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"Tony." Someone was shaking him lightly. Tugging at the edge of his sleep-filled mind, filling him with an annoying and persistent urge to wake up.
He groaned, dragging his heavy head of the desk. It took his foggy brain a few seconds to register the voice that woke him. "Capsicale?" His words were slow as he tried to shake the sleep from his head. "What's on fire?"
Tony could practically feel his lopsided smile from behind him. "Nothing yet."
"Then why are you disturbing my beauty sleep, not that I need it." He added throwing Steve a winning smile that was normally seen plastered onto the news or a magazine rather than in an empty lab in a fortified base in the middle of nowhere.
The Captain hesitated. "Don't you think you should get some proper sleep, Tony." Tony saw his eyes glance fleetingly at the whiskey tumbler on the desk.
The billionaire rubbed a hand over his face. He pressed especially hard on the side he had slept on, it was almost numb from the weight. It was rare he slept heavily, only when he really needed it. He checked the time on the computer, he'd only been out four hours at least. It felt like four hours of waste. He swallowed the annoyance. "Ah, mothering Rogers has returned to put me to bed, huh?" He grinned reaching out his arms like a toddler. "Only if you carry me."
Tony was surprised when he chuckled lightly, the concern not quite leaving his expression but at least it was a start. "I will carry you... if you promise to get some sleep."
He snorted a laugh as he contemplated this. For some reason, his mind jumped to a mental image of Steve running along with him sitting in a chariot. Now that was an idea he could get behind, not least so that he could get Rogers wearing a toga. On second thought that changed his mind. Steve would look too good in a toga and the joke would fall in place of him actually pulling off the look.
"What were you doing so late anyway?" Rogers felt the need to fill the silence.
He looked up at the crystally, sparkly eyes of the concerned Captain. "Just trying to get this finished." He grabbed a strangely wound piece of metal from the floor and whacked it sloppily onto the table. "Don't think it's going to work." He sighed.
"What is it?"
"A vacuum coaxial layer I'm trying to install around the suits systems." His flat tone emulated his lack of excitement at the project. "Back in the evil hideout they used a very powerful electrical pulse to short out the systems, it fried part of the suit before FRIDAY managed to isolate it." He used the piping to prod an ironman gauntlet that lay dissected at the side. "Just trying to stop it happening again so that next time we can get a good look at their files."
"Sounds difficult." Cap also took a moment to prod the gauntlet.
"Eh." The noise was non-committal. "Tedious more like." He stretched, swiping his tumbler from the table and swaggered out of the lab with his only goal to make it to the kitchen. He was in dire need of some coffee and if he didn't get some soon he might have to take Mother Rogers up on his offer. "Where is everyone anyway? Wanda here?"
"She arrived a few hours ago." Cap followed him out to the lift. "She cleared away some of the mess in the kitchen as well."
The mischievous curl to his words filled in the gaps. "So I need to buy new plates then?" He enjoyed the tiny indications of surprise on the soldier's face as he validated his question with a nod. "I'll send the love birds out to choose them, for some reason Vis loves crockery."
Rogers pressed the button in the lift. It amused Tony that he didn't even tell him he was going to the kitchen and yet he pressed the right floor. "I've not seen Vision yet."
Tony furrowed his brow as he looked at the Captain but it wasn't due to a lack of super bot. He gave him a fun little fact about their latest team member, something that was designed as an opening into a witty anecdote about Vision flying all the way to China when the billionaire asked him to grab some china. Something that had amused Tony greatly at the time and he was sure was also an excuse for another spontaneous trip for him and the Scarlet Witch. Yet Steve didn't bite. He was preoccupied with something. His answers were short and to the point as if he was barely paying attention. He was fairly sure he was holding something back.
The next words left his mouth before he could stop them. "How about our resident terminator?" He shot Steve a sideways glance as he polished off the small mouthful of whiskey left in the glass. He immediately regretted it. His stomach protested at the harsh golden liquid.
"That's what I came to talk to you about." He looked straight ahead, unflinching. "Bucky is off base."
"What?" His whiskey nearly came back.
Steve continued to stare at his patch of the lift, not making eye contact. "They went to infiltrate and gather intel on a company as a favour to one of Sam's relatives. It's completely unrelated."
Stark spun in front of him, forcing him to look. "Did you know about this?" He snarled.
He kept his face straight, for some reason the way he kept it bottled up, always seeming in control, it irritated Tony. Tony Stark who was impulsive and made bad decisions in the heat of the moment causing more problems before he can fix them. How could he compete with the perfect Captain America who could punch Hitler in the face and was such a stand-up guy no one could ever say a bad word. He felt the sudden urge to punch him in the face.
"Only by the time, it was too late. I asked Nat where they were and she just told me." Steve kept his voice as level as he could but Tony could see the strain that it took. "That's why I came to find you."
Tony loathed his lack of fight. He wanted to smash his false facąde, push the issue until he was justified. "Well, I should have known sooner."
"I know I'm sorry."
His stomach burned. "You said it yourself, Rogers. He is not safe." Tony tried desperately to catch his thoughts as they whirled into a mesh of anger and fear.
Steve's face scrunched at his words. His jaw pulling taught as he swallowed back his retort. He clenched his teeth. "That and we still don't know if it's safe to be in the open."
His words of worry did nothing to quell the fire building in Tony's veins. Steve's reasons for coming wasn't for an argument or an apology, despite the fact he specifically forbid Bucky to take part in any kind of missions or trips away from the base. He came to Tony to be comforted against the thought of something happening to his best buddy. That infuriated him. The worried looks from earlier they weren't made for him, only for his psycho assassin pal from childhood. "Well if they attack maybe we can get more info on the bastards." He tried to bite back the words but he couldn't stop them. He didn't want to stop them. "That's the best of the two scenarios."
The lift pinged open and Steve removed himself immediately. Where he had been stood the metal bar of the lift had been bent and warped beyond repair under his hand. All that was violence locked away just under the surface.
He stormed after the super-soldier. His head was throbbing from what was likely a combination of last night's whiskey and the lack of sleep. He squinted his eyes in an effort to shove the pain of his throbbing head into his voice. "Hey! You can't keep him here if you can't control him. That was the deal! If he keeps running amok then he's gonna have to go back in a cell."
"He is not an animal." Fury dripped from his words. Steve's broad figure loomed over him, the power and deadly precision in his stance did nothing to deter him.
"Well, you could have fooled me!" Tony bared his shoulders, his posture rigid.
The fire and heat between them blinded them to the shadow that rose through the floor shrouded in a thin layer of golden light.
"This is unnecessary." Beside them Vision stood in a navy woollen jumper, the ends of a white shirt just poking above the collar. His calming voice did nothing to ease the tension and after a moment's hesitation, he advanced towards them, raising his hand to separate them.
Tony huffed and pulled away from the staring contest before he had a chance to reach them. "Great to have you back, Vis." His snarling tone felt no impact against the super bot.
Vision's stepped further towards them still, positioning himself between the raging men. He looked to both of them before he spoke, though neither met his eye or acknowledged his presence. "Before this escalates any further, may I suggest you question Buckanent Barnes and Sam Wilson on the results of their excursion."
The billionaire gave a derogatory snort to this suggestion, still seething as he attempted to skirt the Captain's eye contact.
Vision knew Stark well enough that to try and calm him down was a lost cause. Tony's hot head was one that was persistent and couldn't be challenged directly but rather nudged in the right direction at a later date. A tedious process that spanned a greater time frame. Steve, however, often was able to listen to reason so instead, he rested a calming hand on his tense shoulders. The contact was almost like deflating a balloon, immediately his features began to soften and his clenched fist loosened to fall back against his sides. He took a couple of deep breaths before turning back to Tony but just as he opened his mouth he spoke.
"They're back." He nodded to the window where a quinjet had just swooped in from the sky, now hovering above the landing pad. Without another word, he strode back towards the lift.
Steve lunged after him but Vision held him back. "If you continue to involve yourself things won't end well."
He hesitated, his brow creasing at the thought, but only for the briefest of seconds before his resolve won over. They both exchanged a glance before he pulled away, taking a light jog towards the stairwell that led to the landing site.
Vision watched him leave, his head wilting to the side. He considered following them but quickly decided against. Their quarrel was no more his battle than it was Rogers', it would be futile if he couldn't even keep true to his own words. An arm grazed against him, lightly pulling his attention. Wanda rested her head on his shoulder, she could feel her chest moving with each breath, her warmth radiating through his metallic skin.
"Let's go." She cooed.
He rested his head on hers. "It's not safe."
She jerked suddenly to look up at him. She could sense his sorrow and it stretched beyond the petty fight of their teammates. "What happened?"
He hesitated, unsure of what to say. "I think I know who is behind this but I cannot be sure." He cupped her head in his hand, stroking the base of her neck with his thumb. "If it is who I have just faced then we are only safe when we stay together."
She could feel his reluctance. He didn't want to say anything else and she wasn't going to force him. If he needed to tell them what happened then he would. She knew he was one to ensure that the worry was necessary before he opened it out to his teammates. So, for now, it was a burden he bore on his own shoulders. She leaned into him and he wrapped his arms around her, holding her in his embrace. "I've missed you." She whispered.
Downstairs Tony was stood rigidly in front of the door as they emerged from the quinjet. "Nice trip?" His arms were folded so tightly that his fingers were almost clawing at his arm to keep them crossed. His eyes locked on Bucky's, a quiet rage bubbling beneath the surface.
Steve stood a few steps behind. Bucky winced. He was also pissed.
Sam held out his hand. "Before you kick off-" Tony snorted, "we have a lead."
Tony dropped his expression immediately. They exchanged almost a silent conversation, Sam's firm nod confirmed his hopes and his boyish smirk suggested it was a big one. "Tell me everything."
Within moments they were sat in an office. Sam pulled the USB stick from his pocket and gave it to Tony, he wasted no time, ramming it into the awaiting port on the desk. A long list of hundreds of listings projected onto the opposite wall, all the different shipments and deliveries that had passed recently, organised by date and then by reference code. Tony saw it immediately. He fumbled up to the projection placing a hand against the logo. "That's the symbol they had on their uniform!" He laughed, a short burst of noise that forced its way out of his lungs. "Where-"
"Oscorp," Sam interjected. "We were looking into a missing person case, a friend of a friend; we didn't expect to find this." He paused thinking back to the mix up with the maps. "It was so in the open, could be a false lead."
"It's only obvious if you know what you're looking for." Stark beamed. He sat at the control panel, bringing out all the data he could in association with the image. "And your missing person?"
"Not much point looking for them anymore." Sam grimace. His voice hard and shoulders squared. His demeanour screamed military.
"Ouch." Tony pulled a face, it wasn't his style to play the comforting shoulder and he doubted Sam needed it anyway. Instead, he had bigger fish to fry. If he wanted a pep talk the billionaire assumed Cap would give him one later.
He scanned the data hurriedly barely blinking as the lines scrolled on. He was beginning to find a pattern. There wasn't much but it was something. Something they could act on. "All the shippings they do to and from the 'Hydra wannabes' take place in the same building." He brought up the date and chuckled in disbelief. "They make a shipment to them once a month under this specific reference code."
"We could tag the cargo." Sam followed Stark's thoughts.
"We can do more than that." He ripped the USB from the port, giddy with the possibilities. "We have four days until the shipment, it'll be a push to find the building but we could pull it off." From the corner of his eye, he saw Bucky. He stood motionless in the corner of the room, his expression blank. "You haven't said much."
Steve's muscles tensed, his shoulders squared and his jaw tightened. Tony wasn't the only to notice.
"I'm sorry for not getting your authorisation to leave the compound, I know it goes against our agreement and it won't happen again."
Stark recoiled at the apology. He hadn't expected it, and he hadn't expected it in such a formal and straightforward way. There was no room for misinterpretation, no room for argument or further pursuit. He nodded, turning away. All the anger melted away left only with embarrassment and a deep pit of guilt pooling in his stomach. He swallowed heavily.
Steve broke the silence. "The analysis room on the third floor is more advanced, it'll be easier to look into the target and the security. Right, Tony?"
"Yep." He was grateful for the distraction. "We should get started." He took off out the room at top speed, the USB in his iron grip.
Sam exchanged a passing look of amusement with the Captain before following the deflated Tony Stark over to the computer lab. He gave a glance behind him to confirm his instincts and with a satisfied grin, he saw neither of them following after.
When Bucky gave a nod to say they had left and were out of earshot Steve felt a release of tension. He raised an eyebrow, his face struggling to stay stern. "So you went off base huh?"
He shrugged. "Just wanted to stretch my legs."
He chuckled, "Y'know, there's is a great running track around the compound if your knees are getting stiff."
"Pffft," Bucky smirked, making jokes about their age was becoming commonplace. Not that Bucky minded much, it was too weird to ignore. To have lived so long and still be so young was an incredible feat and deserved to be mocked. Besides the light-hearted air tended to take away some sting of his Hydra influenced past. Sometimes he thought maybe that's why Steve made the jokes. His smile saddened. "I'm sorry for not telling you I was leaving."
He sighed. "I understand why you did it. The compound can make you stir crazy, believe me, I know," he paused a moment, looking over Bucky's expression, "and I understand why you didn't tell me. Tony is already convinced the world is against him. Any other evidence to support that is fuel to the fire."
Bucky nodded in agreement but said nothing more. He was distant, clearly thinking about something else.
"What's eating you, Buck?" The list of possible answers was endless.
He looked over to the corridor where the others had gone, almost as if he expected people to be hovering there listening. He waited until he was sure they were out of earshot before he turned back to Steve, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Probably nothing."
"Then you might as well say."
"Spiderman was there," Bucky chose his words carefully, "he was looking around the labs then he joined with us when we copying the files."
"Oh yeah?" Steve raised an eyebrow. "In the mask?"
"Without."
Steve was intrigued. He saw something in his expression he couldn't quite place. Something he remembered from when they were younger. "What's he like?"
He grinned. "Like you."
"Really?" From Bucky that could be a compliment or an insult or anywhere on the spectrum in between.
Bucky tried to smooth his grin. "Yeh, he's reckless, righteous and far too excitable."
Steve chuckled. "He's a Queens kid you know."
"Yeh?" A sheen of nostalgia gleamed in his eyes. "I guess he's just missing that Brooklyn flair then." He paused. "He's young." It was harsher than his other comments.
"So were we." To this Bucky seemed to disagree and Steve found himself stuck in an argument almost a century in the past.
Bucky never believed you were too young to join the fight. It came down to whether your country needed you and you were competent enough to decide for yourself. To Steve, the thought of anyone younger than eighteen seeing things that give grown people nightmares; it was unthinkable. If Bucky was saying he was young then...
Wanting to cut this train of thought Bucky spoke. "He asked us not to tell Stark. We decided to honour it."
"Then it's a good job I'm not Stark," Steve smirked. There was a small twist in his stomach, keeping a secret from Tony wasn't the best idea at the moment, they were trying to build trust and Tony fell very hard for these kinds of things. Especially involving his pet project. "Do you think it's important?"
"No, but someone should know in case it becomes relevant."
He sighed. "Your leaving."
"It's better for now." He smirked. "At least until things heat up. Shuri wants to try something new, she called me early this morning. Very early this morning. 4 am, You know how I hate mornings. She's lucky I was awake anyway. Besides all these people are making me jittery." He smiled halfheartedly.
Something tugged at Steve's chest. He returned the lazy smile and grabbed him into a hug. He could tell he was hurting. He could always tell when he was hurting and lately it didn't seem to stop. He held him tightly and was grateful that he returned the stronghold. When they parted they kept a strong hand on each other's shoulder."Want me to come with you?"
"You're needed here." They both knew it. "Besides, I can't seem to shake that bird guy." He rolled his eyes. "He's a pain in the ass."
"At least someone's got your back."
"Someone always has my back." They held a solid look for a brief moment. These were the times that their friendship was strongest, not in times of high combat, fighting for their lives against the next big threat. It was the times they could share the pain and not let it corrupt their hope but instead, make them stronger.
Bucky slapped him on the back. "You need to go."
Steve nodded. "See you soon Buck."
Across the world, the city of Wakanda always thrived with life. This was even more so now that they had opened their doors to the world. Foreign diplomats and top scientists all wanted to see the phenomenon that was the lost city of 'el dorado' as many had dubbed it. The meant that T'Challa spent most of his days shaking hands, being diplomatic and sitting at feasts making the most tedious of small talk. It was all getting a bit much. He wasn't the only one getting restless.
Shuri stormed out onto the balcony to her Brother's room, he was adorned in his standard black robes and scruffy beige sandals, an outfit he struggled to wear in his now man official greetings. He was making the most of it.
"Brother!" She called as the door swung open to her approach. His shoulders slumped at the sound of her voice. She had been complaining a lot to him recently, not that it was uncalled for. "Another scientist debriefing?" She cried standing between him and his morning view. "I have important work to do, I cannot spend another day in a room of people who think they're smarter than me! It is unnecessarily time-consuming, if they are so smart they should figure it out themselves instead of getting a little girl to show them."
He chuckled lightly, people underestimating her was all too common. Though after meeting her many people sang her praises when they spoke of her, despite her 'unconventional' mannerisms. "I thought you enjoyed showing off, has it lost its glamour?"
"After around the fifth time." She huffed. "I am sick of their patronising words. I have more important things to do. Unfortunately, I have also been preoccupied with Everett Ross who required answers on his recovery and piloting so I've barely been inside the lab and now this. Our White Wolf returned last night for further study."
"Yes, I spoke with him this morning. He has accepted you are busy and will wait until you have the time." He held up a hand to stop her angry splutters. "These people need to be taught on the medical equipment we plan to export and they must know how to use it." He turned to her properly, meeting her flaming eyes. "You agree how important this project is?"
"Yes but-"
"Then it is something that requires attention." It was true. The project was barely beginning and it would take a lot of work and dedication.
The plan was to send out some vibranium medical equipment to the largest hospitals that have the divisions capable of using them. This meant many capital cities around Europe, Asia, Australia and the Americas but frustratingly not many in Africa. Nakia was working hard to change this but for now, prospects were bleak. The united nations wished to ship them out to countries that could cope with new technologies (though they worded this much more diplomatically in the agreements) and many countries became overlooked and neglected. It was all he could do to stop Nakia from smuggling them out of the city which would be a breach of the agreement. How he hated politics.
Shuri sighed deeply. "If another white man calls me young lady, I am giving no more of my time to them." She pouted, pointing a stern finger towards him.
He nodded. "I will make sure they are warned."
She turned to leave but he had an urge to keep her beside him. It wasn't often that things were so quiet; not often that they had time to pause and enjoy each others company. "Won't you join me."
She hesitated but quickly returned to his side looking out onto the city as he did. It truly was a beautiful city. Tall cities glimmered in the morning sun with shiny metallic spirals snaking their way up and around the structures holding high-speed trams. Patrol jets returning from their morning circuits weaved seamlessly around the city skyline, swooping into land by the city.
Shuri smirked. "We aren't going to have a discussion about 'everything the light touches' are we?"
T'Challa glanced at her from the side of her eyes with an unamused look. This seemed only to expand her grin further. She had worked so hard to keep up with the never-ending politics even though it was far from her expertise. She hated politics and he couldn't blame her.
"You know," he began, he had wanted to mention this for a while, "Tony Stark is eager to meet you. He told me so himself when I explained the origin of many of the gadgets I carry."
She puffed out air, though he could tell it was different from her other complaints. She was genuinely intrigued. "If he visits then maybe I shall talk with him."
He chuckled. "Why are you so hard-headed?"
To this she shrugged, her stiffly woven buns sat erect in her head as if making her stand taller with higher confidence. Not that she needed any bigger ahead. T'Challa often thought it would do her good to be in a room with someone smarter than her. Tony Stark may be the only person to fit this requirement and he could see the promise of a challenge glistening in her eyes.
She turned to face him tilting her head up at him, "I don't know what you mean," she stated innocently, "You are the one telling me that I am invaluable and I cannot leave my political duties. How would I find the time to meet him when I am so preoccupied with foreign diplomats."
"Okay, Okay enough." He waved her away. He knew it was too much to expect her to be courteous when he was forcing her into so many things she hated. The lab was her home and she had been away too long.
There was a pause where all that could be heard was the whirring of the city and wildlife beyond. He could see her shift slightly beside him, her resolve failing as the silence drove on. Evidently, she was rethinking her harsh tone. It had been years since they fought properly and they both knew this was the road they were heading down. It gave him the final push to come to a decision he knew he was bound to reach eventually.
"I will speak with the scientists." He said slowly, still looking out over the city. He could see her spin towards him excitedly. "They can receive a tour of the city and settle into the new environment. Work on the medical equipment will start tomorrow."
"Yes!" She cried. "Thank you, brother!"
He turned to her now, her excitement bringing him more joy than any national agreement could do. "Do not waste your day, Shuri, for it will not be yours again for a while."
This did nothing to dampen her mood. They quickly did their handshake before she ran back in the direction of the patio door. Before she disappeared completely from sight she twirled back towards him, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I have a new piece of equipment for you in the lab if you can join me later," she bowed mockingly, "my king."
He waved her away turning back to the horizon. "Go away I am enjoying the view."
"Then I hope I am not disturbing you." T'Challa turned to see Okoye stood beside his sister, she was in full uniform indicating her day of work had already started, which meant the start of his duties was imminent.
"If you want anything I would ask now," Shuri smirked, "he is in a very giving mood this morning." She skirted quickly away leaving the king and his head warrior to talk.
She raised an eyebrow towards him. It said a thousand words.
"I gave her the day off." He answered her unspoken question. Before she could protest he cut in, "I will smooth it over with our guests when they arrive. She deserves it, she is a scientist, not a dancing monkey."
"Hmm," she mused, "some would say you are too generous, my king"
"And I would hope it's only you who thinks these things." She merely shrugged, pulling a face that said neither of the two answers. He thought a moment, looking back out onto the city, the view was losing its pull that it had only minutes ago, now replaced by the need and want of the day's activities. "When we welcomed in the world I did not expect there to be so much paperwork."
She hummed in agreement. "And so many ignorant visitors." To the king's stern look she corrected herself, "Uneducated." When this still didn't please him she rephrased again, "two sandwiches short of a picnic."
To this, he only smirked, "Shuri says the same." He gestured back into the room. "Come, let's visit the rest of the Dora Milaje. I must ask a small team to escort the guests and me on a tour of the city."
She raised her eyebrows in disbelief.
"Don't look at me like that. This is why I am going to apologise to them myself when I ask this of them." He passed through his bedroom back and back through to the corridor. "You are meant for such great things and yet…"
"We are no tourist attraction, my king." She said sternly stopping in the centre of the room.
He sighed deeply. "I have already talked to the council. The technology donations to the hospitals are the last project we shall give ourselves too. Nakia has then suggested we focus our efforts on the small towns and villages on the outskirts of Wakanda. They need our help far more than the people demanding it."
To this, she seemed satisfied. Her stern expression once again softened to her neutral (still stern) expression. "Speaking of Nakia," she nodded her head over to a cabinet at the side of the room where a thick golden necklace lay, "that is hers, is it not?"
A grin pulled at the corner of his mouth. "Come, Okoye." She strode past him as he closed the door behind her. He knew his face gave him away. "You wished to speak with me about something?"
"A visitor has arrived." Her voice always seemed to have an edge to it but for once it softened. It surprised the king. "He comes from a small country in Europe. He wishes to speak with you."
"And you like him?" He already knew the answer.
She responded only with a hum. But it was less certain than he expected. Then again Okoye was always one to be overly cautious, a useful tool as head of the warriors. "W'Kabi is with him in the Border Tribe territory. I told him you would go out to meet him."
"Then I suppose that is what I must do."
The journey wasn't long and in the time it took he had a chance to talk with his head warrior about anything he may have missed in the hours he had been asleep. Nothing of much interest arose, small rebel groups moving along the northern borders; diplomats crossing the borders and conforming their arrival times; a stray elephant passing on the outskirts of the jungle. It was a tedious conversation they had daily but not one that either found unnecessary. By the end of it that had reached the Border tribe. T'Challa could immediately spot the visitor from across the square.
He stood proudly in front of the rhino fences talking animatedly to W'Kabi, his hands held behind his back and shoulders high, a stance which spoke of regal grace and discipline. His body seemed almost two thick for his small square head and his clothes visibly tightened around the curves of his shoulders. Despite his presence T'Challa could see from his face he was young, the glint of excitement played in his eyes as he spotted the king's approach.
"King T'Challa." He bowed deeply. "It is an honour to be able to speak with you."
T'Challa bowed his head in return. "And you have come a long way to do it." He took a moment to try and size up the boy himself. From first impressions, it was hard to tell a man's intentions but from experience, the king always found it useful to follow his instincts."What is it you wished to speak with me about?"
His cheeks flushed slightly at the blunt question. "Ah yes, sorry your highness. I am a scientist in my country, one of the only ones as my country is small and not of the highest standard in terms of technology-"
T'Challa could tell his expression was slipping. He heard many tales from world leaders who came to ask for some of Wakanda's technological advances, so many thought they deserved better.
The man must have caught onto this as he flustered around the topic, suddenly almost embarrassed. "But I have not come to ask for any of Wakanda's technology." He clarified sternly, pride nipping at his tone. "We are making some advances of our own and other diplomats have been saying that there are to be scientific lectures taking place these next few weeks regarding this technology.
"Your highness, I wish only to be granted your permission to sit in these lectures and learn for the benefit of my country so that we can advance what we have in medical equipment for the betterment of my country. I would ask for no lodgings only the opportunity to come and go, with an escort if you require," he smiled sheepishly, "so that I can attend."
T'Challa looked to Okoye. She seemed indifferent on the matter. The man himself seemed genuine and from spending so much time with his sister, it was clear he had the markers of a scientist in his mannerisms. There was no reason not to trust him.
When Wakanda was revealed as having the vibranium and the immense technological advancements that challenge the worlds greatest efforts, it acted almost like a metaphor that any country could rise out of the depths and become great. It was a beacon to many third world countries and beyond. Here was a prime example of a country that was trying to better itself, not by demanding the achievements of others but instead learning from its neighbours.
T'Challa nodded. It was a noble cause that he could get behind. "I will give you lodgings with the other diplomats so you do not have to travel." He paused as he reacted with almost a giddy squeak, "But first I wish to talk with you more about yourself and your country." He gave almost a firm look. "You haven't yet told me your name or the name of your country."
"I truly apologise." He laughed to himself. "My name is Kristoff Vernard and I am from Latveria."
The room was filled with glass bottles that curved and bobbed in hundreds of different shapes, from triangles to figure eights and every kind in between. Each distorted the surroundings, bending and twisting the light, focusing it into blinding beams and dull patches of colour.
Peter tried to concentrate but it was hard, a sharp tone drilled into his head making his face contorted in pain. The bright blues, greens and yellows in scattered jars dragged his eyes away, pulling his focus faster than he could regain it. He placed a heavy hand on the worktop his weight shifting as he struggled to hold himself upright.
The noise grew and grew, the shrill shriek piercing his every thought. His hands came up to cover his ears and without the extra support, he collapsed to his knees.
He heard the shattering of glass and then… Pain.
He screamed but the sound didn't escape his throat. He was frozen, drowning in the overload of his own mind. Black curled around the edge of his vision, shifting and oozing across the room until-
Peter jumped from the bed, crashing down on the soft burgundy carpet. Sweat crawled down his back, dripping from the edge of his nose where he held himself on his hands and knees as steady as he could manage. His breath forced its way into his lungs and he felt only slight relief when the air escaped in harsh bursts.
His skin burned, it felt like fiery ants crawling under his skin. He flopped back against the bed, the wooden bedpost the only thing propping him upright. His heat radiated around him smothering him in his own sticky humid climate. His sensitive fingers grazed the goosebumps beginning to pimple on his skin. The last time he had been this sick was when he was bitten. May had cooked him soup for an entire week and taken the whole time off work just to sit with him.
He longed for her now as the room was spinning before him. He wished she could make it stop, could pull it back into focus. He wished she was here to gently stroke his hair. He wished it so hard he could almost feel it.
He could feel it.
His eyes fluttered open. He realized he couldn't remember when he had closed them. A soft voice was speaking to him, coaxing him from his restless sleep.
"Peter, you okay?" It was from Scott.
Peter opened his eyes but the bright light forced them shut. "It's cold." His body was feeling it now, each piece of consciousness was bringing him new discomfort and he felt his spine shiver in protest.
"Okay, buddy." The last thing his mind registered was being tucked back into bed before unconsciousness welcomed him again.
AN: Right so another chapter is here hope you like it! Bit of a cheeky mini-scene at the end that hints at bigger things to come... I shall continue writing and hopefully post the next chapter at some point. Let me know if you like it! :D