"So are you going to ask me the question you came here to ask or keep avoiding it?" Shuri questioned as they walked along one of the manicured pathways. The sun had peaked out from behind the storm clouds as a chilling mist hung in the air.
Pulling her cardigan tighter around herself, Aubrey shrugged "I dunno...I'm kind of afraid to ask it I guess."
"Why?"
"Because I don't want things to change. Out of everything in my life Shuri, there is only one person that I know I can consistently count on, Bucky. And I don't want whatever your answer is to change that."
"So don't let it, you don't have to listen to Navi and ask the question. But if you want to know, I'm prepared to answer. If you don't like the answer then just ignore it, alright? But for me to answer the question, you have to ask it first." Shuri flicked her wrist, testing the Nano bracelets she'd been working on.
"Shuri….-" Aubrey started, drawing the name out "-Navi said that I need to reevaluate my relationship with Bucky but I have no idea what it means….can you help me?"
"I think you know what it means but are afraid to say it. But because I am such a nice friend, I'll help you understand what she meant.-" Pausing, Shuri nodded to a palace official as they passed "-You and Sergeant Barnes are very close, right? You've known each other for many years and are never far from one another. I've seen footage from the fight in Siberia and Bucharest, you would do anything for him and he for you.-" She waited until Aubrey nodded before going on "-Which some people would describe as love. I think Navi was trying to help you figure out what type of love it is."
"Oh" was the only word she could get out as the information sunk in. Part of her felt stupid for not realizing it sooner but the rational part of Aubrey knew that she'd known it for a while and had chosen to bury the answer out of fear. "-I don't want to mess things up between us-" she said after several minutes of silence. "-Bucky is finally in a somewhat stable headspace, I'm not waking up screaming every night. I don't want that to be over."
"It doesn't have to be Aubrey. You don't have to go one way or the other. If you want to bring it up with him then do it, and if not, just follow his lead. From what I can tell, your feelings are similar." Shuri led her under a vine-wrapped pergola and leaned against one of the posts, crossing her arms.
"How can you tell that?" Aubrey positioned herself on the opposite one and watched the fog roll through the valley below. She felt awkward in this unfamiliar emotional territory. She'd dealt with the harsher part of life for years and hadn't been trained on how to tell if you have feelings for someone or not.
"According to Captain America, the White Wolf always chooses you over anyone else, he would rather be in your presence than alone, and you must have noticed how protective he is of you."
"Moreso lately than before.-" she murmured, glossing over the name that the Wakandans had given Bucky, mentally replaying her interactions with him from the past week. "-It makes sense though...I've just been hiding from it."
"And that's okay too, you may not be ready to handle the emotion yet, for now, I think we need to test your new suit" she smirked, a mischievous glint in her dark eyes as she led Aubrey back inside and to the training room.
The dummy reverberated with the sidekick Aubrey aimed at it, the recent worries and insecurities fuel for her movements. The suit Shuri had engineered for her moved easily as she threw several punches and raked it with her talons. Shuri leaned against the wall, wirelessly calibrating the suit with her Kimoyo Beads as Aubrey worked. Sweat trickled down her back as loose hairs plastered to her forehead. Pausing to take a breath, Aubrey took a step back, raising a brow at her friend.
"How's it looking?
"Great! Only a few things need tweaking and I'm wondering if some feathering on your arms would look cool and if I click this-" she tapped a certain bead and the Nano's on Aubrey's upper arms shifted, changing into the symbol they had settled on. The silvery feather floating above a hand shone in the bright lights. Pride welled up inside of her at the sight of the symbol. It just felt right. Rolling her shoulders, Aubrey watched as Shuri tapped the wall. It shuddered before opening to reveal a ring with feather detailing and a quiver, full to the brim with arrows. Padding forward, Aubrey picked up the ring and slid it onto her right hand, clenching her fist before giving Shuri a questioning look. She nodded once and Aubrey watched as the ring grew warm and Nano's poured from it, twisting and turning together to create a sleek bow.
"Awesome-" She muttered, going through a smooth routine before eying the quiver. "-How is this going to work?"
"Turn around and you'll see, I haven't quite finished figuring out how to make the arrows collapse without making them Nano. But I will figure it out-" Shuri picked up the quiver and gently pushed it into the spot between Aubrey's wings. The quiver attached and stayed in place as Shuri backed away. "-There are currently three types of arrows in there, electrical, fire, and regular. You can differentiate them by how their tail feathers feel. The electric ones are very silky, fire's tail is extremely bristled, and normal will feel like arrows usually do."
"Shuri this is...Beyond what I even thought you were doing. This is so cool.-" Aubrey started as she reached back and fingered the arrow tails, taking ahold of one with a scratchy tail and aiming it at the target. Taking a moment, she sucked in a breath and eyed the black arrow with orangy-red stripes before letting it fly. The moment its tip touched the dummy, it exploded into a ball of red, orange, and purple-tinged flames. But among the flames, there was the clear sign of a feather. "-What….?" at the sight, she turned to find Shuri grinning.
"I saw an opportunity and took it. The two special ones should both do it. Adds some much-needed flare."
"Hey! I have flare!"
"Uh-huh-" Shuri chuckled "- try the electrical one"
Pulling out the silky arrow, Aubrey notched it and aimed at a second target before letting go. The arrow stuck into the black body and bluish-white bolts skittered over the whole body, mimicking the same symbol that had shown through the fire.
"Wow" she couldn't help but whirl around and flash Shuri a look of shock. "-I'm...I don't know what to say except that is awesome. And I love it...Thank you"
"Of course, I had a lot of fun working on the suit and everything. And, I'm always here for your questions.-" Shuri paused as her Kimoyo Beads trilled and she answered them. To Aubrey's surprise, Cap appeared on the hologram, face pulled into a frown.
Shuri's face flashed in shock as she greeted him. "Captain, is everything alright?"
"I have to go to New York….someone called and I need to go.-" he paused, glancing at Aubrey "- We might need the Eagle's help on this one. The rumor is that the next enemy is coming from above."
"Oh...oh...okay...Yeah. I'll fly back to the homestead and talk to Bucky and then do you want me to go to the compound in New York?"
"Yeah...he can come too if he wants….but it's possible we will need Wakanda's help anyway, I've already briefed T'Challa. I'm going to find Wanda and Vision next."
"I'll go sit in on T'Challa's next meeting." Shuri cut in, adjusting her sleek jacket.
"And I will head out soon, thank you for including me, Cap."
He nodded once before the hologram skittered away, leaving the two women in shocked silence.
"Aliens huh?" Aubrey glanced at Shuri, wiggling her eyebrows.
"Aliens-" she agreed "- I should have seen that coming."
The gravel pathway crunched beneath her feet as Aubrey gulped nervously. Her suit retracted back into a feathered necklace that sat on her neck, her wings also disappearing. Bucky turned from his spot by the goat pen, face immediately lighting up at the sight of her.
"Brie, you're back"
She flashed him an uneasy smile, dreading the words that she would have to say next. "I am...but…"
His face fell but the disappointed expression was wiped away as he replaced it with a forced smile. His eyes continued to sparkle with emotion. "I'd wondered if you were gonna come say that….Steve got a call on his flip phone."
"I know he did...he called Shuri while I was with her….Bucky-" she started but he shook his head, pacing to stand in front of her.
"Brie, you don't have to defend yourself, I know you have to go. I'll go with you"
"No, I have a feeling we will be flying back here, someone will have to take care of the horses….And...I'm not sure if Tony would want you there" the last words came out whispered and his brows pulled down. Moments of silence passed between them before finally, Bucky nodded once
"Okay, Brie….but you have to be careful. If you need me, call and I'll come. No matter what."
"I know you will-" Aubrey gave him a sad smile, the adventurous part of her tingled with excitement but she was nervous, leaving Bucky behind. "- I'll keep you updated, and hopefully this will all be over soon" before he could say anything, Aubrey pulled him into a tight hug. Bucky stiffened but returned it a moment later. Puffing a breath out of her lips and pulling back, she mentally commanded the Nanos. They poured from the necklace, knitting together to create the combat suit. Her wings formed a moment later and Aubrey gave Bucky one last smile before pulsing the jets and taking to the sky.