world has come. And you look so young. I'm amazed."

"Come so far, yet we still have so far to go, Sergeant." Shuri's face mellowed out, clearly she was pleased with his answer.

"Please, Miss, call me Bucky." Bucky stuck his right hand out to shake, which Shuri ignored, instead reaching for his metal one.

"It's Shuri. Not Miss. Like you said, I'm young. Although you may call me 'Your Highness'." She told him, inspecting his arm with the same look in her eyes that Tony got the first time he got to see the arm close up.

"Do not feed her ego like that, Sergeant." T'Challa said, nudging his sister with his elbow. Then he nodded towards Tony, "It's bigger than his."

"Genius's are allowed to have big ego's. Its sort of a package deal." Tony chimed in. He was practically glowing. "Clearly hers isn't big enough for someone so smart. Don't worry, Sweetheart, I'll help with that."

The chemistry between them was strange. Tony seemed completely enamored with Shuri. He was hooked on every word she said. The duo started with scans, his arm, his head. They were speaking in big terms that Bucky didn't really understand. All this technology was so new. Bucky just sat around, enjoying the was the two flew around the room, tapping on holograms, modifying and adjusting their plan.

"Alright. I've got what I need. Ready to go, Bucky?" Shuri smiled down at him.

"Go? Go where?" Bucky panicked. He thought since she was here, she could fix him here. He didn't want to leave Tony. And he hadn't seen Steve and Natasha in days. They'd be worried. He owed them an explanation at least. "You can't help me here?

"You are funny. Mr. Stark doesn't have the technology I need here. His stuff is a little too primitive for my tastes." Shuri laughed, and surprisingly Tony did too. It was an obvious insult, yet Tony didn't seem to mind. Bucky couldn't imagine a lot of people got away with trash talking Tony's lab.

"She's right, Babe. Besides she said I can see all her toys!" Tony was positively giddy. So Bucky agreed. He was nervous, but he would do anything to make Tony happy. Before they left, Bucky pulled Shuri aside for a private conversation.

"Listen, I didn't mean to offend you earlier." he told her in a quiet voice. "It's just back in my day… Well, ya know. Someone with a mind as brilliant as yours was only allowed to come in one body type."

"Yes. And in your day love only came in one form too. But times change, I'm glad you aren't stuck in the forties." Shuri just smiled and nodded towards Tony, who was currently begging a guard to see her weapon, with unyielding results.

"Me too, Your Highness. Me too."