You couldn't get a moment to breathe; not one breath alone since this all began to spiral out of control, with the news spreading through the team like wildfire. At first, you had thought that Steve and his big mouth gave it away, but with his shirt gripped in your fist and his wide-eyed fear looking back at you when you confronted him, it became clear who let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.

When Steve brought the quinjet in to land at the compound so that you could rest in the comfort of your own home, the groan from his throat was unmistakable, and you didn't even need to look out of the window to know what awaited you. "(Y/N)-"

"Is it him?"

"I can only see the jet. Do you want me to go stealth and make a break for it?"

"No," you sighed, leaning back against the bulkhead with a thump of your head, "I have to talk to him at some point, right? He obviously knows or why would he be here?"

Steve continued to watch the Wakandan jet with a steady hand on the controls, taking a pass just in front of it on the way to the compound's hangar. What he saw pitched him into a strange inner spiral of relief and contempt; it wasn't T'Challa in the pilot seat at all. He didn't even have the courtesy to come to you, sending one of his guards in his place. "That son of a-"

"What is she doing here?" you whispered to yourself, slamming the door control to open the path for you to greet your visitor. Your steps were hurried and uncertain, with your unwanted guardian fast on your heels to hear what was going on and watching over your shoulder as the pilot stepped down the jet ramp and to face you.

"(Y/N), I'm glad to see that you're well."

"Okoye," you nodded slightly, "what brings you all the way here?" Even as the question passed through your lips, you groaned softly at the lack of believability in your voice. It was obvious that she was there to get information and report back to T'Challa, but when she answered your question, it wasn't at all what you expected.

"I'm here to bring you back to Wakanda. We can send for your remaining belongings later, so take only what you need until then."

"So, he's sending you to do his dirty work? He can't be here and tell me this himself?"

"He had other matters-"

"There should be no other matters more important than this!" you exploded. "If he thinks that he can order me back to Wakanda without the courtesy of asking me first, then he should be here and do it himself! If he thinks that he's going to be any kind of father-"

Okoye didn't take to challenging her King very well, and you could see her hands curl into fists before she carefully moved them to rest against her back. Her eyes darted up and over your shoulder towards Steve, and as much as you wanted to turn back and see in him what she did, you were frankly too nervous to. "(Y/N)," she began, her voice lowered to a firm whisper, "now that you carry his child, the future King or Queen of Wakanda, you are expected...you are commanded to return and reside there until they are born. After that, you may do as you so please, but this child will be Wakandan."

"Whose words are you reciting? Yours or his?"

"They are the words of my country."

Steve had now rested a hand on each of your arms, likely involuntarily to give himself more comfort than what he was giving you. You felt amusingly not unlike a shield in his hold, either keeping him from Okoye, or keeping him safe from her. "There needs to be a better way to do this. I think that T'Challa and (Y/N) should be working through this themselves, as a private matter."

"I'm sorry, Okoye, but I'm not moving until he talks to me himself," you agreed, "and maybe not even then. I know that you're the greatest fighter in all of Wakanda, but I have a Hulk."

~~~

Steve took you up on the threat of having a Hulk, calling on Bruce to talk to you while he tried to diffuse the situation with Okoye. She had kept a trained eye on you as you were led past her and into the compound, with her senses on alert for any trickery to keep you hidden from her and T'Challa. She truly was torn, and battling with herself over all of this; her country and her King comes first, but as a woman she couldn't help but feel pangs of guilt over her stance on the matter. She wanted to tell you that she felt this way, but her chance wouldn't come when Steve physically blocked her from taking even a single step in your direction.

"Captain, please allow me to talk to her," she asked calmly. "I handled this poorly and I would like the opportunity to apologize."

"But your position on this doesn't change."

"It can't."

"Then no, you can't."

Once inside the compound, Bruce led you to the kitchen and sat you down at the table as he grabbed a beverage for each of you from the refrigerator. He had no idea what he was supposed to say to you, only that Steve had asked him to keep you busy while he sorted out things with the lady from Wakanda. He took two bottles of water in hand and turned back to give you one, but your body language only left him sad and defeated as it emanated from you; your head was resting on your folded arms as you leaned onto the hard surface, your body practically curled into itself.

"(Y/N), what can I do?"

"I don't know what's happening anymore, Bruce. I haven't had a second to stop and process this. I haven't even talked to T'Challa since I found out. Something like this is supposed to be a happy thing, right? All that I've felt so far is overwhelmed and terrified."

"Okay," he paused, slowly pulling out the chair next to you to take a seat, "then let's call him."

"He should be here instead of sending Okoye. What could be more important than this?"

"Oh, I fully intend to ask, believe me," he continued, only now he had taken his phone from his pocket without catching your eye, and he was already dialing T'Challa's number. Bruce and T'Challa's interactions had been rare up to this point, so it would be interesting to see how the doctor would handle this conversation with a man he barely knew, and T'Challa wasn't likely to budge for anyone he didn't implicitly trust. You sat in silence and watched the subtle, minuscule shifts in his expression as he spoke, trying to imagine what was being said on the other side of the line.

"Your Highness, it's Bruce Banner...yes, I have (Y/N) here...no, you should talk to her...fine, let me phrase it more concisely for you. You're going to talk to her," he ordered, pushing the phone out to you to take.

"Hello," you began very monotone, and very disconnected. Even if the first music of his voice would destroy you to hear, you had to play a good game as best as you could.

"(Y/N), I am on my way there. We need to talk in person."

"No kidding," you huffed, "it certainly was quite the shock to have Okoye waiting on my doorstep for a kidnapping."

"I'm sorry for that. I didn't think that I would make it there on my own, but plans were changed."

"That still doesn't excuse assuming that I'm going back to Wakanda with you, T'Challa. I have a life too."

"The future ruler should be raised in the nation they will grow to lead, amongst their people. I have much to teach."

"Are you expecting me to marry you because of this?"

"I assumed that was understood-"

"You sure do assume a lot, you know that? I can't do this right now, I'll see you when you get here," you hissed, fully in disbelief. This was unlike the man you had come to love, and who you had envisioned sharing a life with, but not like this. Not if you were being told to and not asked to as you should have been. You could feel your anxiety and anger building, your heart pumping and your breaths quickening. Talking to him had only made you feel worse, and all you wanted was a few minutes alone.

And maybe a little extra oxygen.

"Bruce, can you help me...get outside? I need...some air." He rushed to stand and took your hand as you joined him, but a belt of pain wrapped around your middle and stabbed into your side with the shift in positon. "Okay, or not..."

"What's happening?"

"Something hurts...but it's not too bad. I think I sat on the jet too long."

"Hmm, maybe," he answered very quietly, introspective as only the worst-case scenarios ran through his genius mind. "Let's get you to a couch just to be safe." It was becoming equally difficult for Bruce to contain his own anxiety as he watched, trying to keep his focus on you, as well as focusing on keeping the other guy inside settled down as well.

"I just need fresh air," you argued, pushing him away a step. You were conflicted and wanted his help, but the closer he came, the more you felt suffocated and as if the walls were closing in faster with each passing second. "I need to get...outside."

"FRIDAY, I could use some backup."

"Captain Rogers is on the way, Doctor."

"I don't need Steve...I need you to-" you broke with a harsh, pained gasp, "I need to get...air..." You clutched your side where it felt like you were being repeatedly stabbed, feeling the muscle beneath it clench and hold, rigid and unyielding. Maybe this was more than just a cramped muscle from immobility, and your panic only grew worse. When you saw Steve come around the corner and into your sights, it was as if you finally allowed yourself to take a real breath of relief; the sudden rush of oxygen made your head spin, and he caught you just before your body touched the ground.

~~~

As if T'Challa weren't already both angry and ashamed with himself, he was now growing nervous as to what he would say to you when he could finally come face-to-face. Speaking to you over the phone made it easier for reactions to be hidden, but you would never be able to hide from him once he could look into your eyes; the same held true for him, and he had to be prepared with what side of him you would see.

Even the most advanced jet in the world wasn't moving fast enough for him, so when a call came in from Okoye, his first instinct was to snap at her that he was moving as quickly as he could, anticipating that you were trying to leave before he could arrive. He had just acted like a complete ass, and he wouldn't blame you if you succeeded. All he needed was a moment to apologize, and to hope that you would give him at least that much.

"Sire," she began, "your presence is needed immediately. How far out-"

"Okoye, I'm flying this thing as quickly as I can. I cannot change the laws of physics."

"T'Challa, it's (Y/N). Captain Rogers has taken her to a hospital in the city, and he is refusing to allow me to follow. I'm being held back at the compound by a very large, very green beast."

T'Challa's spine straightened, the instant surge of his blood coursing through him sending him into a wash of confusion, pain, terror, and rage. In the moment, he was thankful for Steve to be at your side, but he was equally filled with fury that he wasn't, and how dare he keep Okoye from you when she was sent there for you specifically. "Get there," he commanded, "I don't care what you have to do. You were sent to protect her, and my child, and that is what I expect you to do, General."