A/N: Thank you for the interest and feedback! I appreciate it, as always.
It had been a very long day. Bucky was outside on the balcony of his room, breathing in the clean air. Wakanda smelled amazing, unpolluted and earthy, like fresh soil. Bucky inhaled deeply. Wakanda smelled like freedom.
"Bucks, you back here?" Steve was knocking on the door to his room.
"Out here," Bucky shouted over his shoulder. He heard the sound of his friend's footsteps making their way outside.
He turned to look at him. In Bucky's mind, he always saw Steve exactly as they had been as children. He was skinny and sickly, what some people would consider weak. Bucky knew better. Steve was strong. He had endured being the only child of two parents who were almost always away at war. He overcame being the smallest no matter where he went, besting bullies with well-placed words. He never backed down when he saw something he thought was wrong. Bucky had always admired that tiny kid with the big heart. They'd been inseparable since they were ten years old. Bucky was the only one left who knew that Steve had been a hero long before he enlisted.
"Some day, huh?" Steve leaned on the banister next to him.
"It's a lot to take in," Bucky admitted.
"It's been quite the year. Lots of top minds were working on this." Steve began to roll his shoulders, a habit he had back when they were kids. He was relaxing, unwinding. Steve rarely relaxed fully. Bucky had always been the calm one. Popular and handsome, he hadn't had to deal with the problems that plagued Steve. So he became his friend's protector. It was funny, after nearly a hundred years, to see their roles reversed.
"Still can't believe it." Bucky was still reeling. He hadn't seen himself as worth the effort of saving, but those people in the conference room earlier begged to differ. He'd expected Steve's empathy, and maybe even Sam's, but the royal family of an elusive African kingdom? He was still processing that.
He remembered well as T'Challa and his sister unfolded their plan to him hours early. It was exhaustive. It seemed Wakanda was somewhat of an expert in rebuilding. The loss of their king had not slowed them down. If anything, they were progressing forward. Their nation was no stranger to loss, but like a phoenix the always rose, becoming rich in technology and culture. They jealously guarded their resources and Bucky couldn't blame them. He doubted the vibranium that had been in his arm had been secured through legal methods.
"Recovery will not be easy, Mr. Barnes," Shuri had taken her seat next to her brother. "HYDRA was quite thorough in regards to you."
"They had to be," T'Challa explained. A screen slid seamlessly down the wall behind him, illuminating with medical charts and X-rays of Bucky.
"The super soldier serum is tricky," Steve spoke up. "You've seen how it works. If you pick the wrong recipient, the results can be catastrophic."
The screen switched again. A picture of Red Skull appeared, and the five other super soldiers that HYDRA had employed. There were also a few other pictures Bucky couldn't place, including a large gray monster standing in what looked like Queens.
"The hell is that?" Bucky asked. The creature was repulsive.
"Banner called him the Abomination," Sam answered. "Never really got the full story there. It had something to do with the Secretary of State."
That was more than enough information for Bucky. He added it to his list of reasons to not trust the government. He nodded and looked back at the royal siblings.
"It can make you a monster," Bucky said.
"But it didn't. Not with you," Steve hurriedly jumped in.
"Not without substantial effort on their part," T'Challa continued. "Shuri, if you would please?"
Shuri rose to her feet, "In simplest terms, the serum enhances whatever is already within in you. So while the serum heightened your senses and strengthened your body, it did not affect your mind. You were a good man when they experimented on you the first time. That did not cease to be true after what the world perceived was your death."
"But I did become a monster," Bucky argued.
"Perhaps," Shuri nodded thoughtfully, "though it was not of your own volition and not through the serum," she pointed back at the screen. "HYDRA specializes in brainwashing. I believe that you were subjected to years of it, along with systematic torture. It is difficult to tell; your body shows no sign of abuse, except your arm."
"I lost that in the fall," Bucky explained. He really didn't want to have to go into the torture methods they had subjected him to. It took years, but eventually, HYDRA had broken him. He went with them like a lamb to the slaughter, docile. It was something that caused Bucky a deep sense of shame.
Steve was staring hard at the screen, refusing to meet Bucky's eyes. Bucky knew, even as he had been falling, that Steve would always blame himself. He had watched Steve fall too, years later, and at his own hand. That Steve should feel guilt over him when Bucky had nearly killed him, made him feel sick.
"We will, of course, supply you with another arm." T'Challa switched the slide on the screen. "We have several prototypes for you to try. The choice will be yours."
"So what about getting HYDRA out of my head?" Bucky appreciated the new arm, but his arm was not the problem.
"It's rather simple," Shuri stepped in. "We reverse your conditioning."
"How do you do that?" Bucky desperately wanted them to get to the point.
"Firstly, we help you remember. You have decades to catch up on, Mr. Barnes." As if they had been cued, several guards stepped forward pushing carts full of books. They rounded the table and stopped in front of Bucky. He reached down to take one and realized there was a picture of him on the cover. Piles and piles of history books, some featuring only him, others featuring Steve, and some of the Avengers, were stacked on the cart.
"You are a hero, Mr. Barnes," T'Challa said. Bucky was rooting through the books in shock. Who would care enough about a kid from Brooklyn to want to write books about him?
"And not just in America," Shuri continued. "Your past has been studied and pulled apart by historians for years. And of course, we have the greatest reference here in the room with us," she gestured to Steve. "Together, we will be able to piece together your past."
"The second step is recovery," Sam spoke up. "That's my specialty. That's what I did before I got involved in all this. I helped vets get their lives back after war." Sam stated this nonchalantly, but Bucky felt a surge of affection for him.
"It's not a fast process, Buck" Steve looked between the two of them. "It takes years."
Bucky shrugged, "I have nothing but time."
"The last step is training," Shuri said. "You will train according to your own design; learn the skills that you deem appropriate. Perhaps, when the time is right, you can take missions that appeal to you. The point is to give you complete control over your own life. We will slowly expose you to your trigger words, especially during combat. You can train to overcome them."
"It is a matter of discipline," T'Challa explained.
"I'll be training with you?" Bucky asked. He was willing to bet the Prince could show him a thing or two.
"Sometimes," T'Challa gestured at his sister. "Kingly duties do not permit me to as much free time as I would like. Shuri shall be in charge of the bulk of your training. In my absence, she serves as protector of Wakanda. She is an excellent warrior and an exemplary teacher."
Bucky glanced at her, eyebrows raised. "You're a soldier?"
"You do not think a woman is capable?" her tone dared him to disagree with her.
Bucky felt the urge to laugh, "I know plenty of women that are capable. I just didn't know there were warrior princesses."
Sam began to laugh, "Remind me to catch you up on 90s television," he told Bucky.
Steve looked perplexed for a moment, then realization hit. "I know that reference," he had announced, sounding pleased.
Now Steve leaned over the balcony to gaze at a waterfall beneath him. "You got the best view," he told Bucky.
"I'm the one in recovery," Bucky said, "Sympathy wins you a lot of points." He nodded at what remained of his arm.
Steve smiled, but quickly reverted to seriousness. "Buck, what do you seriously think of the plan?"
Bucky turned around to look at his friend. "Honestly? As long as it doesn't involve any torture or murdering, I'm cool with it. Reading all of those books might be torture though." He gestured to the pile on his bed. "Didn't think I had to read a book to know more about you." He laughed.
"It's kind of embarrassing," Steve admitted. "I remember when they first showed me them. There's even comic books, you know?"
"We're in comic books?" Bucky smiled. "I'd read those."
"I've got a few, if you want them." Steve chuckled. "You're not going to like the outfit they put you in."
"Can't be worse than your old tights."
"You say that, but you haven't seen your blue power suit," Steve started to laugh.
"What? When the hell did I ever wear blue?"
"I guess the artist thought it brought out your eyes."
"So my leather jacket?"
"Oh, no worries. That made it into the history books. And the Smithsonian," Steve added.
"I saw that," Bucky admitted.
"You went to the museum?" Steve seemed taken aback.
"Right after our fight on those helicarriers. I had to know." Bucky had dropped Steve hundreds of feet straight into the Potomac that day. It took him about 30 seconds afterward to jump in after him. He hadn't been sure why at the time and it was in direct violation of his orders. Still, he had jumped in, searching the muddy bottom of that river, looking for the body of a man who said he knew him.
"What did you think?" Steve asked.
"Of the museum?" Bucky chuckled. "I had to go back a couple of times. It took a while to sink in."
Steve nodded. "What do you remember, Buck?"
Bucky shook his head. "I don't really know. Sometimes I can't tell if it's a real memory or just…something they put in my head. It seems like more is coming back though."
"And what about—"
"The HYDRA stuff? I remember every bit of that."
"Buck…What did they do?"
"Honestly Steve? I don't think I'm ready to tell you that."
"Why not?"
"You already blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done."
"It was my fault you were on that train."
Bucky laughed. "I would have been on that train whether you wanted me there or not. Hell, I would have blown up with that base if you hadn't come back for me." Bucky straightened up to look his friend right in the eye. "You're a great leader Steve, but you aren't responsible for us. We all know the risks. Those people in there are here for you, sure. But they also believe in the same things you do. The cost of doing the right thing has always been high."
Steve smiled a little. "Where'd you hear that?"
"From some little squirt in Brooklyn. I hear he's got a girlfriend now."
"Yeah, kind of crazy."
"She's really Peggy's niece?"
"Yup."
"That's not weird? Kissing a woman and then her niece?"
"I kind of try not to think about it."
Bucky shrugged, "You know, we're almost a hundred years old. You have to figure the regular rules don't really apply to us anymore."
Steve laughed. "I'm starting to realize that."
"Someone's coming," Bucky glanced back at the door. It had taken a while to get used to hearing everything, but it came in handy. Sure enough, seconds later there was another knock at the door.
"Rogers, Barnes, you in there?" Sam's voice asked.
"Back here," Bucky called out again. The door opened and Sam stepped in, shadowed by an attractive Wakandan woman. She was tall and statuesque, and despite the fact that she was completely bald, her face was stunning.
"Mr. Wilson, I trust you can find your way from here," she nodded her head.
"I've got it. Thank you so much," Sam shook her hand and made his way towards them. "I'm never really lost," he explained as the door shut, "But don't tell her that."
Bucky and Steve laughed. "Do all the women look like that here?" Bucky asked.
Steve flushed bright red but Sam nodded enthusiastically. "I have to say, if you're going to be a fugitive from justice, we couldn't have picked a better place."
The three men stood in silence for a moment, taking in the view.
"Have you guys gotten to explore?" Bucky asked. He was antsy to get outside the walls, to feel the ground beneath his feet. He had been in industrial settings for too long, hiding his face from the world around him. He wanted to feel it all.
"A little," Sam said. "Sometimes I fly over it."
"Must be nice," Bucky said.
"It is. You're going to like it." Sam stretched his arms over his head. "Steve and I have been waiting for you."
"Adventures are better with friends," Steve patted Bucky on the shoulder.
"You guys don't need to do this," Bucky said. "You shouldn't have to put your lives on hold for me."
"Who says they were on hold?" Sam laughed. "Cap over there has a live-in girlfriend, and I'm surrounded by gorgeous women all day, living in a palace in paradise. I should be thanking you."
"Seriously, Buck, it's no problem," Steve smiled.
Bucky felt a knot building up in his throat. He swallowed hard. "So when are we going on this adventure?"
"You'll probably want two arms first," Steve laughed.
"And you might need a break after Shuri gets through with you." Sam added.
"She's that good?"
Steve raised his eyebrows. "As good as T'Challa, at least."
"I can beat T'Challa," Bucky's competitive side was rearing its head.
Sam started laughing. "You say that now. Just wait. She's knocked all of us on our ass a time or two. She's been waiting to fight you for a year now."
"The girl's competitive," Steve admitted.
"And smart." Sam added.
"So am I," Bucky imparted.
"Yeah, but you're not pretty." Sam said pointblank. "Have you ever fought a girl? Really fought one, while you were you and not the Winter Soldier?"
Bucky had to admit that he hadn't.
"It's a little bit different," Sam said.
"Humbling," Steve added. "I learned that lesson with Peggy."
"What is it about her, anyway?" Bucky asked. "You all seem…obsessed. It's not like you don't know other strong broads"
Steve laughed. "We don't call them broads anymore, Buck."
"You get my point."
"Sure. But she's a princess. And not the Disney kind." Sam said.
"What about Sharon? She's not jealous?" Bucky couldn't resist the urge to tease Steve.
"Please," Sam snorted. "Sharon's got him so wrapped around her finger—"
"Sam. C'mon, it's not like that." Steve was flushing now.
"I bet it is." Bucky laughed. "You should have seen him as a kid. Prince Charming."
"And what were you?" Sam asked.
"He was good with women. They loved him."
"Not so much lately." Bucky's last few run ins with women involved them kicking him in the face.
"Well, Sharon's spoken for. And that's just how Nat gets to know people. She punches them." Steve imparted.
"Plus, Wanda's just a kid." Sam agreed. "But Shuri…" he trailed off. "That's a grown ass woman. And tomorrow, she's going to kick your ass."
"She'll try," Bucky deadpanned.
By the time he could stop himself from talking smack with Steve and Sam, it was late in the night. The moon hung high above Wakanda, illuminating the world around him in a clear white light. Bucky sat on the balcony long after his friends left, listening to the sounds of the jungle. His enhanced eyes could pick out dark shapes moving in the darkness. Perhaps they were actual panthers.
His new life had started today. He had friends by his side and a challenge ahead of him. The odds were stacked in his favor. He wondered what his life would be like if recovery worked. Would he be able to go home to Brooklyn? Would he stay here, or travel around, fighting crime like the heroes in the comics Steve had told him about? Could he settle down? Would the world forgive him? Could he forgive himself?
The questions tumbled around in his head until they exhausted him. Bucky fell asleep on the balcony, leaning against the wall of his room.
It was here that the Prince's people found him the next morning.