Like no one does

A second opinion

Ronnie's POV one hour later

She was grateful for the help T'Challa and his family was offering Bucky, but even she had her limits on what she'd allow. This teenager wanted to go inside his brain and play around hoping that she could undo what scientists trained in his brainwashing did? No, absolutely not. Staring at the young princess, Ronnie folded her arms under her breasts, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, you want to do what to his brain?"

Rolling her eyes in slightly more than mild annoyance, Shuri goes over the outline of her plan to get the trigger words out of Bucky's head again. "I'm going to develop an algorithm that will scrub the trigger words out of his brain without damaging his personality. It'll be simple."

Bucky looked back and forth between the two of them like he was at a very uncomfortable tennis match. Sharing a glance with her he gives Ronnie a grimace of a smile. She could see how nervous he was about this and that set her resolve for a second opinion. "Simple? Nothing about the brain is simple. No offense meant to be given, your highness, but I would like to call in a friend of mine to see if he understands your plan and if he thinks it'll work we'll do it. He's a neurologist, top of his field back in New York. Would it be possible to bring him here?"

Smiling as she narrows her expressive eyes, Shuri nods once. "Sure, why not? I'm always down to show up old men."

Snorting out a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand Ronnie grins in kind. "Oh please let me be there when you call him old, he's gonna die!" Turning to Bucky she sobered a little when she saw he wasn't smiling. "It'll be okay, Buck. We'll get this figured out. One way or another we'll get those words out of your head."

Coming to stand next to them Shuri pats Bucky's metal shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie. "Definitely. Now come sit here so I can scan your brain to map it so I can get a head start on my algorithm before the old man gets here."

Kissing his cheek she tells him to go with the princess, that she'd be right back. "While you guys do that I'm gonna go call Stephen and see if I can't get him here by tomorrow or the next day."

"Okay, doll." He says as his eyes glance at someone behind her making her turn to see Steve out in the hall talking to Ayo, the guard assigned to watch over them while they stay in Wakanda. "You should talk to him. He misses you something fierce."

Excusing herself, Shuri went to set up the machine they'd be using on Bucky to give them some privacy. Shaking her head, Ronnie's shoulders deflate a little. Before she could say anything he took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles gently. "He loves you so much, doll. I'm not saying what he did was okay, it wasn't. What it was was a misguided way to try and protect you and Tony."

Taking a second to think he adds, "You told me about everyone you've lost in your life. All the dreams you wished came true and the regrets you wished you could do over. Pushing Steve away like this.. I can see him becoming another regret you'll wish you could have a do over. Don't let him get away when you love him just as much as he loves you."

Speechless she stood there as he got up from the chair he'd been sitting in, leaning down he brushed a kiss across her lips before walking over to Shuri. Did he just tell her to pick Steve over him? Staring after Bucky to see him looking back with a sad smile on his face Ronnie swallowed roughly at the thought of not having him in her life in that way. Instantly she felt guilty because it wasn't fair to either Steve or him that she couldn't give them her whole heart. Her heart. It felt split in two, one half belonging to either man.

It was strange how differently her feelings for them had come about. With Steve it happened so gradually over time that it seemed like she'd always loved him. As for Bucky, well he dropped into her life with a bang. In the short time she'd come to know him he'd filled up all the empty spaces she didn't realize she had. Glancing over at Steve she tilted her head a little as she compared the two.