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It had been a long month and a lonely one. M'Baku often found himself wishing that he was wintering in Birnin Zana as many of the other elders did, enjoying the hospitality of the King. It wasn't T'Challa's hospitality he wanted though. It was news of his friend. No word had come from T'Challa, good or bad, regarding James' condition. M'Baku hadn't expected to hear anything. His reaction to the extreme measures help James was receiving from Princess Shuri had doubtless not been received well by either T'Challa or Shuri. He didn't know how he would have changed those few minutes in the lab if he could have changed them at all. Shock, anger and fear were normal responses to finding out that a friend had been rendered effectively comatose. The fact that it was by Shuri's hand didn't help matters between them. He had never trusted her less.He sighed as he walked the familiar path to the Council Chambers. He considered going to Shuri's lab to ask about James' condition, but he didn't want a confrontation with the Princess. It wasn't worth risking T'Challa's anger. He had few enough friends in Birnin Zana as it was. He would simply ask T'Challa after the Council meeting, he decided. It was by far the smoothest course of action. He didn't want to fight. Not with T'Challa and not over James. The months of frigid weather had left him feeling weary and frustrated. What he wanted more than anything right now was peace and reassurance. He pushed open the heavy doors to the Council Chambers. He was a few minutes early for the meeting, but that hardly mattered. The other elders would join him soon enough. He took a step forward and froze, finding only one other person in the room. James sat alone on the floor by the high windows, his handsome features bathed in wintry sunlight. He looked paler than M'Baku remembered, more withdrawn too, almost reserved. A knitted blue blanket was wrapped around his shoulders. Despite the thick wool, James still shivered. M'Baku felt empathy and concern stir within him. James turned to look at him, seeming to notice him for the first time. He gave him a faint smile and gestured for him to approach. M'Baku crossed the room in several long strides and stared down at him for a long moment. Then he knelt and hugged him, too relieved to find James alive to feel self conscious about it. He pulled back after a moment and smiled at him, more than half tempted to wrap that blanket more securely around him and figure out how to turn the heating system on. There was a beautiful stone hearth set into the opposite wall, but it hadn't been used in centuries. The Golden Tribe were too advanced for something so simple as flame and kindling. M'Baku almost rolled his eyes at the thought. "It's good to see you, my friend," he said instead, a soft sigh escaping him. "Is it still cold up there in the mountains?" James asked, gesturing to M'Baku's snow flecked furs. "It's freezing," M'Baku said, grimacing. "Twenty four of our number are missing. It's not an easy time.""I'm sorry to hear that," James replied, giving him a sympathetic smile. M'Baku nodded, grateful for his sympathy, so gently offered. He sat beside him on the floor, a small smile curving his lips when James draped a corner of the blanket over his shoulders, sharing its warmth with him. He was too good and kind for words. He was also still shaking. M'Baku could feel the little tremors rippling through him."Are you well, James?" he asked with concern. "Well enough," came the soft reply. M'Baku frowned at his comment, but let the matter drop. There was something different about him today. He seemed vulnerable in a way that he hadn't before. Or perhaps it was that he cared about him in a way that he hadn't before, back when James had just been Ingcuka, T'Challa's charity project and pet. He was so much more than that. James had endured so much. He'd survived things that M'Baku couldn't know or understand. It wasn't that he pitied him either. He didn't dare. James was strong in a way that he couldn't have imagined. James didn't need his pity, but maybe, just maybe, he needed his friendship. That was something M'Baku would gladly give. "Is that for me?" M'Baku asked, his gaze drifting to the soft knitted hat that lay in James' lap. James nodded slowly and smiled, that shy, tentative smile that meant M'Baku couldn't refuse such a gift. The hat itself was topped with an obscenely fluffy pom pom and he knew that he'd look quite ridiculous wearing it. Perhaps James had made it that way on purpose. M'Baku didn't mind if he had. Whatever made the man smile. "May I?" James asked, a tentative note in his tone as he held up the knitted hat. "Of course," M'Baku quickly agreed, smiling to himself. He bowed his head, allowing James to slip the soft, knitted wool over his hair, fitting it snugly over his ears. M'Baku looked up into sparkling blue eyes and felt pleasure warm his insides more effectively than hot tea. He decided that he didn't care if the hat was a startlingly bright shade of orange. It kept his head and his heart warm. "Thank you, James," he said and he truly meant it. "It suits you," James declared, little crinkles forming around his eyes as he smiled warmly at him. "I think so," M'Baku agreed, touching the hat gingerly. He couldn't feel self conscious about it. James looked so pleased and proud of his handiwork. M'Baku didn't doubt for a minute that he'd made it himself. He treasured it all the more for that. He was about to tell James so when the doors to the Council Chambers opened. The elders filed in, followed by T'Challa and his war general, Okoye. M'Baku sighed, disappointed that his talk with James was to be cut short. "May I help you to your seat?" M'Baku asked, offering James his hand. "If you like," James replied, that soft smile curving his lips. M'Baku struggled to restrain a smile of his own as he stood and helped James to his feet, leading him to his usual seat on T'Challa's left. T'Challa looked at the two of them curiously, but said not a single word. He just gave James a gentle smile, which the Wolf of Wakanda returned. M'Baku took his seat on T'Challa's other side, glancing at James, who shifted so that he was leaning against T'Challa for warmth, but not obviously so, at least to the rest of the Council. M'Baku ducked his head, smiling at the soft way James asked for comfort. He refused to take the knitted hat off. To do so just because he felt it looked a little silly with that fluffy pom pom would hurt James' feelings and M'Baku wouldn't insult him in such a way, even though the other Council members stared at him and whispered behind their hands. T'Challa cleared his throat, silencing the whisperers, and opening the meeting. M'Baku paid little attention to the issues presented to the Council. His mind was occupied, filled to the brim with questions about James. Every so often over the course of the meeting, he brought a hand up to touch the soft hat. He caught James watching him once when he did it and quickly lowered his hand, his cheeks feeling uncomfortably warm. When the meeting ended a good eight hours later, M'Baku realized that he couldn't recall a single topic that had been raised. He'd been too busy watching James, observing the little twitches and tremors rippling through him. He wasn't "well enough," as he'd said. James was struggling and too stubborn to admit it. That only made M'Baku like him more. James reminded him of himself.The other Council members stood up and left, but T'Challa and James remained seated, as did M'Baku. He wanted to say something to James, to thank him again for the gift, to tell him that he hoped he recovered his old health soon. He wanted to tell him that he would have protected him and helped him had he known how to do so, to tell him that he cared, to tell him that if Wakanda had a National Day Of Friends, he would have picked James too, no matter what T'Challa said about it. M'Baku didn't get the chance to tell him any of that. The doors to the Council Chambers opened, a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes that mirrored James' own entering the room. He was clearly familiar to James and T'Challa, who got up to shake his hand in the Western style of greeting that M'Baku found so strange. "Welcome, Captain. We've been expecting you," T'Challa murmured, flashing a smile at James, who looked at the Captain with an odd mixture of nostalgia and fondness. M'Baku watched as the Captain gently drew James to his feet and hugged him. When he pulled back, there were tears shining in James' eyes. M'Baku swallowed hard and averted his gaze from the pair as the Captain led James away from the Council Chambers. The doors closed behind them and M'Baku sighed, feeling a little disappointed, his hand going once again to the soft knitted hat James had given him. He got to his feet, not saying a word to T'Challa as he brushed past him and made his way out of Birnin Zana to the Jabari outpost on the outskirts of the city where he routinely stayed. He had no desire for food or company and he retired to his room alone, his thoughts an anxious tangle. He couldn't sleep for many hours. All he could see in his mind's eye was the Captain and James. The Captain hadn't received a gift from James on Friendship Day as far as M'Baku knew. James valued their friendship. He knew that he did. Or so he tried to tell himself as he closed his eyes, the knitted hat still on his head.