Blue Phoenix - MCU Civil War Replacement

Chapter Thirty Six

Steve and I drop our stuff off in the gorgeous suite we'd all be staying in and T'Challa shows us to Shuri's lab and as soon as I step through the doorway I knew it was a good thing Tony had stayed home. His lab had toys of all kinds but Shuri's had even more and the tech was like nothing I'd ever seen before.

Bucky is laughing at something Shuri had said while sitting in some kind of scan chair as we walk in and I see Steve smiling beside me. He seemed more at ease than I'd ever seen him and if felt good watching them cut up.

"I have things I need to attend to but I will see you at dinner." T'Challa says softly and I node at him.

I lean my head against Steve shoulder and just watch them for a minute, Steve's arm going around my waist after a second and we just stand there watching them.

"I don't think I've ever seen him smile like that." I whisper.

"He looked like that when he told me about your guys time together actually. But before that it was before I became like this. You'd have probably liked him back then too. He was so... full of life, and all the lady's loved him. It was pretty annoying at the time." Steve chuckles.

"Is that so? Yeah, come to think of it when he told me about you and him back in the day while we were in the cell he was pretty happy too. I'm sure the lady's loved him. What about you? I remember him telling me about some double dates you two went on."

"I wouldn't call them double dates. I was pretty much a fourth wheel; the girls would hang on his every word." He chuckles, "I couldn't blame them though, all I thought about back then was figuring out how to enlist. I doubt I was much fun to be around, and I certainly wasn't much to look at."

"Don't sell yourself short Steve. I've seen the before you and you were adorable."

"Not really a word one would use to describe the man they fancied though is it?"

"I don't know. Adorable isn't so bad and I know of at least one woman who liked the man you were before."

I regret the words as soon as they leave my lips and mentally kick myself.

"You know you said you'd tell me about her. Think we could do that while we're here? While we're not in here with Bucky I mean."

"Are you two going to keep standing over there whispering or are you going to come join Shuri and I?" Bucky calls making us both jump.

"I don't know. I'd hate to interrupt you two stoogies." I tease before smiling up at Steve, "We can start tonight after dinner if you want, if we're not all too tired."

"I'd like that. What about you?" He asks quietly.

"What about me?"

"Come on you two!" Bucky calls again.

"If you'd have known us back then... would you have... you know, actually seen me with Buck around?"

"I don't know, there was a single Stark back then if I remember correctly." I tease, "But in all seriousness, of the two of you Bucky wouldn't have been the one that caught my eye. Come on before Bucky comes and drags us over, we can talk more later."

I start walking towards Bucky, Steve following a couple steps behind and stop beside Shuri. Now that I was closer I could see that Buck had two small wires connected to his temples and though Shuri could see him there was a holograph image of Bucky's brain between the two. I tilt my head to the side, studying the image and am blown away the longer I look at it.