https://youtu.be/aGJGemcsOfI

You weren't born into the life of a SHIELD agent, you were dragged into it by your adopted parent, Nick Fury. He had noticed the aptitude early on, but he didn't push; if there was one super power that Nick possessed, it was his intuition. As the years together passed, you watched him work from a cautious distance, intrigued and fascinated at his alter ego; when he was at home, he was a nearly perfect father, but when he worked, he was powerful and ruthless. He was never unkind or unfair, but he had immense expectations of those who were on his team, and you saw it as a welcome challenge that you were ready to take on.

When the Avengers came together as the world was trying to come to an end, you saw it as your opportunity, and found yourself on a helicarrier at the center of it all with Nick commanding you with the same force and unforgiving attitude as he was with anyone who worked at your side. You wouldn't have expected anything less, and it actually made you feel that much closer to him when the day was done. He trusted you.

He trusted you right up until the time he didn't. Nick had yet to see you so distracted, especially when you were on the clock; his clock.

A few years later when the entire Avenger war had taken place that had effectively split the team in two, you felt fortunate that you were in a place that didn't require you to choose. SHIELD had been no longer for some time, but you had taken work with the team, as did Nick, since the fall of the organization. Of course, you had your preferences in regard to the sides as they had formed, but there was no room for favorites because the world still needed protectors, and each side was still doing so in their own way.

You had been assigned to monitor Tony after his return home to the compound; he would be a traumatized man who had a penchant for hiding his pain. He had to believe that you were there for work and to fill in some of the gaps left behind by his teammates, and in no way could he know that you were there for him. Fortunately, this was easy for you to achieve, once your attentions were quickly pulled away from your work and towards the newest Avenger ally.

~~~

You make it look like it's magic
'Cause I see nobody, nobody but you, you, you
I'm never confused

I'm so used to being used
So I love when you call unexpected
'Cause I hate when the moment's expected
So I'ma care for you, you, you
I'ma care for you, you, you, you, yeah
'Cause girl you're perfect
You're always worth it
And you deserve it

"Is that T'Challa?" you whispered to Vision, who had barely heard you. His attentions were also divided since Tony's return, his own mind filled with reminiscence of the events of the past days and the destruction he had been such an active part of. He was so lost within himself that he answered with only the slightest nod.

You decided quickly that asking him anything further would be a waste of time, so you took the initiative on your own and crossed the living room to meet the object of your attentions. He was unbelievable regal in his stature, but at the same time he seemed to be approachable and not to say common, but real. He caught your approach right away, turning to you with a smile that left you uncharacteristically mute.

"Hello," he greeted first, his hand out to you, "you must be (Y/N)?"

"Y-yes, I am," you stumbled, welcoming the shake of his hand. "Your highness, it's an honor to finally meet you."

"Please, call me T'Challa. I really find the formality to be unnecessary when not in Wakanda. Actually, sometimes even there," he smiled again. He hadn't released your hand yet, not allowing you the slightest movement to try to get it back. "Please, don't be nervous. I don't bite."

"But, aren't you a panther?"

"Only by trade."

"Hmm, that's something of a disappointment," you teased, but when that's what made him let you go, you immediately worried that you had insulted him in your attempt at levity. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean that the way it came out-"

There was that stupid smile of his again, and you couldn't believe how quickly his effect took hold of you. "(Y/N), please, I am capable of taking a joke."

"Right, sorry...I mean...sorry..." you looked around the room for your way to escape, but he wasn't about to allow that.

"Okay, enough," he stopped you, reaching out for your hand again, "we've clearly taken off to a rough start. Hello, I'm T'Challa. And, you are?"

"(Y/N)," you played along, "it's nice to meet you. I think I may have heard your name before, but you don't look familiar. Couldn't have been anything too important."

"No, certainly not. Could you imagine how conceited I might be if I were?"

"Unbearable."

"Intolerable."

"Unattractive, for sure."

"Okay, (Y/N), too far," T'Challa chuckled brightly, letting your hand go and taking a step back, "there's no need to bring my ego into this so quickly. We've only just met."

"No! That meant that you areattractive! I was saying that you'd be unattractive if you were any more conceited...oh, no! No! I meant if you were conceited at all...oh, dammit."

T'Challa couldn't do anything but shake his head in entertained disbelief, his hands now on his hips to hold himself steady as he laughed quietly and tried to decide his next move. You were certainly unlike anyone else he had met here, and you had definitely grabbed his attention in the right way. He quickly came to the decision that he wasn't yet ready to say goodbye to you, and that he needed to know more about who you were and the role you were sure to play in his coming days at the compound before he returned home. "Very well," he sighed, "then there appears to be only one thing to be done to repair the damage we've both so efficiently committed here today."

"What would that be?" you asked cautiously. There was no way he was about to say anything other than his desire to never see you again, and to never again have to hear your idiocy tumbling out in your voice.

"I simply must take you to dinner this evening."

~~~

The first dinner together went about as well as your first meeting had; by the time the evening was over, you would have nearly a full glass of wine spilled down your shirt and he would be missing his phone, inciting the most frantic search party you had ever seen. But, despite the bumps and errors, if the two of you had learned anything over that ill-fated meal, it was that you were perfectly matched despite the countless differences. You had nearly nothing in common, you lived on completely different continents, he was a king and you were the adopted child of the scariest man you had ever met. That didn't stop you from spending hours talking about everything and nothing at all, closing down the restaurant and finally being asked to leave so that the staff could go home. As perfect as at least that much had been, the odds of getting a second date were poor at best, but you would have to wait to find out the fate of any future relationship here.

The next morning, T'Challa was due to leave back to Wakanda to be crowned king, and he had given you reassurance that he would return as soon as he could. The leaving part made Nick quite happy, the returning part not so much.

"You're not seriously considering seeing him again, are you?"

"I seriously am, yes."

Nick hung his head as he considered his next words; you were an adult and could make your own decisions, but when they were the wrong ones in his opinion, he took it upon himself to be sure that you saw it as well. "(Y/N), think about this," he began quietly, "he's a king, and he lives pretty far away. It's not like you can just drop by for coffee after work when you want to see each other. Dating is going to be just about impossible, and that's just getting past his security. Not to mention that he'll probably have no time for himself as it is."

"That's true, no kings in history have ever had a partner, or kids, or a life outside of parking their asses on the throne and barking out orders."

"Hmm, so you're already having kids after one dinner?"

"Dad, stop, I know where this is going."

"No, you don't," he cleared his throat a little nervously, "can't imagine why you would think that."

"Because no one I've ever dated has met your unreachable standards? Maybe that?" you answered smugly. "I'm pretty sure that T'Challa will meet every one of them anyway, so you can relax. You should be happy about this."

"Honey, no matter who you decide to see, I'll never be happy. It's a father's prerogative."

"He is an actual king."

"Right," he smiled with a complacent nod, "and if this all works out and you two end up together, are you saying that you're ready to be a queen?" When his only response from you was silence, he stood from his chair and moved around the desk to stand next to you, placing a supportive and understanding hand on your shoulder, doing his best to not seem condescending; he would never want his best attempts at affection to come across that way, but for a man of his stature, it often happened anyway. "It's okay, (Y/N), that's a lot to think-"

"Yes," you interrupted, your mind catching up over your rushing thoughts, "yes, I think I would."

~~~

You know our love would be tragic (oh yeah)
So you don't pay it, don't pay it no mind
We live with no lies
And you're my favourite kind of night

So I love when you call unexpected
'Cause I hate when the moment's expected
So I'ma care for you, you, you
I'ma care for you, you, you, you, yeah
'Cause girl you're perfect

You're always worth it
And you deserve it

Just when you thought that it would take forever to hear back from T'Challa, with the crowning ceremony and his need to establish himself as King, you overheard Tony talking to someone as you passed by his office. When T'Challa's name crossed his lips you couldn't help but allow it to catch your attention; you had no right to the man, and you had been on only one simple date, but you still felt a tug in your heart at the sound in Tony's voice.

"What's wrong?" you mouthed silently to him, holding steady at his door.

"Wait there," he whispered back with a hand up to keep you there. He finished his conversation and set his phone down gently, taking great care to put the face to the desktop. "(Y/N), what's up?"

"I was asking you the same thing."

"Ah, that's nothing, just business. Boring as hell," he waved you off dismissively. "So, I was looking over the plans that your dad sent over for building another hangar bay on the east side of the building-"

"Tony," you interrupted, "is T'Challa okay?"

"As far as I know."

"Okay, I'll just ask Dad then if you won't tell me."

Tony chewed nervously on his lower lip as he did so often when he was buying time, and you were quick to catch on. You stormed your way across the room, reaching out to take his phone before he could respond; when he did, it was as if he barely gave it any effort to actually stop you. What you read across the screen was a punch in the gut as it began to sink in, and you had to say it aloud as if your voice would actually make it real when your mind just wouldn't accept it.

"Newly crowned Wakandan King T'Challa dead."

~~~

Thankfully, Tony didn't argue when you asked for a jet, and promised that he would do his best to keep your dad off your back while you were gone. He reassured you that he would do better at making something up after his remarkable failure with you, and you had no choice but to accept his word. He had given you a way to contact Okoye over a secure channel, but with the uprising and overthrown crown, you had no idea just how secure it would be anymore.

During the agonizingly long flight, you did your best to not allow your thoughts to be overwhelmed by the memory of your date with T'Challa, but it was a weak attempt at that. How could you not be thinking of him now that he was gone before you barely had a chance to know him or what the future could have been for you both. Torturing yourself with fantasy was doing you no good, but you didn't exactly stop it either, setting the perfect mood for your arrival in a country that you might now never see again after this. You were asking yourself why you were here even now, and you had no answer; it was just the right thing to do.

Okoye met you as you landed the jet in a field just outside of the city, her demeanor filled with stress and fear from a woman who looked like she had never carried it before. "Come, we must get you into the city unnoticed. Follow me very closely."

"I'm not really sure why I'm here, other than to pay my respects."

"Yes, I'm aware. I'll take you to a safe location until the current situation with the new king has settled. We have a large movement of...of supplies leaving soon and it would be best for you to stay clear given your association with the Avengers."

Without saying even another word, the warrior led you into the forest and through the thick brush, the foliage looking as if it went on forever in front of you. You had quickly lost track of direction as she continued on, and you began to wonder if she had been leading you away from the city rather than towards it. At least until the tree line began to break up, and a few buildings came into view. Then a few more and a few more, each of them taller and more ornate than the other, until the full miracle of Wakanda was before you.

"This is Wakanda?" you gasped.

"Yes, and you must never tell anyone of what you see here today."

"Lips are sealed."

Okoye became even more silent than she had been, which you didn't think was possible; she also stilled her movement and stared ahead and upwards towards a mountain in the near distance. You could see her spine straighten and her jaw set, which only put you on edge, and you could hear your heartbeat in your ears once the adrenaline began to surge.

"You see that building there?" she suddenly pointed urgently to a nearby structure. "The one with the landing area? Go there and wait for me. Do not stray and do not speak to anyone other than to say that I have sent you to wait. Understood?"

"Absolutely." You held silent and watched her run towards her destination, just long enough until she was out of sight and you were free. She may have been out of your sight, but the massive explosion that filled the horizon definitely wasn't. You followed the billowing smoke from the sky to the ground, only to gasp aloud at what you were seeing; it took you a moment to gather yourself and take a closer look, beyond the first emotional reaction. You swore...you swore on your own father's life that you had just seen the Black Panther. You had seen T'Challa just before he put his helmet on and ran into battle. It was him against an army, and you would be damned if you were going to stand by and watch.

"But also absolutely not," you mumbled, taking off after her, despite having no idea what you were running into. You only knew that you were running towards him.

'Cause girl you earned it

Girl you earned it

On that lonely night
You said it wouldn't be love
But we felt the rush
It made us believe it there was only us

Convinced we were broken inside

Part 2

By the time you reached the battle, it was in full force and you had lost sight of T'Challa; or, at least who you thought was T'Challa. Warriors were fighting viciously, attacking each other as if they weren't of the same people, and as if they hadn't known each other for most of their lives. It stung your heart and reminded you too much of the war your own team had just endured. You couldn't turn your eyes away, and your heart refused to allow your feet to move in any other direction than toward the chaos. Their pain was palpable, as yours had been when your family shattered, and you couldn't stand by silently as a mere witness to the massacre.

You fought as if T'Challa's army had been your own, following the lead that Okoye set forth for you despite her insistence that you fall back. Despite that insistence and her knowledge of who it was that you were fighting, you pushed on, only to quickly realize that she was right, and you were a fool to ignore her. It wasn't long before it had all blended into a hazy blur, and a strike from behind left you at the mercy of anyone who would use you as a pawn against the king.

~~~

"Who did this?"

"T'Challa?" you groaned. Your head was feeling as if it had been split in two, the lights of the room around you blinding you from seeing him. "What the hell? Where am I?"

"You were struck in the head and knocked out," Shuri answered readily. Although, you could only guess that it was her, as you had heard her speak only one time before and now it seemed as if her voice was coming from everywhere at once. "There's no permanent damage, but you'll have a terrible headache for a few days. Just take it easy, alright?"

"I will ask only one more time, and I demand to be answered," the king stated again, "who did this?"

"T'Challa, I'm fine, it's nothing."

"If you are injured, then it's not nothing. I command that I be told now."

"Brother, he didn't know who she was," Shuri tried, only to be cut off by a cold glare from him. "Alright, you can stop the scary face, you look ridiculous. It was W'Kabi."

T'Challa's jaw set and he stood straighter, squaring his shoulders in resolve to repay the kindness that his former best friend had shown you, only with much more strength and finality. "Excuse me," he dismissed himself, turning to leave before your hand could connect with his to stop him. This was truly nothing worth what he was about to do, and he needed someone to break through so that he could see it too.

"T'Challa, stop," you urged, "he really didn't know."

"(Y/N), I must speak to him. I cannot so easily forgive him for what he's done. For him to strike you down without knowing who you were is that much more of a reason for me to go. Even if it were true that he didn't know of my feelings for you, he should think before acting so foolishly."

Despite the rage in his expression and the fire behind his eyes as he looked at you, it didn't stop a smile from spreading across your lips. You gave it your best effort to hold back, but it was no use.

"Why are you smiling? I'm furious."

"I know, I'm sorry," you said with a hand up in deference, "but you just said that you have feelings for me."

"Yes. I thought that was known."

"Well, you can't really blame me. We've only been on one date, and it was sort of a disaster."

T'Challa looked around the group, including Okoye and several of her guard, along with his own mother, who looked on with a slight grin of being quite entertained. "It was not a disaster. I had a wonderful time that evening."

"So did I," you agreed readily, "but my cleaning bill was ridiculous. We had more food and drink spilled than what was eaten."

"My son has always been something of a klutz," Ramonda chuckled. "Accidents follow wherever he goes."

"Mother!"

"It's true." The queen mother leaned in closer to you and lowered her voice to a soothing, gentle tone. "He fumbles more in the presence of a beautiful lady. If he enjoys her company, he can barely hold his own glass. If he loves her, then it is best to stay home for meals, in the interests of public safety."

"I'll keep that in mind," you smiled back, accepting her gentle kiss on your cheek before she turned to leave. You reached out for T'Challa's hand, pulling yourself up to sit as he accepted it. The force of his grip nearly elicited a wince, but you held back just enough to escape his notice. "I like her already."

"Yes, she's very likable," he complained, heavily sarcastic. "Now, (Y/N), we have a matter to discuss urgently."

Here it was; you prepared yourself to be verbally berated for being there, and for getting yourself into the center of a battle that was nowhere near yours. You had been able to distract him with a little humor for the past few minutes, but it would seem that the levity was now long gone. His expression was stern again, and the guards around the room had become almost uncomfortably still. "Okay, what is it?"

"If you were unaware of my feelings for you, then why did you come to Wakanda?"

"I saw a report that you had died."

"Even less of a reason to come here."

"I wanted to pay my respects."

"Commendable," he chided, "but that can be done without such a lengthy, inconvenient journey to a country that held no guarantees of a welcome. If you choose to lie, (Y/N), please try with greater effort."

"Well, that's just rude! I'm not lying!" you exclaimed, standing abruptly. The shift in position sent a rush to your head and a few spots filled your vision, making your stance wobble. T'Challa's reflexes were sharp, taking hold and bringing you tightly against him for support. His scent was intoxicating, even covered in the dirt and blood of a battle, and it did nothing to help clear your head. "I wasn't lying," you tried again, "I really came to pay respects."

"And why was that, my dear?"

"Because...well, b-because I have feelings too..."

"There we are," he laughed aloud. The sound of it eased the tension from your every muscle and soothed the nerves you hadn't been able to let go. He had some kind of magic that he held over you and it was welcomed. He swung an arm under your legs, shifting to hold you in his arms to carry you out, your arm lazily draped around his neck. "Come, (Y/N), I think our second date should be much more relaxing. A movie and dinner at home should do well for your recovery."

~~~

Back at the compound, your absence left the rest of the team with more questions than answers, though none of them were nearly as forcefully asked than those spoken by your father.

"You let her go to Wakanda, no questions asked?" Nick growled. "You just threw her the keys to a quinjet and said to have a great trip?"

"The jet does not require the use of keys," Vision deadpanned, none the wiser.

"Shut it, that's not what I meant."

"Fury," Tony interrupted, "she's an adult. An adult who knows how to fly a jet. She wanted to pay her respects to T'Challa's family for herself, and to represent the team."

"Then send a goddamn email!"

Natasha was the next to step forward, standing nearly toe-to-toe with her friend; she was one of the few besides you who could do it without repercussion. "Why does this have you so rattled? She's gone into missions that she might not come out of and you barely bat an eye. Why is this a problem...oh. Oh, I get it. You're afraid that he'll take her from you."

"Not now that he's dead-"

"Oh shit, you didn't get the update?" Tony practically burst with a strange glee at the turn of events. "You've got all kinds of problems, Fury. King Kittycat is alive and well."

~~~

The rest of the evening had been filled with interruptions from T'Challa's staff, which you had expected after the battle that had been fought and the lines that had been drawn within his own people, but you still couldn't help the natural reaction of annoyance at it. The two of you were trying to have an evening to rest and to learn more of each other, since the first attempt hadn't gone exactly to plan. There was a part of you that hadn't expected to see him so soon, and then the announcement of his death had come, and you had tried to push your feelings aside. To be here now, at his side and knowing that your interest was reciprocated, was a welcome surprise and you were finding yourself uncertain how to move forward. The constant interruptions were only leaving you more flustered.

"I'm sorry," T'Challa whispered, "this isn't how I wanted it to go. I just wanted time."

"I know, and I'm trying to keep that in mind, because your country was pretty much on fire only a few hours ago."

"That is true, but it's no longer that way, and I have regained the throne. They must wait for me, and they will."

"I'm not expecting to take your full attention, T'Challa. I'm feeling better, and it's probably best that I start getting ready to head back home anyway." You tried to push yourself up from the couch to stand, but he rested a heavy though gentle hand on your arm to hold you still.

"Not quite yet, please."

"Really, it's okay. I'm sure that my dad is probably losing his mind by now if he knows that I'm here. I didn't tell him that I left. If word somehow got back to him that I was injured, you might want to be as far away from me as possible."

"He is very protective." With a nod, it was clear that it wasn't a question, and that he understood. "If I were a man in his position, I would feel much the same. Still, I ask that you give me more time with you now before I allow you from my sight again. Understand my position as well, (Y/N). The first time I saw you here, you were injured fighting in a battle that was my own, and my guilt is immeasurable."

"You have no reason to feel guilty-"

"Yet here we are."

"Well, get over it," you smiled cautiously, "because I'm fine. This won't be the last time we see each other, I promise you that. I haven't even left yet, and I'm already looking forward to the next time."

T'Challa was clearly opposed to your absence, his expression unable to hide it even as he turned away with a shake of his head. He wasn't used to being argued with so much, other than by Shuri, and he was now beginning to wonder exactly what he was getting himself into with you. Whatever that would be, however, he was still ready for the challenge. "You are maddening."

"You have no idea," Nick added from the doorway, standing steady with arms crossed and a stern look on his face. "Does someone mind telling me exactly what the hell is going on here?"

"Dad? What are you doing here? How did you know where I was?"

"Maybe next time fly commercial and leave the quinjet at home."

"So much for Tony keeping him off my back," you groaned under your breath, this time standing up to meet him with T'Challa's approval. "Dad, listen, I would've told you, but this is exactly the reaction that I was trying to avoid. You're too much."

"Obviously, for good reason," he retorted sharply, "I had to chase you half way across the planet to find you."

"No, you didn't. I'm an adult, and an Avenger at that! Do you honestly think that I can't take care of myself?"

Nick took a few steps forward to meet you, slowly and purposefully, his stature exuding his dominance over the room that held an actual King in his presence. But Nick couldn't care less about that as he studied you, his role of parent clouding his view. As he neared, you tried to take a step back out of pure instinct, but as if he were trying to already make a good impression T'Challa stood hurriedly behind you to hold you in place.

"Excuse me?" you asked him, fully shocked. "Whose side are you on?"

"Don't dismiss your father," he answered, his voice lowered, "he deserves your respect even if your views disagree."

"Oh, really? In that case, how about if you take over this conversation? I can't imagine that even with you being a king it would stop him from giving you the Dad lecture about dating his daughter."

You couldn't help but smile as his hands released you hastily and he took a step aside. "N-no, now there's no need for that," T'Challa argued, "I'm sure that the discussion between you both will be more than sufficient without my intrusion."

"Chickenshit."

"You would speak to a king that way?" he gasped, taken aback, but the dramatic hand to his chest was a welcome relief of his playfulness when you thought you may have taken a step too far.

"Any other king, no. But you're just T'Challa to me, so yes."

With a remorseful, slow shake of his head, he turned to leave, his voice just enough for you to hear, "I don't know which is worse, that you no longer see me as a king, or that I am merely just T'Challa. Maddening, indeed."

"See, (Y/N)," Nick chuckled under his breath, "this is why you've been single for so long."

"Riiiight...it couldn't possibly be the overprotective, hovering, butting-in-where-he-has-no-business, scary one-eyed-pirate-wannabe that follows me everywhere, now could it?"

"Nope, couldn't be that."

"Of course not," you sighed in defeat, "I see why you and Stark get along so well. Although...now that yu bring him up, maybe I should start dating him instead..." you smiled, turning away to follow T'Challa with no intent on entertaining the idea you had just planted to halt Nick in fear. "I'm gonna go let T'Challa down easy so I can give Tony a call. Thanks, Dad, that was the first good idea you've had."

"That was not my idea!" he argued immediately. The pictures that were berating his mind now were forceful and unrelenting, and he was powerless in stopping them; one picture only led to another and another with growing concern. "Don't you dare break up with that boy, (Y/N), you hear me? T'Challa's the best catch you'll ever find! He's a king! (Y/N), come back, I was wrong, alright?! (Y/N)!"