puppet | barnes

8.0

TW: rape, sexual abuse, domestic abuse, general violence

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8.1

T ' C H A L L A
"s i l e n c e  i s  a n  a c t  o f  v i o l e n c e , t o o"
king / claws

~

He stood still, his arms crossed.

The team trickled in. Scott, Bucky, Steve, Sam, Shuri, and Tony. They looked around the throne room.

Rosalind wasn't there.

T'Challa's arms went down and his hands found his pockets. The room felt heavy with air and unspoken words. He broke the silence.

"The reason I condemned everyone to their rooms and turned off any form of media was because we had a crisis. It is being handled, I promise. But I needed to get things into our control before I told you. I wanted minimum panic inside my own doors, the palace doors."

He watched their faces, then the floor.

"Rosalind left Shuri's lab while everyone was dismissed. She needed some air, and was left alone. She took to the city."

"There, we believe she was attacked, knocked unconscious..."

"No," Bucky whispered.

T'Challa's voice faltered: "...and raped."

"No."

"We found her in an alley outside where we believe it happened."

"Who didn't stop her from leaving the lab?" Bucky asked, looking at Shuri. T'Challa flopped from terrible news breaker to protective big brother. He went to Bucky, blocking him from Shuri.

"Bucky, no."

"Sam was there too, wasn't he?" Bucky turned towards his friend.

"Buck, I didn't know it would happen. She needed air."

Bucky approached him, and T'Challa dug the butt of his palm between Bucky's shoulders. Bucky fell to the floor, and T'Challa pinned him there. He drew Bucky's arm back to the edge of its flexibility. He said in a low, calm voice:

"No one could have prevented this. You need to understand that. The only one to blame is the man who did this to her. This is the first time this has ever happened in New Wakanda. You must understand that we will make it the last."

"Why her?" his voice broke. T'Challa let him go and moved to see Bucky's face.

"I wish I knew. No one can rationalize this," the King said softly. "All we can do is change the future." He extended a hand to the soldier, to the man.

T'Challa helped him up.

Bucky looked around the familiar faces, rubbing his sore shoulder with a metal hand. Shuri looked horrified. "I didn't mean to react like that..."

She'd never seen that side of Bucky, even before he left for home. She coiled her hands into fists to keep them from shaking.