Avengers Academy

PART TWENTY-THREE

- Bucky -

Finally, it was the end of the year. Queen Ramonda touched his arm in the elevator because he was practically bouncing with energy.

"You'll see your man in a few minutes, Bucky," she smiled at him.

"I know, I know," Bucky muttered, blushing. He was acting like a child, but whatever. He and Steve would soon be together for the entire summer. "Thanks for inviting him over for dinner and flying us to New York." Bucky would live with the Avengers in the tower. Well, most of the Avengers. Thor would probably go home and he wasn't sure where Tony was staying.

"It's no problem. Ever since Wakanda has opened its borders, I'm always looking for ways to help."

Bucky smiled as the elevator dinged and they stepped out onto the runway, where Wakanda's "priority" flights came from and took off from.

Just in time. From the back of a black jet, some of the workers in the castle were helping Princess Shuri and Okoye carry their luggage. Shuri swatted one of them for taking a thick case that looked like it could've held a violin or something.

She skipped down the ramp and to her mother, hugging her. T'Challa followed close behind with Steve and Nakia.

As T'Challa went to greet his mother, Bucky went to greet Steve.

"Hey," he said, engulfing Steve in a hug.

"I missed you," Steve stated the obvious, kissing his boyfriend's cheek.

"Hmm," Bucky hummed, still holding on to him. "I love you." It was muffled by his shoulder.

They pulled apart. "Shuri has something to show you," Steve said.

"What?"

"Bucky!" Shuri skipped up to him with her huge case. "I did this as an experiment, but it worked, so-" she paused, looking like she didn't know where the sentence was going. "Uh, you can follow me to the lab."

Bucky laughed and followed her, dragging Steve with them by his hand.

"Okay, okay," Shuri opened the briefcase once they got to a table in her lab. "Look."

Bucky looked over her shoulder to see a sleek, black metal arm.

"Uh," Bucky stared at it in surprise. "Wow. I mean, it's hot."

"Vibranium," Shuri lifted it out of the box and admired her handiwork. "It's softer than your old one, so you can use it for anything without fear of ripping off doors and shit."

"Cool," Bucky said in awe.

"Also," Shuri paused for dramatic effect and flipped one of the vibranium panels in the prosthetic. It looked the exact same. "Cool, huh?"

"What did you do?" Bucky wondered.

Shuri rolled her eyes. "This side of the metal is rougher and more solid, so it's used for fighting and guarding. It won't dent cause of bullets and stuff, either." 

"Yeah, that is pretty fucking cool," Bucky nodded and moved the fabric that covered where his left arm should be and sat down while Shuri connected his arm. It clicked into place and he moved the metal fingers around.

"How does it feel?" Steve asked softly, putting his hands on Bucky's shoulders.

"Good," Bucky was surprised by the lightness and natural-ness of it. It was basically like he had never lost an arm in the first place.

"Kids, dinner," Okoye called from the top of the stairs.

Shuri groaned and the two boys followed her upstairs.