Avengers (the cartoon) belongs to Marvel. I only own Luna.

Never Fear What The Future Holds

T'Challa watched the sunrise from the top of the Avengers Mansion, noting how for once he could see the colors rather than fog, which was usually the case. He slightly turned his head as he heard someone come up behind him. "Morning, Dad," came the voice of his pre-teen daughter, Luna.

"Good morning, my little one," he said, accepting the cocoa drink she had handed him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes," she said before looking away. "Dad, can I talk to you?"

"Of course," he said, turning to her.

She looked nervous. "I'll be thirteen soon," she said. "And...I'm not looking forward to it."

"Why is that?" Black Panther asked.

Luna looked at him. "I...I don't want to face the challenges that I've seen others struggle with," she said. "It seems...well...,"

"Daunting?" He supplied gently.

She nodded before looking at him. "I'd just rather avoid facing challenges like that because they're beyond my control."

He could see where she was coming from and he smiled. "The challenges might be beyond your control, but you will still have to face them," he said gently. "However, how you approach them is what will decide how those challenges are solved."

"What do you mean, Dad?" Luna asked.

He smiled again. "When I first accepted the role of Black Panther, I was nervous too, though I had been preparing for it all my life," he said.

"But if you were ready for it, why were you nervous?" She asked.

He chuckled. "On the outside, I was ready, but mentally, I wasn't completely ready," he admitted, gazing at the sunrise for a moment. "My father told me that sometimes we are not ready to take the path that is before us, but we must take the path with an open mind and not turn back at the first sign of trouble."

Luna looked thoughtful. "In other words, face the challenges head on and find a way to solve them," she said.

"Yes," he said. "And to lead an entire tribe and maintain peace with the other tribes wasn't easy. Once I had earned their respect, I realized I had to never break their trust or lose their respect."

The pre-teen nodded before gazing at the sunrise. "But...you didn't have the rough past that I had," she said softly. "Parents dying, abusive foster parents, grandmother dying, and having to run for your life."

He nodded gently. "My father joined our ancestors before I became Black Panther," he said.

Luna flinched, feeling a bit ashamed she had assumed he hadn't gone through hardship. "Sorry," she said softly.

T'Challa chuckled. "You didn't know, my little one," he said gently.

They were quiet for a bit before she looked at her father. "What was grandpa like?" She asked.

"A good man and a strong king," he said. "He loved both our family and his people. He would have loved you too."

"Even though I'm an outsider?"

The black-suited hero shook his head. "You are not an outsider, Luna. You are my daughter," he said. "He would have welcomed you with open arms as your aunt did."

She smiled at that before leaning against her father's side, her head resting on his shoulder. "Dad...promise I won't lose you too?" She said.

He wrapped his right arm around her, holding her in a side hug. "I won't be around forever, Luna," he said gently. "There will be a day when I will join the ancestors too."

"Yeah, but...," Luna hugged him, trying to keep her tears back, but they leaked out of her eyes as her shoulders shook a little. Realizing that she was afraid of losing him like she had her parents and grandmother, Black Panther picked her up and held her in his lap as if she was a smaller child.

The girl clung to her father, sniffling as she felt him rub her back to help her calm down. "Shh, calm down, my little one," he soothed in her ear, gently wiping away her tears. The soothing gestures helped her to calm down, but she still clung to her father.

"I knew my parents had enemies and I was afraid something bad would happen to them," she said. "And it did. They ended up being killed and I not only lost them, but my grandmother too."

Ah, he now understood where he fear was coming from. "Luna, my little one, I'll be around for a while," he said soothingly. "I would never leave you."

She still clung to him. "Do you promise?" She asked.

"I promise, but there is one thing I want you to remember, my little one."

"Yes?"

"Never fear what the future may hold, my daughter," he said, his claws running gently over her head soothingly, calming her down. "Promise me that."

She nodded. "I promise, Dad," she said. "But...how can I be certain that I can face the challenges that come?"

"By not running when they do come up and facing them," he said. "Find a way to solve them. Nothing is too impossible to overcome."

Luna gave that some thought and she sighed. "I guess my fears are kind of silly, huh?" She said.

"No, not silly," he said, chuckling gently. "Just maybe your fear making the challenges seem bigger than they are or will be."

With that, he began tickling her sides and she burst into giggles, squirming to get away, but then he went for her lower ribs, her most ticklish spot.

"EEEEK! DAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAD!" She laughed out, trying to squirm, but unable to escape.

Black Panther chuckled and stopped the tickle torture, ruffling his daughter's hair playfully and she playfully smacked away his hand, but then sobered. "Dad, if something did happen to you, Aunt Shuri would become Queen, right?" She asked.

"Actually, that title would fall to you," he said. "Because you are my daughter, the throne would be yours if something did happen to me."

Luna bit her lip, looking unsure. "But that's quite a ways off," T'Challa said, gently lifting his daughter's chin with a gentle hand. "But you shouldn't fear it. Your aunt would help you with your duties."

She nodded. "Okay," she said, understanding what he was telling her. "But seriously, promise me you'll be around for a long time. I still have a lot to learn."

"And I've much to teach you," he said. "I promise, my little one. I'll always be here for you, even when I'm not here. I'll never be far."

She smiled and hugged him. He returned the hug before seeing the sun was almost fully risen. "Let's greet the sun," he said.

Smiling, Luna stood up and her father stood beside her before they both stood tall and crossed their arms over their chests, ready for a new day and ready to face whatever the future would hold.

This story is a tribute to the great Chadwick Boseman, the actor who played Black Panther and so many other great roles. A man who inspired many and had a big heart. He will be missed.

RIP Chadwick Boseman. Rest in peace, great warrior.

GoldGuardian2418