Chapter Text
Nervous couldn't even begin to describe how T'Challa felt as he watched his girlfriend from across the garden. She looked so splendid, sitting there in her yellow gown, white flowers woven into her hair. She laughed and chatted with the other women, telling them stories about him, no doubt. Her brown skin seemed to glow in the light of the setting sun, making her look like the queen he knew she was meant to be.
It was time.
"Excuse me, everyone!" T'Challa called about the sound of the American soul music Sam Wilson put on. Abruptly, the crooning of Marvin Gaye's Got to Give it Up ceased, turned off by Okoye, one of the loyal Dora Milaje. Sam did not look pleased, eyeing Okoye as if she just kicked a puppy. Or a bird, rather.
All eyes focused on T'Challa. He knew he shouldn't be so anxious - this was not his first time doing something in front of a crowd - but he was. There was a chance his beloved Adia would reject him. Why did I wait so long? What is wrong with me? How could I not see what was right in front of me all along? T'Challa stopped that train of thought. It would do nothing to quell his high-strung emotions.
"Hello, everyone," T'Challa started, taking a sip of the champagne in his hand. He wished it was a full bottle of whiskey. It would make this much easier.
From somewhere in the crowd of Wakanda's tribe leaders and superheroes from all over the world, T'Challa could hear Tony Stark whoop in encouragement. The nosey engineer was snooping in T'Challa's study and had found the ring. It took promises of a swift, silent death to keep Stark from hinting at anything to Adia.
T'Challa cleared his throat. "Thank you all for coming to celebrate my beautiful Adia's name day. It means a lot to us both that you are here," he said to the crowd. People began to clap and cheer, obviously enjoying the festivities planned by the great king. He motioned for Adia to come to his side, which she did with a bright smile. Her happiness was contagious, soothing T'Challa's rampant nerves. "My beloved Adia was very eager to get to meet all of the heroes of the world and to see the tribes she grew up around again."
Adia laughed. "I was eager to get a slice of the birthday cake the Avengers made for me," she joked, gesturing over to the five tier half-chocolate half-yellow cake with decorations compiled of Wakandan symbols. It was topped with little figurines of T'Challa in the Black Panther suit holding Adia, in a golden gown that seemed to shimmer brighter than any priceless gem T'Challa ever saw. It was truly a magnificent edible present.
Once more, the crowd dissolved into cheers. T'Challa wished they could pause the moment right here. Everyone looked so happy compared to how they were just a year ago. They'd repaired what was broken in such little time that T'Challa still marveled at it months later. From Stark and Rogers participating in a couple of the games being played, to the Maximoff twins socializing with the Dora Milaje guarding the exit out of the garden. Hell, even to Barnes, the man he'd once wanted to end the life of, was standing in the crowd, shamelessly flirting with Shuri.
As the audience quieted, T'Challa turned to his lover and couldn't help the wide, almost goofy smile that spread across his face. Like the true soulmate she was, Adia mirrored his expression, happy to see him happy. His heart ached as he watched her brown eyes glimmer with that warmth he would die for. "Adia, I cannot tell you how proud I am of you choosing to remain by my side after everything that has happened between us. You are my everything, and although I have been with you for so long, I have felt as if there was something missing."
Curiously, Adia tilted her head to the side. Where was her panther going with this?
T'Challa kneeled in front of Adia, reaching into his pocket and pulling out the black velvet box. He opened it, and the gasp that left her mouth pleased him. "Will you do me the honor of being my wife?" Tears filled her eyes, and she waved her hands about as if to fan them away.
Screams, shouts and various other noises of excited exclamation filled the air. T'Challa tried to ignore it, wanting to hear the three letter word he hoped for leave Adia's mouth. Patiently, he waited.
"Yes!" Adia cried, flinging herself at him. T'Challa rose up to catch her before they could both go down. The audience erupted into boisterous applause that was but a mere echo of his own elation. As he crushed Adia to his body, a few tears of his own fell from his eyes. This was the best day of his life.
~*~*~*~*~*~
"My makeup," Adia whined, trying not to cry and harder than she already was. As soon as she made it to her husband as the end of the aisle, the waterworks started up. T'Challa took it in stride, knowing that from the way her lip trembled and her hands clutched onto his, she wasn't crying out of regret but utter happiness.
"You're still beautiful, my gift. No one could rival you," he told her. And she was beautiful. Her long silky white gown that fell to the floor, a split going up the side to reveal her smooth brown right leg, made her look like her namesake, a gift from Bast herself.
Adia smiled through her tears. "I love you so much."
"And I love you." He leaned forward and kissed his slowly. A throat cleared, making him pull away. Bruce Banner, an ordained clergyman in many countries, looked a little flustered. He pushed up his glasses and lightly chastised them with, "You kiss after."
T'Challa gave him a grin that told of just how little he cared about the rules. In his eyes, Adia was already his wife, and he was her husband. "Sorry," he apologized with very little sincerity in it.
Together, Adia and T'Challa went through the traditional Wakandan ceremony, unable to stop themselves from sneaking in more kisses and meaningful looks.
"How much do you want to bet they wont make it to the Hawaii for their honeymoon?" Natasha whispered to Pepper.
"Hawaii? They won't make it out of the palace."
The pair chuckled at that, knowing that with the way the bride and groom were acting, that was certainly true.
"You may now k - Really?!" they heard from an exasperated Bruce.
The crowd began to laugh as T'Challa swooped in to kiss his wife, not having let Bruce finish.