Code Name Alpine

Chapter Seven

⚠️ No trigger warnings, just a little angst and cuteness. Enjoy⚠️

Dressed now in clean grey sweatpants and a white vest top, her long auburn hair hanging loose around her shoulders, still damp from her shower, Charlie stood arms folded across her chest next to Sam, who was now wearing a clean dark green sweatshirt and black jogging pants, hands on his hips.
They both stood next to Bucky and stared intently at Bucky's still slumbering form, minus his vibranium arm, as he lay in a hospital bed in Shuri's white and grey lab. Monitors attached to him, beeping softly.

"His arm will take a little while to fix. It was damaged quite badly, " Shuri spoke softly, a small frown playing across her face,
"But his other injuries are healing nicely. He just needs to rest, " She explained to Sam and Charlie, as they both nodded slowly.
"Now come let me get you both scanned and check that you are both in one piece." She smiled gently to them both.

"I'm fine, Shuri," Charlie muttered, not taking her eyes off Bucky, dropping her arms to her sides.

"Baby Eagle," Shuri warned softly,
"You came in here looking like you had been through a trash compacter. You need to be scanned. " Shuri raised her eyebrows,
"And are you going to argue with the Black Panther in her own lab?" She smirked playfully.

Charlie tore her eyes from Bucky to stare at Shuri, her mouth open to retort, then shook her head smiling,
"No, I guess not. It never got me anywhere in the past, " Charlie laughed.

"That is right," Shuri beamed,
"You too, Mr Wilson." Shuri turned to Sam, still smiling, looking every inch, the mad scientist in her white lab coat, over her black band tee-shirt and blue jeans. and beckoned him over to her scanner. He followed without a word, a serious look on his face.

"After you," Charlie gestured to the machine and smirked at Sam.

"Ladies first," Sam gestured back, grinning,
"I insist."

Charlie narrowed her eyes at him, then stepped inside the tall white machine.
"I hate this thing," She muttered,
"Makes me feel like I'm being microwaved." She shuddered at the thought.

"Don't be a baby." Shuri's twin bunned head, laughed from her console.
"It is perfectly safe, and you know that." She smirked and pressed a few buttons to start the scan as Charlie smiled sarcastically at her.

The machine slowly rotated around Charlie, taking a full body scan as Charlie stood scowling and breathing deeply.

"Ok, baby Eagle, it looks like you managed to make it out fully intact this time." Shuri looked up as the machine stopped, and Charlie stepped away from it with a disgusted look.
"And our.. ahh... improvements are doing just perfectly, " Shuri confirmed Charlie was indeed, as she'd said, fine.
"You next, Mr Wilson." Shuri smiled widely at Sam as she pointed towards the machine,
"Just step in and stand very still, arms by your sides, please," Shuri instructed.

Sam walked up to the machine, eyeing it dubiously, and stepped onto the little platform. The machine rotated once more, this time around Sam, scanning his entire body.

"Wonderful," Shuri exclaimed,
"You are both in one piece, just the cuts and bruises to deal with." She beamed once more as the machine came to a stop again, and Sam hurried out of it.

"I see what you mean," Sam muttered to Charlie and shivered, who raised her eyebrows and nodded.

Charlie made her way back to Bucky, gently pushing her fingers through his hair. As she gazed down at him, her brows furrowed, and lips pulled into a tight line.

"He's gonna be fine, Charlie," Sam said softly, walking up behind her and placing his hand on her arm reassuringly.

Charlie looked up into Sam's face and smiled a small smile.
Shuri watched them for a few moments, then laughed softly and shook her head at them both.
"Go and get some food and some rest, Sergeant Barnes here will be asleep a little while longer, and it is getting late, so you can both see him tomorrow." She said, walking over to Bucky's other side.
"Good night!"