Who: Bucky and Shuri What: Shuri’s arrival Where: Hinkles When: whenever Shuri arrives (most likely the 9th) Warnings: should be low, but probably mentions of death and grief. Status: g-doc
Shuri half-expected her 3D print of the Heart-Shaped herb to not work. When it did, and Nakia’s relief and excitement showed, Shuri thought, for one brief moment, perhaps she could take up the mantle of the Black Panther. She’d spoken honestly to M’Baku, how the death of her mother meant the last person who truly knew her died. Losing T’Challa had hurt the Wakandan Princess in a way her heart might never recover.
Now she found herself wearing the suit and taking on the mantle of Black Panther, although she didn’t plan on telling anyone who came to her in the ritual: Killmonger, the cousin who nearly killed T’Challa. Now, she found herself in the Black Panther suit, staring at M’Baku readying for an arm wrestle.
When M’Baku declared Shuri the winner, suddenly she found herself, instead in the front of the line in…
“Hinkles? I’m back in Madison Valley?” Shuri said, still in her Black Panther suit.
Bucky had spent quite a bit of time focused on his personal life lately, so it’d sort of slipped his mind that he needed an actual, honest-to-goodness job. There were lots of options, really. He’d make a good bouncer at a club. He could work security. He could do basically anything anyone else could do--wash dishes, mow lawns--he just didn’t want to do anything where he had to put on a smile or interact with a lot of people. No waiting tables. No cashier work. Working at a port might be perfect… if only Madison Valley had one of those. Maybe construction? He was strong and fast, he could do a lot of work in a short amount of time.
He was out scouting for… something… when he heard a familiar voice. Bucky turned and saw… the Black Panther? But it sounded like Shuri? And then he realized the suit was different.
“Shuri?” He asked, turning to walk straight toward her.
The sound of Bucky’s voice pulled Shuri out of her head, at least for the moment. She turned and offered a smile, although filled with more grief than most people associated with her, the princess assumed. Shuri missed Bucky when he’d left Wakanda, the two having grown close like siblings during his time there.
“Hello White Wolf,” she greeted him. Well, at least she had her suit. Shuri stood there, though, and took in the look of Bucky. He seemed different than the version who’d been here when she lived in Madison previously. When Bucky got close enough, Shuri offered him the briefest hug. Anything more and she might burst into tears or rage in Hinkles.
A bright grin broke out across Bucky’s face at the sound of her voice. He might not have been the Bucky that she last knew in Madison, but he was certainly the Bucky who had befriended her in Wakanda. It’d been many years since then, but those times were not forgotten.
He stepped forward to greet her and returned the hug. It was brief but warm. Bucky was very happy to see her--she felt like an old friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. Someone who knew his secrets. Someone he could be himself around--or, better still, he could be the person he wanted to be around her.
Then she pulled back and he gave her a funny look. “Why are you in your brother’s suit?”
The funny look almost broke Shuri. How many times would she need to tell this story? At least this time she told it to someone who’d lived in Wakanda and became a dear friend. Not that it would make this conversation any easier.
“It’s not.” Shuri stopped and wished for her lab where she could avoid difficult feelings. “I took on the mantle. T’Challa…,” and a deep breath so the princess could calm herself. “He died a year ago. And my mother was killed, so it fell to me to become the Black Panther..” To save her people, Shuri would do whatever necessary, and without the Black Panther, the Wakandans were at risk.
“Things changed. A lot.” Shuri stood straight, although her fist certainly tightened.
Bucky watched the suit mask carefully as she spoke. He could hear the sadness in her voice. It broke his heart to hear of T’Challa’s passing. And Ramonda’s, too. They were both so kind to him when he ended up in Wakanda.
“Oh, Shuri,” he said softly. He wanted to reach out to her, but didn’t want to cross any sort of boundary. “I’m so, so sorry.” If there was something he could have done to make things better, he would have. In a heartbeat.
“You’re in a place called Madison Valley,” he added. “There’s a bar not far from here. Join me for a drink?”
Shuri removed the suit mask so she looked more like herself, just herself with short natural hair, having given up the longer braids of her youth.
“Thank you.” The Wakandan Princess squeezed Bucky’s non-metal arm gently and briefly, needing the briefest touch. At least she had her friend.
“This is my second time in Madison Valley. I wonder how much time has passed since my last time here? But yes. Drinks.” The young woman looked down and sighed, but without her usual attitude. “I assume I won’t be the strangest dressed person here.” Which sounded good to her.
> The squeeze to his arm was reaffirming. This Shuri knew him--a good thing, since it wasn’t always a fact that someone would. He gave her an actual smile; it was a little one, but it was there nonetheless. Something that was a rarity for most days.
“Second time?” He asked. Of course, Bucky hadn’t known her the last time she was here. There may have been another Bucky here before him. He cleared his throat ever so slightly then nodded. “Drinks. Let’s get some.”
Then the little smile broke into a bright smirk. “Probably? But who cares, right? We can drink until it doesn’t matter.”
Shuri actually returned the actual smile, also rarely seen. God, she missed her brother and mother so much. At least she had this friend. They’d grown close in Wakanda, so it helped her feel just a smidge better.
“Yeah, I showed up here…I’m not sure. I think I was here for about a year?” Shuri honestly couldn’t remember the exact amount of time. “I lived with Nat and Yelena.” Hopefully she could get one or both of her jobs back. She’d enjoyed working for both Pepper and Constantine.
“Yes. Electric Lady?” Shuri actually laughed, which sounded foreign to her. “I like the sound of drinking until it doesn’t matter.”
“Wow.” Bucky cleared his throat. A year? He knew people had been here for a long time, but that seemed long to him. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if he was here for a whole year. Maybe settle down? What a strange thought.
“Sounds like a plan to me.” He grinned. “Lead the way.”