Work Text
Steve sat idly on a tree as he trailed a pencil over paper. Whenever he was in a bad state of mind, drawing Wakanda always bring peace to him. As the silence gave him the chance to focus, it was briefly disrupted by a small rustling sound and to most, it would be disregarded and thought to be just an animal running across the soil. But Steve knew exactly what the noise was through how calm it was and how it'd ceased immediately - a cautious instinct."Your Majesty."Seconds after that, T'Challa slowly withdrew himself from behind the tall tree surrounded by rogue leaves and branches to approach the blonde man. His Panther Habit was absent and instead, a regal white embroidered tunic covered the monarch's body and his hands remained behind his back as he sauntered towards Steve. Slowly resting his pencil to the side of the log he was perched on, Steve delivered a small, welcoming small which in return, was traded for a mutual welcoming smile."Captain. I thought I would find you here."He stood before Steve and the superhero fixed his shirt before placing the paper he was drawing on to the side. T'Challa caught a glimpse of the illustration and was impressed by Steve's talent, especially for a man who had been so prioritized with ensuring the world remained safe from threats such as HYDRA. "Very impressive, Captain. But I have something I need to discuss with you.""It's about HYDRA. And yourself. A man intruded Wakanda recently and I believe he was brainwashed by HYDRA, he wore a metal arm and almost choked me out, not to mention he almost attacked my visitors. Not a good image for a nation just revealed."Steve's eyes narrowed and he chewed on his lip gently as he wiped his forehead. "What does that have to do with me?"T'Challa crossed his arms and gave a dead stare into Steve's eyes."Some time ago, when you were allied with my grandfather, Azzuri, you left your old shield in our possession. The man who attacked me recognized it and before he passed out, he said 'they' made him do it. That they wouldn't let him remember."The blonde superhero thought back on his old shield and frowned, wondering who on Earth it could be. He'd not fought anyone that got away from him while the shield was by his side, so he stopped thinking of enemies and moved onto allies. Could it be a Howling Commando? Steve thought."While my sister was trying to locate the programme that was infused into his brain, he murmured your name and what sounded like a series of codewords. When we repeated the first word, he tried to block it out with your name again. I believe he tried the same when he was first captured, which means it is someone who thinks much of you."Steve stood up with low pace and looked at the king of Wakanda seriously. Now it was his turn to cross his arms and he completely forgot about his drawings."It must be a Howling Commando. Do you still have him in your custody?" Steve queried."Of course, come with me." Walking into the laboratory T'Challa's sister managed and created most of Wakanda's technology in, Steve moved his head around and found himself continuously shocked by what he saw. Hovering chairs and self-assembling shields were only some of what impressed Steve when he looked at the technology. The Alpha had only adjusted to technology with the help of Tony Stark and all the bright lights scattered across the room made it even more beautiful."It's amazing in here, honestly," Steve stated. They continued to walk as some scientists stared at Steve and he noted on it."You'll have to excuse the scientists, it's just that after the attack the super soldier carried out, they are cautious of outsiders. He's right this way."Steve followed the Omega as they entered the cryostasis room. It was a peaceful white mixed with silver across the room and bronze-iron holographs beamed up on the screens the scientists were using. When he saw an active pod with frost marks patched over it, he was unsure of what to expect. It could have been anybody but nothing specific came to Steve's mind.Standing in front of it, Steve watched nervously as T'Challa gave the confirmational gesture for one of the scientists to turn the cryostasis pod off. It whirred gently and soon Steve could see the tip of the man's head - long, brown hair from the looks of it."So, did you remove the programming?""Yes, Shuri managed to do it in three days. He's been under a deep hibernation since."Once the icy smoke disappeared Steve gazed at the super soldier and for a while, he was confused as to who it was. He'd known nobody with long brown hair but then he began to recognize the facial structure. A bit more defined, but that was...that was Bucky. His best friend and the person he'd mourned deeply the day he went missing. Steve had always assumed the worst. Placing a hand over his mouth, Steve couldn't believe what he was seeing."B...Bucky?" Immediately, Steve put a hand on the glass and held his breath as his eyes glued onto the unconscious man in front of him. Then he looked down, at the absence of a right arm and he winced."God, what did they do to you?""I take it you know this man?"Knew. He knew Bucky. It was weird to Steve that Bucky was even being referred to in the present tense but here he was, idly laid in a tube with messy brown hair much longer than Steve had remembered it. The pod blocked all scents but Steve was ready to bet money that no matter how much Bucky had changed, he'd still carry that sweet scent that Steve could eternally press his nose against."He was my best friend. I...I thought it could become more before he went missing."The blonde Alpha's voice trembled and T'Challa was more than aware of how much this was affecting Steve."Unfortunately, we cannot wake him until we know he's stable while conscious. I can offer for you to stay in Wakanda for the next couple of days until he wakes up." Steve appreciated the offer and stood with crossed arms as he continued to look at the resting Omega."Thank you, T'Challa. This is all so sudden for me, I don't know what to say...or do.""If there is anything else I can do, please, let me know."T'Challa placed one supportive hand on Steve's shoulder and waited a few seconds before removing it to leave the Alpha to himself. Frozen with grief and wondering what was next, Steve sighed knowing that drawing wasn't going to bring him peace this time. Erik had admittedly been eavesdropping, blending in with the others in the room but his presence hadn't gone unnoticed. Waiting until later in the day, T'Challa approached Erik in the eastern flank of the Citadel. The Alpha was stood idly before a large glass panel and gazed at Wakanda from an elevated position in the palace before T'Challa cleared his throat and stole his attention.His head swiveled and soon his body followed. "Your M-""T'Challa is fine, N'Jadaka," the Omega king cut in."T'Challa," Erik smiled.Moving closer to Erik, T'Challa matched his vision with Erik's and stared outside the window."I still can't believe all of this is yours. It's beautiful, full of life and real. Real.""Wakanda is not mine. I simply wish to serve it as my father did, and his before that.""Right, Azzuri.""Correct," T'Challa nodded, resting his eyes on Erik now."So, Captain America and your granddad worked together? How did that happen?"T'Challa chuckled and remembered the stories T'Chaka told him. How the great Captain America and his Howling Commandos had direly underestimated King Azzuri and ended up forming an alliance."That is something that will take time to tell. But now that you are a resident here, maybe I can tell you one day."A bigger smile crept onto Erik's face and he felt comfortable giving a mutual look to the king of Wakanda."I'd like that. But another question.""Shoot.""That white dude with the long hair, you talked about removing programming. Could you remove something like hallucinations or voices in someone's head? Or even make someone forget something?"T'Challa frowned and wanted to know more."Is there something you wish to tell me, N'Jadaka? I can promise confidentiality if you wish to speak somewhere else."Erik sighed and rubbed the nape of his neck firmly."Nah, it's nothing. Just scientific curiosity," Erik lied with an unconvincing smile and shrug of his shoulders. "Come by the laboratory some time, I'm sure you could learn something, even with you being a scientist already.""Wakandan science is a lot different to what I've seen in America. Everything I've seen here is impossible, yet it's like an everyday thing for y'all.""Not impossible. Just difficult to discover without the right resources. The United States has plenty of Tony Starks out there, but because they do not share the skin color he has, they won't let their minds come to light and that is why they will always be behind Wakanda. And not just by a few steps, but by tiers."Erik thought on everything T'Challa mentioned to him and once the king was absent from the room, he pondered on the possibility that the monster inside of him could finally be gone. That all the voices would go and he could appreciate the beauty of Wakanda uninterrupted.