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“Shuri… What’s this do?”
With a dramatically heavy sigh, Shuri put the glass vial she’d been observing liquids in down onto her lab bench to turn to Bucky and roll her eyes fondly. “It is vibranium-laced sand and if you do not stop asking me what everything is, I will kick you out of my lab.”
“Oh.” Bucky held Shuri’s gaze for a few moments before he dragged his feet over to the next item of interest. “What about this one? What does this do?”
Shuri tilted her head as she fought against the smile threatening to break out across her face. She moved to close the distance between the two and take Bucky by the elbow, guiding him away from the bench with assorted gadgets spread across it. “Come on, white boy; you have asked enough questions for today.”
Bucky didn’t fight or even protest against Shuri; calmly, he allowed himself to be led out of the lab and all the way to the royal quarters he had learnt T’Challa spent most of his time in. He didn’t mind; over the months he had spent living in Wakanda, he’d become close friends to Shuri, but he understood there was only so much energy she could exert on other people.
So Bucky was calm, docile as a lamb as he was led inside the quarters he didn’t think too many people were allowed to enter.
“Brother, your broken white boy is asking too many questions again,” Shuri playfully complained. “Entertain him for a while, will you?”
T’Challa, from where he stood by the windows to gaze out over the nature below them, turned and smiled at Bucky. His hands were tucked behind his back, his entire demeanour calm and welcoming.
Bucky would never say it out loud, but T’Challa’s white robes were a source of comfort; nothing like the foreboding black that HYDRA had always surrounded him in.
“He cannot help that he is curious,” T’Challa’s voice was as soothing as his appearance, and Bucky could just melt in his presence. “It is good to wish to learn.”
“Just do something about him before I ban him from my lab.”
Bucky couldn’t help but smile. The threat wasn’t a new one, but he had come to learn that Shuri’s threats towards him were empty, nothing more than jokes he was coming to re-learn all about.
T’Challa smiled in return as he beckoned for Bucky to join him. Shuri gave her farewells before leaving them alone.
“I was going to see the Jabari tribe if you would like to accompany me.” T’Challa was so gentle, his warm eyes such a change from the brutality Bucky was used to seeing. “I understand they are very fond of you in return.”
Bucky nodded, almost shy now as he recalled his last visit to M’Baku. It was a strange feeling to be so protected by someone, especially someone so much bigger than he was, but he embraced the warmth almost greedily, soaking in how good it felt to have someone care enough to be so protective of him. “He says I am adopted into the Jabari Clan and if you ever do anything to hurt me, they’ll come after you.”
T’Challa chuckled. “Good thing I have no intention of hurting you, then.”
Bucky didn’t notice himself stepping closer to T’Challa, close enough that their arms brushed together with ghostly touches. But T’Challa certainly did, and his heart started to race with excitement, with the need to reach out and touch and pull Bucky into his arms to hold him close forever.
But T’Challa couldn’t do that; he was too shy, and besides! Bucky would never like him back like that anyway.
But still, T’Challa could try …
“I was thinking that perhaps we could take the rhinos out on our visit…” T’Challa did his best to keep his voice calm and steady. “I can perhaps teach you how to ride them - if you do not mind sharing a rhino, of course.”
Bucky’s eyes lit up with excitement, and T’Challa could only wish that the excitement was because he liked T’Challa back. “Sure!”
T’Challa hoped his sweaty palms weren’t a give away to his nervous excitement. He’d almost rather be fighting a stronger opponent just to settle the fluttering in his stomach.
***
“Okay, so one foot goes into the stirrup, and swing your other leg over the rhino’s back.” T’Challa was almost disappointed when his hands left Bucky’s sides for support once Bucky had swung himself across and was seated snugly in the saddle. “That is good. Now I will get on behind you and you can lean against me as I teach you how to -”
T’Challa cursed inward as the rhino shot forward at Bucky’s nudge to its flank. His chance to cuddle with Bucky was gone, but he couldn’t stay disappointed for long as he watched with pride the way Bucky turned the rhino back around to trot it back to a stop in front of T’Challa.
“This is just like riding a horse. We used them sometimes back in the war, I think I remember.” Talking about what Bucky did and didn’t remember was usually a touchy subject as he couldn’t trust his memories, but he looked so happy, so excited, and T’Challa couldn’t help but let go of his disappointment at his ruined plans.
“Very good,” T’Challa praised. “You may ride him on your own if you wish. Let me saddle my own rhino and then we can head off.”
Bucky waited patiently, walking the rhino around in circles as he waited for T’Challa, and then, within minutes, they were off to their destination.
Bucky felt strangely at home with the Jabari tribe. It was a comfort, he supposed, to be amongst people he didn’t have to hold himself back with, to worry that he would hurt them without any ill intent. Even with the Soviet arm long gone, it was still frightening to think that he might hurt someone just by touching them.
But the Jabari tribe showed no fear, no concern of Bucky’s strength, and perhaps even rivalled him back in brute force.
So of course, when T’Challa’s meeting was officially over, it was no surprise that M’Baku requested appeasement from T’Challa over the fact that Bucky was protected by the Jabari.
“What are you to show for your ability to protect the lamb?” M’Baku’s gaze was fixed on Bucky, protective and distrusting towards T’Challa’s capabilities.
T’Challa offered a warm smile. “Well, he now rides the rhinos by himself so I am sure he is quickly adjusting to a Wakandan way of life.”
M’Baku hummed, long and loud as he considered if it were a worthy enough reason to not flay T’Challa here and now. But finally, he gave a booming laugh and nod of approval. “I accept your appeasement - this time. But if anything happens to the lamb -”
“- I will be skinned and hung from the rafters,” T’Challa politely finished, having heard it before many times. “I know. He will be safe.”
“He had better be. For your sake.”
A warmth filled Bucky’s mind at those words, a feeling that perhaps he had once known this kind of warmth in a life long gone - but whatever it was, Bucky knew he wouldn’t mind to feel more of it.
***
They had stopped their rhinos on a cliff overlooking a frozen river far below. The snow was still falling, and the sky had darkened with the encroaching sunset. Bucky was admiring the view, a calmness, a contentment on his face that was so rarely seen. He turned to T’Challa, smiling, and for the first time since he had been in Wakanda, his smile truly met his eyes.
“I’m glad we got to share this together.” Bucky moved his rhino closer to T’Challa’s. “If it could have been anyone, I’m glad it was you.”
T’Challa could only offer a smile in response, not sure what to say.
They stayed like that in peaceful silence, no one moving, no one speaking, until Bucky nudged his rhino even closer so he could lay his head against T’Challa’s shoulder.
T’Challa looked down at Bucky. His breath had caught in his throat. He wanted so badly to reach up, to cup Bucky’s face, to kiss him, caress him - anything to show him just how much he liked Bucky - but before his brain could even consider unfreezing itself, Bucky gave a sincere smile and raised his head, catching T’Challa’s lips with his own.
When Bucky pulled away, his cheeks were dusted red, and his whisper was shy. “I’m not sure if this will appease M’Baku completely, or only make him want to kill you even more.”
And all T’Challa could do was let out a hearty, genuine laugh, before wrapping his fingers behind Bucky’s head and pulling him in for a proper kiss that felt like it had lasted forever.