"Are you going to try it on?"

Shuri was perched curiously in the bedroom windowsill of Bucky's Brooklyn brownstone. A box was open on the bed, the tape swaying in the breeze trickling in through the open window. The snow outside was beginning to melt, leaving behind a dull gray sludge. From their vantage point a few stories up though, it sparkled almost decoratively.

"I'm thinking about it." Bucky was seated near the box, eyeing the contents precariously.

"Why did he mail it?" Shuri questioned calmly, setting down her glass of wine next to her.

"Probably so I couldn't give it back," Bucky's own beer was on the bedside table gathering dust.

"So he left then?" Shuri lowered her feet to the ground, craning forward to get a better look.

"Hopped a flight to Paris," Bucky confirmed.

"Sharon will like that," Shuri smiled a bit.

Bucky didn't answer. He was still focused on the contents of the box.

"I think it will look quite nice on you," Shuri was by his side in an instant, her hand on his shoulder, her eyes on him.

"Steve said the same thing," Bucky shook his head a bit. He still didn't feel good about this.

"Captain Rogers is a smart man. He trusts you for good reason." She reached for his beer, gently pushing the glass into his hand.

Bucky smiled at her gratefully and took a pull to stead his nerves.

"You think I'm ready?" he asked her.

"I know you are," Shuri's answer was instantaneous.

"You're not just trying to trick me to putting it on?" he teased.

"Well, you know I love you in blue," Shuri easily fired back, "But I am not so certain about the red and white stripes," she came around to lift the outfit up.

"He made me a new one," Bucky observed. "Or more likely, had Tony do it."

"He has a good eye for symmetry," Shuri complimented. She draped the fabric across Bucky's chest. "It highlights your best features."

"My abs?" Bucky asked jokingly.

"I much prefer your chest," Shuri traced the white star daintily.

"Maybe I'll see how it fits," Bucky reluctantly stood up, acutely aware of Shuri's eyes watching him. She settled down on the bed with her legs crossed and drink in hand, looking all the world like she was ready to watch a show. The outfit felt impossibly heavy as Bucky pulled in on piece by piece.

"Do not forget the hood," Shuri cautioned, handing it to him.

Bucky pulled the navy fabric snug over his head, trying not to focus on how perfectly it fit.

"Well?" he turned around, arms out, waiting for Shuri's judgement.

She was smiling widely.

"You look very much like a Captain," she told him. At once she was on her feet, directing him into the bathroom to the mirror. Bucky nearly passed out at his own reflection.

"I look like Steve," he said. Only his eyes were visible through the outfit. Even his metal arm was shrouded in the thick dark fabric. He swung them experimentally, delighted to find out they moved fluidly, almost as though the suit was feather light.

"Not so," Shuri dusted his shoulder off, "You are a new kind of Captain. None of Captain Roger's suits have ever looked quite like this."

She was right. His shoulders and chest were encased in blue, highlighted by two stars on each arm and another two on the center of his chest and back. Red and white stripes ran vertically in a V-shaped from under his arms to his waist. The rest of the suit was ebony black.

"We'll match now," he told her.

"Am I to accompany you on these missions?" she asked in faux surprise. "The Black Panther is many things, but will never be a sidekick," she grinned, moving out of the bathroom.

"Not the biggest fan of sidekicks," Bucky assured her, following her out. "More like I'll need help."

"I am sure Mr. Stark and Mr. Wilson would be more than willing to assist. I am on vacation after all. I came to see the sights, not fight crime," Shuri tossed him a teasing look over her shoulder.

"We saw the Empire State Building; that's pretty much all you need," his voice sounded strange from inside the mask.

"In that case, I suppose I might be persuaded." She sat down on the bed, her eyes still on him. "You wear it well," she told him. "You will do justice to the mantle of Captain America."

"I'm not sure I'm ready," he sat next to her.

"I'm sure that Captain Rogers felt much the same way. There is no one better to carry it on."

"Sam would do a good job," Bucky had tried to convince Steve of the same thing.

"Perhaps he will, in time. For now, the burden lies with you." She smiled again. "It is a responsibility, to represent the spirit of your nation, but there is no greater pleasure." She leaned forward, kissing him beneath his mask.

"Feels uncomfortable," he told her. His vibranium arm was not at all used to the feeling of fabric over it.

"It will grow on you," she assured him.

Bucky tugged the hood over his head and put it carefully down back into the box. "I probably won't wear it more than I need to," he ruffled his hair. It was a little bit shorter now, but still long by his old-fashioned standards. Shuri did not seem to mind it at all.

"Perhaps you should take it off," she grinned mischievously. "I would hate for it to get wrinkled," she climbed into his lap.

Bucky shed his uniform in record time. He and Shuri did not have many opportunities alone together nowadays. Turned out, being an Avenger was a full time job. Bucky split most of his time between his home in Brooklyn near Steve and upstate at headquarters. A year had whizzed by in the limelight, his every move under intense scrutiny. The dust was settling on the Civil War, and Steve had needed a break. Bucky had been reluctant, even outwardly opposed, but in the end, Steve and Sam's combined efforts had won him over.

His phone blinked from the nightstand. Bucky reached over Shuri's prone form to grab it. The princess rolled closer to him in her sleep, her smooth skin pressed flushed to his. Bucky moved slowly to read the text.

"Did you get my gift?" Steve's questioned glowed on his smartphone.

"Tried it on already." It took him a while to text back. Technology still was not his forte.

"How'd it look?" Steve's response came quickly.

"Shuri liked it." Bucky smiled down at the woman in his arm.

"Figured she would. She's going to help out?"

"I think she's prepared for an extended visit stateside," Bucky confirmed.

"You're going to be great." Steve reiterated.

"Thanks. You better enjoy that vacation of yours." Bucky's typing sped up a bit. He chuckled as a picture of Steve and Sharon at the Lourve came through. In his ballcap and jeans, Steve almost looked like a normal kid from Brooklyn.

"I'll call you later," Steve promised. "Let me know how the first mission goes."

"You probably could just watch the news to find out."

"And miss the play by play? Not a chance."

"Fair enough," Bucky agreed. "I'll talk to you later, Steve."

"Thanks for doing this, Buck." Steve employed the use of a small yellow smiling face. Bucky would have to ask Shuri about it later.

"My pleasure," Bucky finished the text and flipped the phone shut. His phone had notifications from Sam and Scott, but they could wait until morning. He would have to report in for duty soon, train and try his hand as a leader. The Winter Soldier would be put aside. It was almost time to become the second Captain America.

Tomorrow though, he was taking Shuri to Broadway and Central Park. He needed his rest.

Back in Brooklyn after decades abroad, Bucky Barnes fell asleep peacefully.

A/N: A thousand thank yous to everyone who read, reviewed, messaged and favorited this story. I regret that it must come to an end. I hope you all enjoyed it.