Composure

Return to Wakanda

When you had decided to turn in for the night, just as the movie the team was watching had finished, you couldn't help but smile to yourself that you were only one sleep away from something you had been waiting too long for. You would be leaving the compound in the morning for the long flight to Wakanda and to finally see T'Challa again. You hadn't been able to see him for a couple of months due to both his diplomatic work and your duties with the team, but there was a window of time that had opened at precisely the right opportunity for you both, and neither of you were willing to miss it for any reason. Steve had a mission that would take him past the country, and you had convinced him to drop you off on the way by.

You had no reason to feel nervous about seeing T'Challa again, having been together for nearly a year now, so when the wave of nausea hit your gut, you paused before getting up from the couch with both intense curiosity and an intense need to find the bathroom before your stomach could erupt in the worst place possible. You hoped that no one realized what was happening, but you also knew that your luck was the worst and Sam was quick to follow as you hurried to the hallway and slammed the bathroom door behind you.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked through the door. He gave the handle a small jiggle just to test it in case you needed help, but you had the wherewithal to have locked it. "(Y/N)? What's going on?"

"Go away, Sam," you groaned between retches, "I'm fine."

"Yeah, you sound fantastic."

"Shut up. Please...go away."

"In a minute," he conceded, but held his position at the door. Soon, Clint was next to find his way there, along with Steve and Bucky. You had no idea that they had all congregated, but at this point, you knew that Sam had a big mouth and they would all know anyway.

"(Y/N), what's wrong?" Steve joined in, seeming to be the only one who was truly concerned and not just there to get the scoop. "Do you need me to come in?"

"I swear to god, Steve, if you come in here we'll never speak again."

Clint was next to step up to the door, giving it a gentle knock to signal his arrival, "hey, (Y/N), did you eat any of my leftovers in the fridge? I think I left some Pad Thai in there for like a month. That could be the problem."

"A month, Barton?" Steve nearly gagged. "Seriously, that's why we have rules. You date and initial everything you put in the refrigerator so things like this don't happen."

"I didn't eat your damn leftovers," you sighed, finally finding the strength to stand. You opened the bathroom door just slightly, enough for them to see that you were still alive, though you barely looked it as you leaned against its frame. "I think I caught a stomach bug."

"Mmm hmm," Sam smirked, "like some kind of Wakandan stomach flu? Lasts about nine months or so?"

"Pfft, no way. Not possible, Wilson. Besides, why is it that any time a woman throws up she just has to be pregnant? No other options are even considered. Clearly, our refrigerator needs to be quarantined and tested by the CDC."

Steve turned to Clint before he could retort and before he could admit to any more disgusting facts about his food habits, pointing the archer towards the kitchen with a look of unwavering authority. "Barton, you don't leave that kitchen until every nasty thing you've left in there is gone. I'll be in to check on it in ten minutes, go."

Clint began mumbling a few choice curses under his breath, only to stop when Steve changed his mind and followed behind him with heavy footsteps that actually scared Barton just a bit. As he followed his teammate, Steve turned back to Sam, pointing at you this time with the same look that Barton had just received. "Sam, get her up to bed, I'll check on her when I'm done here."