Chapter 63: Smiles

Mika woke up to pain as three hairs were ripped from her head, caught in the setting of her wonderful, beautiful, elegant new ring. She hissed and rubbed the offended spot on her scalp before carefully removing the hairs from between the diamonds; perhaps it wasn't advisable to wear it while sleeping. As the pain receded, she couldn't help but smile, looking at the way it sparkled on her finger even in the sparse light from the moon peeking in through the blinds. She glanced at Bucky, still asleep beside her, his face neutral and relaxed. Good, he wasn't having a dream then. The nightmares didn't come as often anymore, and he no longer grabbed her in his sleep (granted, he was short one arm, but that was beside the point), but sometimes she still woke to hear him mumbling in his sleep, a grimace of pain from long ago on his face. That's when she would smooth his hair and murmur his name, gently pulling him from sleep before the nightmare could take its hold. He always looked a little confused when he awoke, remembering who and where he was, but as his eyes focused on her face he would smile, and kiss her, and tell her he loved her before they both went back to sleep.

When she woke up at a normal time later, she was still smiling, the ring on her nightstand (removed to prevent further injury) glittering happily at her. She slipped it on and rolled over to find an empty bed, her heart pulsing for a moment before she heard the sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen, the smell of something delicious meeting her a few moments later. She got up and followed the scent, finding Bucky carefully tending a skillet of shakshuka, the herbs and spices mingling happily in the air as the tomatoes simmered. He was shirtless, finally not self conscious about the smooth stump where his left arm used to be, and Mika thought the sight of him in just his boxer briefs and making breakfast was possibly the sexiest thing she'd ever seen. She stepped up behind him, his head turning ever so slightly to show that he heard her coming, and slid her arms around his waist.

"Good morning." he murmured, leaning back just slightly into her embrace. She held him tighter, kissing his shoulder lightly.

"Good morning." she replied, resting her cheek against him. "This looks amazing."

"Gotta earn my worth. You can't have a lazy husband." he said, making her laugh as she kissed his cheek. She gave him one last squeeze before going to cut some bread for them, watching from the corner of her eye as he used one hand to crack eggs into the skillet.

"Hmm, I like that." she said, taking the bread to the table before going back to run the coffee machine. Once it was all ready, they took everything to the table and sat, prepared to enjoy a quiet breakfast.

"What, me earning my worth?" he asked, grinning at her over his coffee. She stood up again, coming to sit on his lap.

"No, thinking of you as my husband." she said, the word alone enough to make butterflies awaken in her stomach. She put her hands on his cheeks, bringing him in for a slow kiss as his arm circled around her waist. He grinned when she pulled away.

"Have you called your sister yet?" he asked, making her grow still. Wow, she was a horrible sister for not calling her last night, especially with news such as this. She groaned, closing her eyes and basking in her awfulness for a few seconds before getting up and getting their tablet.

"We can call her right now." she said, settling back on his knees and tapping away at the screen. Bucky sighed, taking one last sad look at their breakfast before slipping the cover back over the skillet. He loved his soon to be sister-in-law, and loved chatting with her, but no necessarily when there was food waiting for him.

Luckily, Nicoletta picked up on the second ring, smiling brightly and singing a hello. She was in her art room, her apron already covered in paint stains and her fingertips like ten little paintings of their own. A blue smudge was on her cheek, though neither of them thought she was aware of it.

"You're up early." Mika remarked, though really the hour was just early for Nicoletta, not for most working people. She hadn't realized what time it was in Berlin until the call was already ringing, but she wasn't sorry about it.

"I was up all night." she said lightly, as if it were a common occurrence. Which, in the life of some artists, it was. She clumsily turned the tablet to show a large painting of two bodies locked in an embrace, their legs intertwining into roots and their hair and arms spreading into branches. It was incredibly detailed, though they didn't recognize the models.

"Holy shit." Bucky said, his brows furrowed as he analyzed the painting. "That's beautiful."

"Thank you!" she said, her blush evident even over video chat. She set her tablet down onto her desk, settling onto her chair. "So, to what do I owe the pleasure of such a wonderful early morning chat?"

"We just had some news we wanted to share." Mika said, not giving her any time to respond before holding up her hand to show her new jewelry. Nicoletta screamed appreciatively, her face moving comically close to the camera so she could see it better.

"Holy fuck, it's beautiful! Congratulations!" she said, her smile wide. "Fucking finally, I'm so happy, oh my God. Have you set a date yet? Will you be home…" she trailed off then, remembering exactly why they were so far away to begin with.

"We'll get it all figured out, don't worry." Mika said. "We won't do anything without you."

"Damn right you won't." she said, trying to be serious before erupting into squeals again. "This is amazing. Oh, Mika! Bucky! Now I can officially call you brother-in-law."

"Not quite yet." he said. She waved off the technicality.

"Have you told mum yet?" she asked, directing her question at Mika. She didn't answer right away, tapping her leg nervously. Bucky laid a hand on her, stilling her, giving her comfort.

"Not yet. I uh, didn't figure she'd care." she said. She hadn't spoken to her mother in over a year; she'd called to give her an update, to try and explain what had happened, to let her know that everyone was okay. What she'd gotten was a lecture about dating the wrong people, and how-dare-you-bring-your-sister-into-it, and I-raised-you-better-than-this, and "your father and sister would be so disappointed in you". Mika had tried to call her a few times since then to try and smooth things over, but her mother never picked up. Bucky squeezed her hand again, and Nicoletta cleared her throat nervously.

"Well, I'll talk to her, see if I can't get her to see the light." she said, feigning confidence. Mika gave a dry laugh that failed to sound humorous. She was always on thin ice with her mother, and she wasn't sure even Nicoletta's magical youngest daughter powers would be enough this time.

"Good luck." she deadpanned. Nicoletta opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted by sounds from the kitchen, and a male voice asking if she wanted coffee. She hastily moved the screen before they could see who it was, causing both of them to smirk.

"Sounds like you need to go." Bucky said, unable to hide his amusement. Nicoletta blushed again.

"Let me know as soon as you set a date, okay?" she said. They agreed and said their goodbyes, the video cutting off rapidly. Mika laughed, getting up and going back to her own seat so they could resume their breakfast.

"Speaking of which," Bucky started, finally spooning eggs and vegetables onto his plate. Thank goodness, they were still warm. "How does one go about getting married in Wakanda?"

She paused, hand outstretched towards the skillet. "I don't know." she finally admitted, her brows furrowed. They'd had a lot of life experiences over the past year, but no weddings as of yet. "I'll ask Okoye or T'Challa, whomever I see first."

"This hardly seems like a matter to concern the King with." Bucky said, resuming his meal.

"True, but I can't very well ask Shuri or Kanoni, because then they'll blow the entire thing out of proportion. I need someone who won't freak out when I ask." she explained. She loved the girls dearly, but she knew Bucky would want to keep things low key, and if she was honest, she did too.

"What, you don't want a massive wedding with the entire country invited?" he asked, his tone teasing even though his eyes were serious. If that's what she wanted, he would find a way to give it to her. She wrinkled her nose at the thought.

"Not really, no." she said, her answer surprising him. He remembered how excited she'd been at Jonas and Maria's wedding, a lifetime ago. Didn't all women want that?

"Really?" he asked, raising his eyebrows. He also remembered the night of her birthday party at the pub, how she basked in the attention and spent the whole night dancing and laughing. Wouldn't she want the same for a wedding?

"Really." she said with a shrug. "I love going to big weddings, don't get me wrong, but for my own...I don't know, I always envisioned something small, intimate. Plus any time you tack the word 'wedding' onto something it becomes four times as expensive."

"A good point." he conceded. He couldn't deny his surprise at her admission, or the relief that flooded through him. Though he'd come a long way healing the damage done during his time with Hydra, he didn't think he was strong enough to stand in front of a crowd of people and be the center of attention, even if it was to marry the girl of his dreams. "So, just a few people then?"

"Yea, maybe just family...nothing massive. As long as you're there." she said with a grin, reaching out to tangle her fingers with his. He idly played with the ring on her finger, and could tell he was smiling like a fool. He didn't care. "Sound good to you?"

"Sounds perfect." he said. She nodded, taking her hand away so she could finish her breakfast before getting ready and going in to the city center. She couldn't keep the smile off her face for the entire way there, trying to tone it down as she entered the building. She wouldn't deny anything if Shuri spotted the ring on her finger, but she wanted to have a plan finalized before Shuri could make a big deal out of it...even if it was kind of a big deal.

Luckily, she didn't have to hide for long, as the King was already present in the lab when she arrived, deep into a discussion with his sister about new advances she'd made on his suit. She tucked her hands into her pockets for some reason, suddenly shy about her engagement, wanting to stay in their little happy bubble for just a moment longer. She didn't think she'd run into T'Challa this soon, but she hesitantly admitted to herself that she might have to take advantage of it.

"Good morning!" Shuri sang as Mika put her purse down at her desk. She immediately came over, grabbing her by the elbow and dragging her back to where the siblings were previously stationed. "Can you please tell my brother that he needs to upgrade his suit for automatic movements in the case of injury?"

"I don't think I have a right to tell your brother anything." she said, smirking at T'Challa. He grinned in return, though that quickly changed as Shuri smacked both of them in the arm.

"It's an important safety feature!" she exclaimed, affronted.

"Shuri, that technology would be better suited in medicine and rehabilitation, not in my suit." T'Challa pointed out. Mika had to agree; the things that she'd seen workshopped and made for the medical bay were beyond incredible, and those were the moments she was gladdest that they were now sharing their advancements with the world.

Shuri, however, was unamused. She rolled her eyes dramatically. "It's already used there, how do you think I developed it in the first place?"

"The suit works fine. Use these things to help others, don't worry about me." he said. Wrong thing to say.

"Just because it works doesn't mean it can't be improved!" she said, stomping her foot for good measure. Mika stood quietly off to the side, knowing that this was not a time for her to intervene. She knew why Shuri was so concerned - she'd admitted, late one night when it was just the two of them in the lab, that she still had nightmares about T'Challa's near death experience. And she coped with it by working. "Someone has to protect you, brother, since you sometimes forget to do it yourself!"

T'Challa was quiet then, and Mika thought he finally understood. He nodded, pulling the necklace off and handing it to her. "You're right. Please, adjust it as you see fit." he conceded. Shuri was shocked for a moment, her emotions rollercoastering in a way that only happens when you're seventeen years old. For a moment, she thought the Princess was going to cry, or hug her brother, but instead she just bounced back, smirking in triumph.

"When will you learn that I am always right?" she asked rhetorically, taking the necklace from him and laying it on the table. She didn't turn around as she said, "That will be all, I will see you later!"

T'Challa rolled his eyes, but couldn't help a good natured grin at the back of Shuri's head. He nodded once to Mika before turning on his heel and striding towards the door. Mika froze; this was it, this was the only time that she knew for sure she could have a moment of the King's time without making things painfully obvious. But she was suddenly filled with nerves, though she couldn't quite understand why. He'd just turned the corner out of the lab before she took off after him, sparing one quick glance to make sure his sister was still occupied.

"Your Highness!" she whispered fervently as she caught up to him in the hall. T'Challa stopped, turning to her with a confused look on his face.

"Is there a reason we're whispering?" he murmured, looking towards the lab. Mika felt her face heat up, and tried to swallow back the chagrin.

"I just...wanted to talk to you, if you have a moment." she said, in a slightly more normal but still subdued tone. "I just don't want Shuri to hear...yet."

That piqued his interest, and he smiled in a brotherly way. "Do you have some exciting news to share?" he asked, glancing none-too-subtly at her abdomen before returning his eyes to hers. Mika balked at the insinuation, immediately covering her stomach with her hands.

"No, not that." she said immediately, though now that he mentioned it...she wouldn't hate it if that was the case. But that was beside the point. "Something far less exciting, I'm afraid."

"Do tell." he said, his face smoothing to his kingly mask. Mika took a breath, wringing her hands in an effort not to chip at her nail polish in front of the King. The King who happened to be a dear friend of hers. The King who'd saved her, given her a place to live, a place to work. The nerves melted away - why should she be anxious about this? He would no doubt be happy about it.

Though this definitely was not something high on his list of priorities. That was probably why she was so hesitant to ask. "I just was curious about, um...how one goes about getting married, in Wakanda." she said. For a moment, she could almost feel the words hanging between them, see as T'Challa heard them. His eyes widened, and then flicked down again, this time noticing the sparkle on her hand. Then, he smiled widely and pulled her into a hug.

"Congratulations." he said, a little too loudly. Mika shushed him and pulled back, remembering a little too late that she probably shouldn't shush a King. He furrowed his brows, taking no offense at her actions, and instead just asking, "Why must this be a secret?"

"We just...don't want to make a big thing of it. Wanted to keep it small and quiet." she explained. "You know Bucky."

"I do indeed." T'Challa agreed. He still smiled, but any excitement he felt was hidden now. "Well, normally, the leader of the tribe would preside over the union, but since you two aren't natives of this land...I guess I'll just have to officiate it myself."

"Oh no, we couldn't ask-" she tried to be polite, not wanting to take up any of his free time. He was a King after all, and had much more important things to do than wed them. But he held up his hand, effectively silencing her.

"Nonsense. It would be my honor." he said, and the way he spoke made Mika feel like he was being perfectly honest. She bit her lip, trying not to get emotional over this and failing miserably.

"Thank you." she said quietly, wondering if it would be inappropriate to hug him again.

"Of course, there is a matter of the witnesses. And the party afterwards. I'm assuming you don't want the entirety of the country involved?" he asked with a smirk. Mika's heart plummeted to her shoes at the thought of so many people witnessing such an intimate moment, even though the look on his face said he was kidding.

"What's the bare minimum we could get away with?" she asked, making him laugh and shake his head.

"Two, besides yourselves. For the sake of the paperwork." he replied, and she felt a certain sense of relief. So they could have Steve, and Nicoletta. Though depending on Steve's current engagements (pun completely intended), it could be weeks or even months before he was able to return to Wakanda. And Mika, for one, did not want to wait that long. What was it that Bucky had said? I'm tired of wasting time. But did she dare risking the wrath of her sister or her friend due to her impatience?

"So, hypothetically, when could this happen?" she said. It's not like they needed a ton of time to plan; she could buy a new dress at the market, and she and Bucky could host their witnesses for a celebratory supper afterwards. T'Challa raised his eyebrows.

"As soon as you like. Don't you want to make some preparations?" he asked. "I've been told weddings are big events that take months worth of planning."

Something in his tone made Mika burn with curiosity. "Oh yea? And who told you that?" she asked, unable to keep the teasing out of her voice.

"Literally every woman in my life." he replied, laughing. Mika smiled, not doubting for a second that the statement was true.

"Well, though I do love a big celebration, I don't really care to host one." she explained. "We just want to be married, we don't need something huge."

"Yes you do!" came a voice, and Mika immediately grimaced as she recognized Shuri's sharp tones. She turned slowly to find the girl looking quite irate, marching towards them with the fury of a teenager not invited to an outing. "I can't believe you would consult my brother before me on a matter such as this!"

"Because it's not a big deal, I didn't want to bother-" Mika tried to come up with any excuse that would placate her, but knew that nothing would work.

"'I don't want to bother'!" she said, dramatically imitating her before crossing her arms over her chest and glaring. "When are you going to learn that you are not a bother? And also, this is completely a big deal. You can't just have a paperwork wedding, you need a real wedding!"

"Absolutely not." Mika said, though she couldn't deny that maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't be the worst idea. As long as it was small. Shuri pouted, and between her big, brown eyes and trembling lower lip, she actually managed to make Mika feel a little guilty despite her years of living with Nicoletta.

"Nothing big," Shuri assured her. Mika looked to T'Challa for help, but he held his hands up in resignation. Even the King wasn't immune to her powers. "But I...I want to be...I mean, I would like to be there too. I thought we were good enough friends for that."

Mika paused at that, suddenly feeling entirely guilty. The Princess had a point. Briefly, she thought that maybe she could have Shuri be one of the witnesses, but then realized that Nicoletta would manage to find Wakanda, get past the walls, and kill her. "I'll talk to Bucky about it." she said, though she knew she would be able to convince him to change their plans.

That was enough to placate her - at least for now. She clapped her hands excitedly. "I can't wait! We have to begin planning right away-"

"Shuri…" T'Challa said with a warning, forcing her to take a deep breath and try to quell her excitement.

"Right, yes," she said, pretending to be much more grown up than she was. "Consult with Bucky first. And we'll go from there." she continued, though everyone present knew she would do no such thing.

"I'm going to take my leave now." T'Challa said, as if he didn't believe that his sister was capable of staying calm in this situation. He waved, ignoring the pleading look that Mika sent towards him, hoping he could stay and keep his sister on task. Instead he simply turned and went back to doing whatever Kings do, leaving Mika to fend for herself.

"Oh, this is going to be so much fun!" she said, linking their elbows and taking her back to the lab, chattering about all the best wedding traditions for the different tribes around the country. According to Shuri, since they didn't belong to a specific tribe, they could choose whatever pieces they wanted. Then of course she remembered that Mika and Bucky weren't from Wakanda, and started asking about any and every wedding tradition from Romania. It was a whole hour before Mika could get her to calm down and focus on their work, saying that there were more important things for them to worry about today.

And yet, she couldn't keep the grin from her face for the entire day, couldn't help stopping every so often to admire the ring on her finger as it shone in the lights of the lab. It was silly and girly, she knew, but if there was ever a time to be silly and girly, it was the day after getting engaged. The day seemed to float by, and she found that Shuri's giddiness was contagious, making it difficult to focus on their projects. She finally gave up a few hours into the afternoon, deciding that was enough work for the day, and that she wanted to go home and celebrate her engagement, instead of just thinking about it nonstop. Any coding she had left to do could wait for tomorrow.

She thought of what Nicoletta asked her that morning, and considered calling her mother on the drive home. After all, she did deserve to know if her daughter was getting married, right? She picked up the phone, even getting so far as to dialing the number, but stopped before starting the call. She loved her mother, no matter how much they argued or how differently they viewed things. And it hurt that she'd cut her off so swiftly and completely, choosing to listen to news outlets over her own daughter. She desperately wanted to repair things between them, but she couldn't very well do that if she never picked up her calls.

With a sigh, she pressed the call button, holding it to her ear as it started ringing. It rang once, twice, three times, before a click interrupted it. She held her breath, waiting to hear her mother's voice.

"I'm sorry, the person you have dialed is not available. Please leave a message after the tone." The automated voice felt cold and impersonal, and Mika deflated again. The answering machine beeped, and she took a deep breath before leaving another message.

"Hi mum, it's me. Mika." she said, as if their mother would need clarification. "I just wanted to call and tell you that, um...Bucky and I are engaged. I don't know any details yet but...I wanted to tell you, and see if maybe you wanted to…" she trailed off again, trying to bolster her confidence. "Just call me back, okay? Love you."

With that, she hung up, taking a moment to feel sorry for herself before shaking off the phone call. If her mother wanted to be that way, that was fine. But Mika was not going to let her ruin this good day. Bucky was out on the front porch when she arrived at home, the kids running around with Luna in the front yard. His face lit up as much as it ever did, his hand raising in a wave as the kids (and dog) ran to greet her.

Life was good, and she was going to focus on that.

Ah, happy engaged bliss! I hope y'all are enjoying this easy breezy slice of life stuff...don't worry, we're going to get through the wedding before Infinity War starts! And then, depending on how Endgame goes, we'll have a good little chunk of angst and adventure following it ;)

Thank you so much to those who review! Y'all are pretty much the reason I keep writing haha. I've been having trouble slapping the words together recently, and y'all make it all worth it!

Good luck this week to those seeing Endgame (me included) haha...please let me know what you thought!

-XM