Ronnie's POV one hour later
She was grateful for the help T'Challa and his family was offering Bucky, but even she had her limits on what she'd allow. This teenager wanted to go inside his brain and play around hoping that she could undo what scientists trained in his brainwashing did? No, absolutely not. Staring at the young princess, Ronnie folded her arms under her breasts, shaking her head in disbelief. "I'm sorry, you want to do what to his brain?"
Rolling her eyes in slightly more than mild annoyance, Shuri goes over the outline of her plan to get the trigger words out of Bucky's head again. "I'm going to develop an algorithm that will scrub the trigger words out of his brain without damaging his personality. It'll be simple."
Bucky looked back and forth between the two of them like he was at a very uncomfortable tennis match. Sharing a glance with her he gives Ronnie a grimace of a smile. She could see how nervous he was about this and that set her resolve for a second opinion. "Simple? Nothing about the brain is simple. No offense meant to be given, your highness, but I would like to call in a friend of mine to see if he understands your plan and if he thinks it'll work we'll do it. He's a neurologist, top of his field back in New York. Would it be possible to bring him here?"
Smiling as she narrows her expressive eyes, Shuri nods once. "Sure, why not? I'm always down to show up old men."
Snorting out a laugh before covering her mouth with her hand Ronnie grins in kind. "Oh please let me be there when you call him old, he's gonna die!" Turning to Bucky she sobered a little when she saw he wasn't smiling. "It'll be okay, Buck. We'll get this figured out. One way or another we'll get those words out of your head."
Coming to stand next to them Shuri pats Bucky's metal shoulder in a gesture of camaraderie. "Definitely. Now come sit here so I can scan your brain to map it so I can get a head start on my algorithm before the old man gets here."
Kissing his cheek she tells him to go with the princess, that she'd be right back. "While you guys do that I'm gonna go call Stephen and see if I can't get him here by tomorrow or the next day."
"Okay, doll." He says as his eyes glance at someone behind her making her turn to see Steve out in the hall talking to Ayo, the guard assigned to watch over them while they stay in Wakanda. "You should talk to him. He misses you something fierce."
Excusing herself, Shuri went to set up the machine they'd be using on Bucky to give them some privacy. Shaking her head, Ronnie's shoulders deflate a little. Before she could say anything he took her hand in his, rubbing his thumb across her knuckles gently. "He loves you so much, doll. I'm not saying what he did was okay, it wasn't. What it was was a misguided way to try and protect you and Tony."
Taking a second to think he adds, "You told me about everyone you've lost in your life. All the dreams you wished came true and the regrets you wished you could do over. Pushing Steve away like this.. I can see him becoming another regret you'll wish you could have a do over. Don't let him get away when you love him just as much as he loves you."
Speechless she stood there as he got up from the chair he'd been sitting in, leaning down he brushed a kiss across her lips before walking over to Shuri. Did he just tell her to pick Steve over him? Staring after Bucky to see him looking back with a sad smile on his face Ronnie swallowed roughly at the thought of not having him in her life in that way. Instantly she felt guilty because it wasn't fair to either Steve or him that she couldn't give them her whole heart. Her heart. It felt split in two, one half belonging to either man.
It was strange how differently her feelings for them had come about. With Steve it happened so gradually over time that it seemed like she'd always loved him. As for Bucky, well he dropped into her life with a bang. In the short time she'd come to know him he'd filled up all the empty spaces she didn't realize she had. Glancing over at Steve she tilted her head a little as she compared the two.
They were so similar yet so different. Both were endlessly caring as well as kind, not to mention bossy. She chuckled to herself. Yes they were bossy but they also listened to her. Sure some of the time it was to humor her but when it came down to her knowing best they would follow her lead.
Steve said he'd share her love if he had to, but would Bucky be just as willing? Could she even ask him to do that?
Shaking her head Ronnie snapped herself back to the more important matter at hand than her complicated love life. Pulling her phone from her back pocket she searched for Stephen Strange's contact. As the line rang she tried to think what the time difference was hoping he wasn't sleeping. Thankfully he answered fairly quickly just as she walked past Steve and Ayo.
"Do you have any idea what time it is, Stark?" Stephen's sleep deepened voice grumbled through the phone.
Laughing she snapped back in good humor. "Seeing as I'm in Africa I'd say no." That seemed to wake him up a bit more. "Africa, what the hell are you doing there?"
Walking a little further down the hall to not disturb the people working she said, "If you've seen the news lately you'd have some kind of idea."
His humor was, as ever, spot on if not a little much. "The Winter Soldier, bombings, being fugitives, oh my. What's that got to do with me?" Before she even opened her mouth he was already apologizing. "Sorry, that sounded insensitive. What I mean is, I've seen that your brother is trying to get you and Barnes cleared so I don't know what exactly it is that I can do to help."
"Well seeing as Bucky was brainwashed I was hoping I could get a neurologist's opinion on how you go about reversing that. I've got a sixteen year-old princess here who's even smarter than my brother who wants to dig around in my friend's brain to get out the trigger words Hydra put in there to flip him from the kind sweet man I know to a crazy scary assassin. I'm going to send you his file to read and a plane to bring you here to talk to Buck and the princess in person."
Incredulous, he laughs at her request. "Ronnie, I'm not going to Africa-"
Interrupting him she shamelessly feeds his ego, lowering her voice as a group of people walked past. "Oh come on, tell me you don't want your name on this. I can see the headlines now: Dr Stephen Strange helps deprogram the Winter Soldier."
Grinning, she did a little happy dance knowing that she'd won him to her side when she heard him sigh as he shifted in bed, the sound of someone being paged in the background let her know he was at the hospital. Grumbling Stephen hung up going on about telling her to hurry up and send him the damn file. "Love you too, Doc."
"Who was that?" Startled Ronnie clutched at her heart as she spun to see Loki standing behind her. As ever he stood there with his hands behind his back and a slight scowl on his face. Rolling her eyes she tells him, "An old doctor friend of mine. He's agreed to check out Bucky's case to see if Shuri's plan is feasible."
"A friend?" Giving him a stern look that said 'It's none of your business', he focused instead on Bucky's good news. "I'm sure the Sergeant will be pleased to hear that the best doctor is on his way to see him."
"What doctor?" Steve asks as he comes over, curious about what was going on. Smiling up at him she gestures back towards the room that Shuri and Bucky were in. "Let's all go in and I'll tell you all at once."
Loki and Steve follow at her back as she practically skips over to Buck's side. "Stephen's agreed to look over your files and will be here tomorrow to discuss it with Shuri and go over her plan and to meet with you."
"Strange, that's who you called?" Steve asked incredulously. She knew he wasn't a big fan of the good doctor, but he would need to get over it if he wanted Bucky to receive his help.
Exasperatedly rolling her eyes at his old jealousy Ronnie mirrored his stance of hands on her hips. "He's the best neurologist on the east coast and a friend. To get his time and full attention is no easy feat when he has a line of patients out the door."
Folding his arms over his chest he frowns down at her; his tone was borderline petulant. "I remember how important he is since he never shuts up about it."
Actively ignoring Steve now she tells the others, "He's a brilliant surgeon. I will warn you though he's a bit of a, how do I put this nicely?"
Interrupting her, Steve shoots out, "Imagine Tony's ego time ten and then add a lot more of a jackass flare to his attitude."
Glaring at him she ground out, "There's only one Tony Stark just like there's only one Dr Stephen Strange. He's the best in his field so the ego is justified, but I'll admit it can be annoying. Just like Rogers' righteous know it all attitude." Changing the tense subject, Shuri asked for Stephen's contact information to send over the files and she told them that she'd have her brother send one of the Royal family's Talon jets to pick him up.
Leaving Steve and Bucky to finish up Loki and Ronnie went to get some rest. It had been a very long day and both were rather tired. Following Ayo to their temporary rooms in silence Loki was observant of his surroundings while Ronnie blindly followed struggling to stay awake. Eventually they stopped outside a long hallway filled with large ebony doors of which Ayo opened one and stood back. "This room is for Prince Loki and across the hall is your room Ms Stark. Captain Rogers and Sergeant Barnes will be on either side of you."
Thanking their guard, Loki excused himself telling Ronnie he would see her later at dinner. "Pleasant dreams, darling."
"Night, princeling. Ayo, if you have a minute there's something I'd like to talk to you about." With a nod she followed Ronnie into her room, closing the door behind her. "You're in the King's guard, right?
"I have that honor." A woman of very few words she made Bucky look loquacious by comparison.
Being careful not to insult her or the other women she hedged out her question. "If it's all right with the King and the Dora Milaje, do you think it'd be possible if I trained with you ladies while I'm here? I have a feeling we'll be here for a while and I don't like to be idle if you know what I mean."
With a raised eyebrow she inclined her head. "I will bring it up to his majesty, but I don't see why not. All women should know how to protect themselves."
"Oh, I've had plenty of training in how to protect myself. I just find that I'm curious about all forms of defense and like to stay active otherwise I feel lazy. If you don't mind, I don't want my friends to know." A smirk on the stoic woman's face let her know she understood completely on both accounts.
Leaving Ronnie to rest Ayo closed the door behind her. Kicking off her shoes she shimmed out of her shorts and unclipped her bra before face planting in the middle of the large bed. A groan of pleasure at finally laying down she hugged one of the many pillows to her chest as she passed out.
+++
By lunch the next day Ronnie had been put through her paces by the Dora Milaje. Ayo had respected her wishes to keep this between them mainly because she didn't want an audience while she got her ass kicked. Which was a good idea because she felt like a novice even though she'd been trained by the best of the best and that included the top former female assassin. Winded Ronnie sat sweaty and exhausted in a good way in the Dora Milaje's training courtyard trying to relearn how to properly breathe.
Holding out a hand for her to take Xoliswa helped Ronnie to her feet. "You've done well for a beginner, Ms Stark."
Briefly leaning on the other woman before standing up she huffed out a laugh. "You're a crap liar, Xoliswa. I was awful and we all know it. You'd think after eight years of practicing four different styles of martial arts I would be able to keep up." She said, holding the stitch in her side.
"Don't be so hard on yourself Ms Stark. We train for most of our lives to be this good. We have to be if we want to be picked as the best of our tribe's fighters to be sent here to the capital to be trained by the existing Dora." More than impressed Ronnie felt marginally better about her progress from today.
Pulling her sweaty hair off of her hot neck she fanned herself as she chugged half a bottle of water. "Call me Ronnie. If you're gonna kick my ass all over the courtyard the least you can do is call me by my name. Same time tomorrow?"
Inclining her head with a wide smile she agrees. "Then you must call me Xo. I'll see you tomorrow, Ronnie."
A servant came out with a message to let Ronnie know her guest had arrived. "Thank you ladies for letting me join you today and for slowing down your normal routine for me." Xoliswa, Yama and Aneka wave her off telling her they'd see her tomorrow after breakfast.
Not having time to shower and change, she went straight to Shuri's lab where everyone, but Loki was already waiting. Already she could see the tension in her men by their narrowed eyes, clenched jaws and barely polite smiles. "Sorry I'm late."
Smiling over at Stephen who was dressed nicely in a suit with his hair slicked back she says, "I'd give you a hug, but I was working out and I'm all sweaty."
Coming over to hug her anyway he scooped her up so that her feet dangled half a foot off the ground. "You're on what amounts to a vacation and you're still working out? Some things never change, honey buns."
Bucky, not happy by the nickname, interrupts the back and forth of their reunion by talking slightly louder, drawing the two's attention back to the topic at hand. "Shuri, you were saying something about how this was going to be easier than you initially thought."
Pursing her lips in amusement at his and Steve's jealousy she began to go over what she'd come up with so far. Immediately Stephen went into doctor mode and they got to talking in terms that went over the other three's heads. Knowing her presence wasn't necessary for this part and that he had Steve here to be a guide Ronnie excused herself. "Buck, I'm going to take a shower real quick and then I'll be back. Doc behave yourself and stop riling my guys up."
Seemingly happy enough to be verbally claimed by her, Bucky gave her a small smile and relaxed, but Steve wasn't having it. He followed behind her as Stephen and Shuri got to talking about the replacement of Buck's arm and how that would work with his existing nerves so that he could theoretically regain sensation while using the new arm she was building. Refusing to look at him other than from the corner of her eyes she kept on walking straight into the elevator that would take them back up to the main floor so they could get a ride back to the palace.
The whole trip back was silent and tense. She knew he had something to say, but he was clearly not wanting any witnesses to what he had to say if the tick in his clenched jaw was any indication. Having picked up on the tension Ayo increased the speed of the all terrain SUV type car they had for their use. Once they arrived the only words he spoke was to Ayo to tell her they were good on their own as they hit the hallway for their rooms.
The other woman looked to Ronnie to see if she was fine with being left alone with Steve before she would leave. While Ayo had seen for herself that the smaller woman had plenty of fighting skills, the Captain was much larger and stronger than her. "If you need anything I will post Xoliswa outside your door."
Shifting her eyes over to Steve's to let him know she knew he would never physically hurt her Ronnie told Ayo, "It'll be okay. If things get heated she can't protect either of us from hurt feelings."
Ronnie nodded that she really would be okay before the Wakandan inclined her head and left them to go back telling them she would return with Bucky and Stephen later. Steve held open her door glancing over his shoulder at the retreating guards back, she knew his feelings were hurt that anyone would think he'd hurt her.
Tugging him along with her Ronnie told him, "Let's get this over with, Westley. My clothes are now stuck to my body and I really need to get clean." She could feel some of his tension drain away at her nickname for him that she hadn't used since they were in Paris.