The White Wolf

V

Bucky watched her silently, his cheeks tinting pink as he pressed his lips tightly together. Ava smacked Shuri's arm disapprovingly and gave her a stern look. "Don't be rude. I think Bucky is a fine name." She criticized her younger friend.

"I'm from Brooklyn, actually." Bucky said, staring at Shuri as she wiped away her tears from laughing too hard.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She giggled softly, taking a deep breath.

Ava looked at Bucky and cocked her head. "New York?" She asked. Bucky turned his head to her and nodded. Her eyes widened gleefully and her jaw dropped. "I've always wanted to go to New York. I've only ever seen the world within the Wakandan borders."

"But you're-" he began to say.

"White." Ava nodded. "It's a long story."

Bucky smiled slightly, nodding in understanding. "Maybe you can tell it to me when I wake back up."

A smile spread on Ava's cheeks again, her skin flushing. "Maybe." She confirmed. As long as he would be able to wake up soon after he was put in the ice.

"Alright, we need to run a few tests." Shuri said, smirking at Ava momentarily. "Get the stethoscope, thermometer, and blood pressure cuff." She said.

Ava nodded and turned around, going to the wall with medical supplies and monitors, gathering the things Shuri requested one at a time, piling them into her thin arms. "And a syringe." Shuri added. Ava collected the items and put them onto a metal tray, bringing it back to the bedside and setting the tray beside Bucky on the bed.

"Here you go." She said.

Shuri arched her brow at Ava and shook her head. "No, no." She said. "I'm just writing things down. You do all that." Shuri smiled at Ava as she pulled a notepad out of her pocket, wiggling it in the air before opening it up to a clean page.

Ava rolled her eyes and looked at Bucky as she let out a breath. "Alright, then I suppose we should take your temperature first." She said and picked up the oral thermometer.

"That's a lot different from my day." He said, examining it. "That doesn't go in-" he paused and cringed. "Does it?"

Ava chuckled and shook her head. "Open your mouth, hold this under your tongue until it beeps."

A look of relief washed over Bucky's face as he opened his mouth, doing as she asked him to. The side of Ava's mouth upturned into a smirk as she wrapped the blood pressure cuff around his arm, securing it by the velcro. The thermometer beeped and Ava plucked it from his lips, her brows pulling together. "37.7." She frowned. "You're really warm."

"It's the serum." Shuri said, her nose in the journal, busy scribbling down the numbers. Ava stared at her with question, and Bucky simply nodded. Shuri glanced at Ava, rolling her eyes. "The super soldier serum given to him enhanced his strength and resilience. It also boosts his metabolism, so he retains his muscle, looses fat, and uses high amounts of energy. Also, he can't get drunk. Burning through energy so quickly keeps his body at a higher temperature." She explained.

"Explains why Hydra forced food into my system." Bucky muttered. "After a memory wipe, I would get my mission, and a tube down my throat."

"They didn't even give you a chance to eat on your own?" Ava frowned, her eyes meeting his own.

He swallowed slowly and shook his head, taking a deep breath. "No, they didn't."

"Jesus..." Ava muttered under her breath, blinking a few times. "When was the last time you ate something?" She asked him.