Shuri was in her lab updating something when she heard something so went outside to see Ayo and Aneka standing there watching to.
"What on earth is that?" Aneka asked.
"I have no idea." Ayo said.
"GRIOT?" Shuri said.
"Yes princess?" GRIOT said.
"What is that in the sky?"
"It appears to be a plane and a man trying to hold onto it. Unidentified of who."
They watched as close as they could until they saw one of them go flying down and they watched him come crashing down fast as the plane got away.
Then they heard the man crash down hard and only saw dust for a few seconds and heard nothing but groaning and coughing.
When the dust slowed down they walked over and froze at who they saw.
It was Bucky Barnes.
They looked at each other and rushed to start checking on him.
Shuri started checking on his vials while Ayo checked for a pulse and Aneka tried to get him in a better position.
"What on earth happened to him?" Ayo asked.
"I have no idea but we need to get him to my lab because he is clearly in bad shape." Shuri said and they nodded so carried him to her lab.
When they got there Shuri got a better exam done.
"What the hell did he get himself into? Three broken ribs, a fractured shoulder, concussion, sprained ankle? Jesus James, what the hell happened to you?" Shuri said and got to work.
For the next hour she started healing everything but was easier with his enhanced healing.
When she was done they waited while Bucky slept.
She removed his arm to fix that up and decided to update it a bit as well.
A few hours later they heard him groan and looked at him.
"What the hell happened? And where the fuck am I? Did I just get another brainwash or something?" Bucky said and held his head. "Cause it certainly feels that way." he said and heard someone chuckle.
"I a sure you White Wolf, you were certainly not brainwashed here." someone said and he looked to see Shuri smiling.
"Shuri?" he said and looked around to realize he was in her lab. "How the hell did I get in your lab?"
"That's what I'd love to know myself. We saw you on a plane fighting someone and then you ended up crashing down here unconscious so I took you here to get checked on. You my friend, were in very baad condition."
"Well, when you work with Captain America or end up on personal missions, that happens." he said and slowly sat up. "Besides, I've had worse after all those years of war, HYDRA, you name it." he said and got up to his feet.
"And where do you think you're going?"
"Finding a way back to New York. After letting Zemo out Ayo pretty much kicked me outta Wakanda. Besides, I'm on a mission and you know after all those years when I'm on a mission I have to finish it or I'll lose it mentally." he said and start leaving.
"GROIT, lock the door and set for Winter Soldier mode."
"Setting for Winter Soldier mode." GRIOT said and the door closed.
"Hey!" Bucky said annoyed knowing it was closed to tight for him to open now and looked at her. "What the hell Shuri?"
"You need rest Sergeant Barnes. I can see all the exhaustion through those eyes. When is the last time you got actual sleep?"
"I don't need sleep. I'm-"
"Even Super Soldiers need sleep James."
"I got over fifty years of that in Cyro Freeze off and on Shuri."
"Not true rest. Now I want a real answer, when is the last time you actually slept?" she asked gently and he looked at her.
"Maybe six months? Sam's been trying to get me to take a break. Since he took the role of Captain America I became his partner and it just, snapped me back into a mixture of the old Bucky Barnes and Winter Soldier but control of him. The Winter Soldier is mostly when it's just me and the old Bucky is usually when its me and Sam together. I mean, I let slide certain skills I got from the Winter Soldier like being seen one minute and gone the next but that's pretty much it. The rest is just back to Sergeant James Barnes. I snapped right back into Howling Commando mode right after adapting to working with Sam."
"You need a break even though you're a Super Soldier."
"What if Sam get's hurt? He's a normal guy, not a Super Soldier like me and Steve."
"He's a fully trained soldier just like you and I'm sure Colonel Rhodes will gladly help if he ever needed it along with other members of the team. Not to mention the suit I made him is vibranium just like the shield. This isn't WWII and you are no longer the Winter Soldier. You may call yourself that name as your hero name to redeem it but you're still a human and need rest yourself. I want you to stay here for at least two weeks, get some rest and relax. We are going to call Captain Wilson right now, tell him you are out of commission for two weeks by order of princess Shuri and are staying at Wakanda to mentally and physically rest. I took your arm off to update it by the way and until you are done you are not getting it back. Understood?" she said and he sighed but nodded. "Good." she said smiling. "GROIT?"
"Yes princess?" GRIOT said.
"Call Captain Wilson."
"Calling Captain Wilson."
A few minutes later Sam answered.
"Hello?" Sam said.
"Hello Captain Wilson, this is Shuri. You wouldn't happen to be missing your partner would you?"
"Please tell me he's there and alive?"
"He's here, alive, well and staying here for two weeks on vacation to rest and clear his mind mentally and physically."
"FINALLY!" Sam yelled and Bucky fell a little hurt.
"Hey." Bucky said a little hurt.
"I'm sorry man, but you've been exhausted and overdoing it. You need rest to."
"See? Captain Wilson agrees with me." Shuri said.
"Hmph." Bucky said. "She even took off my arm and won't give it back until my break is over." he said and Sam laughed.
"Nice." Sam said.
"He wouldn't go anywhere without that arm. I had to do something. Besides, I wanted to update it anyway." Shuri said smiling.
"Technically I could live without it. I did for two years and I am from the 40's. So in reality I could live without the arm and always just go to a doctor and get a new arm or just live with an amputated arm like plenty of other vets do in the world." Bucky said shrugging.
"Damn, he's right." Sam said.
"But could he fight with you one handed?" Shuri said.
"Knowing his skills, he just might." he said and Bucky smirked.
"As long as I've got at least a knife I'm fine." Bucky said.
"Anyway, keep an eye on him and make sure he gets some actual sleep. I'll tell the rest he's finally getting some time off. Maybe keep there for a damn month if you want because he has a month's worth of time off!"
"Is he even getting paid to be your partner as he should be?" Shuri asked.
"I, I think so?" he said. "You are right?"
"Uhhhh," Bucky said.
"Buck?"
"OK, so they don't pay me. I still live off the government money and the money I get for WWII."
"Why?"
"I don't know. They think I don't deserve the money or something."
"I'm fixing that while you're gone."
"I'll help." Shuri said.
"Guys-"
"You work your ass off on being my partner and protecting me so you deserve to get paid to." Sam said. "Now enjoy your break and time in Wakanda. You deserve it."
"OK. Just, be careful." Bucky said.
"You know I'm a fully trained soldier like you unlike Steve. And have plenty of people to help."
"I know, I know."
"Good. Now I'm gonna go tell everyone you're taking a break and bet everyone will have a heart attack after hearing that." Sam said and they laughed. "And Torres will probably pass out."
"Probably. Rhodey might actually be relieved like you though because he actually understands."
"Yeah. He understands from being an Avenger."
"I will come to New York tomorrow and we can talk about White Wolf getting paid for risking his life and working with you and doing those missions himself." Shuri said.
"Good. I'll see you then." Sam said. "Enjoy the break Buck."
"Will do." Bucky said and Sam hung up so he sighed. "So, where am I staying?" he asked and Shuri smiled.
"At the castle." she said and he nodded.
Then she deactivated Winter Soldier and they headed to the castle.
While they headed there people watched them confused and shocked at seeing Bucky out of nowhere.
When they got there Ramonda was shocked at seeing Bucky.
"He came crashing down during a mission mother." Shuri said and explained what happened and Ramonda nodded when she was done.
"Why don't you go take a shower and then go get some rest?" Ramonda asked and Bucky nodded. "I'm sure you remember where everything is?"
"Yes your highness. I remember where everything is." Bucky said tired and she nodded.
Then he turned around and headed to take a shower.
After that he headed to the room Shuri gave him, got changed into some comfortable clothes, laid down in bed and was fast asleep.
While he slept Shuri, Okoye, Ramonda, T'Challa and Ayo watched him.
"What has he been doing for the last few months?" T'Challa asked.
"To much." Shuri said shaking her head.
For the next few hours Bucky slept and had no nightmares.
Someone would go check on him now and then see him still asleep.
He slept for the rest of the day and didn't wake up until almost afternoon the next day.
When he woke up he looked around, remembered where he was and looked at his arm to see it still gone.
Then he got up, found some clothes so got changed and walked to find something to eat.
While he walked around Shuri, T'Challa and Okoye saw him.
"He lives." Shuri said smiling and Bucky chuckled.
"Yea. I'm alive and I don't think I'll be dying any time soon considering I still look twenty eight even being a hundred and nine years old." Bucky said and sat down to have something to eat.
"How do you feel?"
"That might be the most sleep I've gotten since I was pardoned." he said. "The rest have been nightmares and flashbacks of either HYDRA or WWII." he said and started eating. "Sam helps and they've slowed down compared to the beginning but I still only get maybe four hours a night?" he said shaking his head.
"You need more than four hours of sleep."
"Not really. With the serum I can usually pull it off with four hours. Along with not getting much sleep during the war. I think other than the two years here and Cyro the last time I got a full night sleep was two nights before I left for England. I was worried about leaving Steve and my sister and didn't know if I was gonna make it home either. Which, I didn't even though I survived that fall."
"Right."
For the rest of the time they stayed silent.
After that Bucky went outside to walk around and see what had happened since the last time he was there.
He went to visit the farm he took care of last time and helped a few young kids new to it, elderly people that were having trouble with it and felt as relaxed as he did last time.
For the next two weeks he got the sleep he needed, relaxed, helped like he did in Louisiana, helped Shuri in the lab now and then, his mental health calmed down, he would talk to Sam every now and then and Sam could see how calmer and more awake he was compared to the last time he saw him in person.
Like the last time Bucky would fight with the Dora to see who could win during training and like last time he still would win even with his arm off.
Most of them were still confused and shocked at how he could defeat Okoye of all people but they both knew how along with Ayo, Shuri and T'Challa.
They just never told anyone else.
Nakia would test him on his language and he had gotten better than the last time she saw him.
Finally it was his last day and he was at Shuri's lab getting his arm back on.
"I want you to get a break every now and then. You understand White Wolf?" Shuri said.
"I'll do what I can." Bucky said.
"Captain Wilson said he'll be keeping us posted every once in a while. If we find you haven't taken a break within six months we'll be coming to get you and forcing you to stay here again! And I will set the entire place for Winter Soldier so you can't go anywhere!"
"That's cold Shuri. And I've been frozen for up to fifty years." he said smirking.
"Just get out of here." she said smiling and he chuckled but left.
Then he said goodbye to the rest and was given the same speech by Ayo, T'Challa, Ramonda and Nakia.
"Alright, alright! Jesus! Cut me some slack! You guys should know what it's like to be at work literally 24/7 as soldiers." he said nodding at Ayo.
"We still take breaks because we have multiple others." Ayo said.
"Whatever." he said and hoped onto the plane.
A few minutes later he was heading back to New York.
A few hours later he was home and opening his apartment door when he saw Sam sitting there.
"I should've known you'd be there waiting for me to get home." Bucky said.
"You know me." Sam said and got up. "How was your vacation?"
"It, it was nice." Bucky said smiling.
"Good. I told you everyone needs a break now and then."
"I'm just not used to it I guess. My break was always Cyro freeze for a few years and then kill someone and then another break for a few years, kill again and you get the idea."
"I know. But you gotta learn to relax man. Vacation is nice too." Sam said and Bucky smiled.
"I'll get used to it eventually. I may be a hundred and eight but physically I'm only thirty so I've got plenty of life to live." Bucky said and they chuckled.
"And you've got me, Sarah and that's boys to help ya." Sam said patting him on the back.