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?"
"I don't, but it's not a hard thing to guess." She prattled on as she walked away to configure something inside the bottom level of the cylindrical structure in the center of the room. "You're a married woman who's spending exorbitant amounts of time with her husband. As they say," She peeked around the corner at me, "shit happens, man."
I smiled politely, just thankful she was helping me. I knotted my sleeves in my hands, anxious. "I mean, I really don't think I'm pregnant. I'm probably just getting used to the atmosphere and the food and all that. Probably just now noticing how stress impacted my body but- ... but it doesn't hurt to check, you know? Just don't bring it up when Bucky comes around if you don't mind."
"Of course I won't!" She exclaimed. She beckoned me over with an outstretched arm to lay down on the table in the cylinder thing.
"Now, you're aware of the whole super soldier thing inside me, right?" I clarified, laying down on the cold slab. "Like, your tech won't screw with me at all?"
Shuri just scoffed, not even looking at me. "Of course I do, I know everything about you." Creepy, but I respect it. "And no, don't worry, you're safe with me and my beautiful inventions."
A minute or so went by of her working away at her aforementioned computer as I laid in silence, my mind preoccupied with thoughts of a purple baby and when I could get my hands on another coconut water.
"Okay, you can hop off of there now." She said absentmindedly. I got up and walked over to her and her computer.
"So?" I asked quietly, shoulders hunched up like I was bracing for impact.
"Due to my incredible, advanced, wonderful, never-before-done technology, I can safely say: congratulations, you're pregnant!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.
I clapped a hand over my mouth, eyes wide. "Really?"
She nodded excitedly. "And it's a girl!"
Just as I was about to scream in excitement and also paralyzing anxiety, the doors opened and in walked T'Challa and Bucky. Bucky was holding a glass of coconut water in his hands. I hoped it was for me.
"Good morning, ladies. Let's get this man a new arm." T'Challa's warm voice and smile interrupted us. Shuri quickly changed her screen so the test results wouldn't be visible to the men.
I smiled at Bucky as he came over and handed me the glass. I could have screamed and cried and knocked him over in a barreling hug right then and there, but I just gave him a smile back and welcomed his forehead kiss. Shit. Oh my gosh. Pregnant. Baby. Baby girl. Bucky's baby girl.
He said 'good morning' to Shuri and me. Shuri told him to sit where I was just a moment ago and he followed orders. I was cemented to the ground where I stood, gripping the chilled glass my thoughtful and clueless husband had so kindly brought for me.
T'Challa and Shuri joined him, Shuri holding a long case. I had the mind to unglue myself from the ground and go to where they were, doing my best to focus on Bucky.
I'm pregnant.
I tuned in as Shuri was opening the case to reveal an arm that looked identical to the one Bucky had lost only months prior, but blue. She briefly explained something I didn't catch, then jogged away to her computer for something.
T'Challa turned to me with a smile. "I was talking to Mr. Barnes on our way here about news from the United States capitol. Captain Rogers informed me of everything you two had been dealing with since you," He looked to me. "had left SHIELD."
He said that really politely. He meant everything that had happened since I was turned into Amygdala and my life went to hell. But anyways.
"I gave my inside men that information and they've brought it to the people in charge of the Accords. Simply, it's out of your hands now." He continued smiling, looking at Bucky. Bucky was smiling too. His eyes smiled too. That was a newer thing of his and I felt butterflies in my stomach every time. My mind drifted from his smile to her smile. I hope she'd have his smile. My free hand absentmindedly cradled my lower stomach.
Bucky looked to me. "Meaning that we don't have to worry about Hydra anymore. We can wash our hands of it, Maisie Jo. Let the guys who started the Accords shit worry about it. I'm okay with that now."
"Yeah," I laughed in defiance with him. "Let them worry about it."
"It's settled then: let them worry about it. My palace and my kingdom is your refuge for as long as you would like, Mr. and Mrs. Barnes'." T'Challa's smooth voice reminded us.
"And we can't thank you enough, your Highness. You've saved our lives." I responded. I dropped my hand, not wanting to draw suspcision. I needed to find the right way to tell Bucky.
T'Challa just nodded in acknowledgment. "Would you like to join us for dinner?"
Shuri chimed in as she ran back over. "Would you like to stay forever?" She muttered, referencing Mulan and annoying her brother. "Anyways! Here we go."
She lifted the arm from the case and lined it up to Buckys shoulder. It immediately attached with a small whirring of the inner mechanics. Bucky flexed it with a chuckle.
"It's perfect." He mumbled. "Thank you."
"It gets better! There's a button over here and if you press it ... " She leaned over and touched the arm. Before our eyes, his metal arm was a flesh one. Or at least, it looked like it. "We don't have a real arm for you, so this cloaking mechanism allows you to have the next best thing. I'd say 'patent-pending' or whatever but no colonizer is smart enough to even come close to this genius."
"Holy shit ... " Bucky's smile got bigger as he moved it around and wiggled his fingers. "Holy shit that's amazing. Maisie, look."
I breathed in deeply to fight tears of gratitude and joy. Bucky stretched out his right arm and compared it to the new one. "Again," I glanced between Shuri and T'Challa. "We are so grateful."
"Please, this is just Shuri showing off." T'Challa chuckled, not taking credit for his kindness and generosity.
Bucky looked at me like a child in a candy store. "Look at this!"
I laughed. Disregard the fact that he had a metal (Vibranium) arm with the world's most advanced technology within it, he looked like any other man you'd pick off the NYC streets. He looked normal - all he'd wanted for decade after excruciating decade.
_____
Later that evening, Bucky and I were back in our usual spot on our huge bed. A cool breeze blew over our faces, our hands fumbled with each other in awe of their existence. We had been in silence for quite some time, just enjoying the peace. Peace was a dangerous commodity for my love and I, it rarely lasted. But there, then, we were at peace. At long last, for as long as it would last, we would luxuriate in it.
The calm quiet was also welcomed because I was feeling nauseous. When they say "morning" sickness, they really meant "all the fucking time" sickness - at least in my case. You would think that an enhanced human such as myself would be immune to the nonsense that comes with pregnancy, but apparently not.
My hand halted in his for a second as I squeezed my eyes shut, forcing a bout of pukey-ness down. I didn't want to tell him yet, I wanted it to be special. Our wedding was nothing special, if you would call getting tattooed in the middle of nowhere a wedding at all. My love, the man beside me who had wanted children his entire life, who would be a wonderful father with a child who loved him achingly so, deserved a little fanfare for this announcement. But my body had other plans.
I launched off of the bed and made the split decision that I would not be able to make it to the bathroom. I ran toward the balcony. Running like an idiot, I must have looked deranged as I broke the silence with gagging noises. Just in time, I braced myself against the railing and hurled onto a nearby tree. Merciful relief, I felt better immediately after, but Bucky didn't know that. He was by my side in an instant, shirtless gleaming body smelling just okay enough to not make me want to repeat my previous actions all over him.
"Are you okay?" He asked, brushing the hair out of my face while also pressing his cold hands to my hot arms and bending his knees to be face-to-face with me. "Baby girl, what's wrong?"
I laughed lightly, eyes pinching shut to push away the vomit-tears. I somehow simultaneously nodded and shook my head, giving into his arms pulling me against his chest. The breeze and his body made me feel a lot better. He rocked back and forth slightly, my body trapped tightly into him.
"Are you sick? What's wrong, doll? I told you not to eat all that ice cream, you're lactose intolerant." The paced concern was evident in his voice. I laughed a little louder. I bet I smelled bad. What a man for putting up with that.
Before my brain could catch up, my mouth hailed down on the gas peddle. "I'm not sick, I'm pregnant. It must just be morning sickness, though I'm not sure why it's called that because I'm like not even that pregnant but you'd think maybe it would be over by now but also it's almost eight at night and that's certainly not morning an-"
I hadn't noticed that he'd stopped rocking. He pulled away from me, just enough to see my face fully. I looked up at him, heart racing as I tried to read his face.
"What?" He asked, voice breaking. His head tilted to the side like a sweet, curious dog. "You're pregnant?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah. Shuri told me this morning."
He stared at me a little longer. He took a deep breath like he hadn't breathed in days. His eyes watered up until tears flowed freely. "Are you shitting me? You're pregnant?"
I nodded. "And it's a girl." My voice was weak. He stood still for another few seconds.
In a burst of joy, he pulled me back in and lifted me off my feet, spinning around while busting with laughter. "Holy shit she's pregnant!" He set me down and pushed more of my dark hair back so he could kiss me, tenderly yet way too excited to be accurate on the placement of his lips. Laughter bubbled up from my gut as he continued to kiss my cheeks and mumble "holy shit, holy shit, holy shit" over and over again.
He took a step back, wiping his teary eyes with one hand and reaching out to wipe mine. He just kept laughing, his face about to crack under the pressure of his beaming smile. "You're pregnant! And it's a girl! I have a baby girl! I have two baby girls because you're also my baby girl! Holy shit my baby girls! What the fuck!" He basically yelled, his mouth running faster than he could catch it. I threw my head back laughing as he got to his knees and placed his hands - both of them - gingerly against where she was growing. He sang sweet nothings to her while placing little kisses where my shirt had ridden up.
Suddenly he stopped, went to stand up but corrected himself and brought only one leg up until he was on one knee. He hectically smacked his pockets, then fished into the left one and pulled out a box. A ring box. He opened it just like he'd seen people do his whole life, brandishing a shining emerald ring.
I instinctively clasped my hands over my mouth, surprised like we hadn't been married for a while and I wasn't pregnant with his baby girl. "Are you kidding me?" My voice came out strangled. More joyous tears fell from my eyes. The setting sun was the perfect backdrop to this beautiful man on his knee, you almost couldn't smell the vomit.
Bucky cleared his throat, almost like he'd forgotten he had to say some words. "I didn't get to do this properly the first time, Mrs. Detrych. I wanted to make it right. I was gonna wait for the right time, whatever that is ... but I think you found one right here, didn't you? Maisie Johannah Barnes, would you do me the honor for the second time of being your husband? Will you marry me? Again? Properly?"
I nodded furiously. "Yes, of course, you stupid man. I would marry you a hundred times over."
His laugh boomed at my sentiment as he placed the ring gently onto my finger over the tattoo I'd gotten last time. He stood up and swooped me into a tight hug. His face buried in my neck, my chin resting on his shoulder. He took a deep breath, a sigh of relief came after. "I love you. I will love you forever, dear girl."
"I love you too, Bucky Barnes."