20: the end

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      And life continued for a few more weeks just as beautiful as it had been since we got to Wakanda. Our daily routines were lazy, any plans were thrown together last minute. Bucky had spent so much time outside, enjoying his freedom by meditating, rock-climbing, and swimming that he was tanner than I'd ever seen him. His blue eyes and white teeth almost glowed against the beam of his bright, sun-kissed skin. Of course, he also got burnt constantly, and I was there to laugh at him and rub aloe on his pink cheeks while he whined about it.

I spent my time watching him do all of that stuff, getting just as tan but nowhere near as red. The sun and breeze reminded me of days on the Helicarrier or back in the tower when I'd wished for a day off by the sea and time by myself. Looking back on it, I never pictured days as beautiful as the ones we had been having in the palace, the city, or anywhere within the serene, protected sanctuary we'd had the pleasure of lucking into.

And damn it, I was so in love. To wake up each morning next to this Greek god of a man who wanted to stay a while longer, just to hold me a little longer, had me in tears nearly every day. I watched him from the beaches while he swam out far, only to swim back with an opalescent shell he'd seen and grabbed for me. I walked the halls with him while we talked about the world we'd met each other in, his right arm slung around my waist and holding my left hand as we clumsily traipsed about at night. I was so in love with his joy and his confidence. He knew who he was. And in part, he was mine. He wasn't the man I met or even the man I fell in love with, he was kind and bold and funny, and he danced better than he did that one night in my room to the 1975. I would know, we practiced every day.

I hadn't witnessed Amygdala in a month or so, not since the attack at the military ball in DC. I knew she was there, I could feel her, but she never came out - there was never a reason. I couldn't put words to how I was feeling emotionally. I was at peace, I felt normal.

However, I could put words to how I was feeling psychically. I felt disgusting and I had felt disgusting for weeks. I talked to Bucky about it briefly and he expressed great concern with a palm to my forehead and a glass of water gently shoved into my hand, but I didn't want to be the one complaining while our lives were finally good. I had decided after so long of feeling this way, maybe Princess Shuri could confirm or deny my suspicions.

The day we'd been promised back before we came had finally arrived: Bucky was getting his new arm. Shuri had been working on it for a while, not even letting Bucky have an opinion on it. Not that he had one; Bucky had been getting used to one-armed basketball with some kids that lingered outside of the palace.

Just before we had planned to meet - me and Buck, the King and the Princess - I snuck out of our room and made my way up to Shuri's lab. It was hard to sneak into her lab through huge electric doors, she noticed me immediately - me, a hunched over, 5'8" woman in a 2XL long-sleeve, thrifted shirt with Biggie on it (it was one of the things I deemed important enough to pack in a tiny bag to leave life in DC with).

"Good morning, Maisie!" Her sweet voice boomed from behind a panel and what looked like an incredibly advanced holographic computer. "How are you doing today? If I'm not mistaken, we weren't supposed to meet for Mr. Barnes' arm for another thirty minutes, correct?"

I did a quick sweep of the expansive laboratory, if you could call it that. Various shades of electric blue lit up the otherwise black space. It was obvious how advanced their technology was, but it awed me every time.

"No, you're right," I tiptoed my cold feet over to her. "I just had a favor to maybe ask before the men got here? If it's too much or, like, not what you do, I get that but-"

"Pregnancy test, huh?" She winked at me with a light laugh. "I've got you."

I tilted my head to the side with a look of confusion. "How did you know?"

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