Chapter Text
This was all peculiar to M'Baku. Being clueless about something he should have been taught many years ago. Being a Jabari leader who was welcomed with opened arms into Birnin Zana after all the years of isolation from the other tribes. For the remainder of the night he discovered his soulmate status with the great Panther king, M'Baku remained awake and in a rare moment, anxious, about what was next.
He feared the Jabari Tribe would not take him seriously if his soulmate was someone whose tribe he'd spoken so poorly of. He knew they wouldn't commit acts of treason but at the same time, a leader was to be respected, not discussed behind his back. His refusal to sleep trailed on to the next day and as the sun rose the temperature remained the same and the breeze was delicate to M'Baku's skin after living a life adapting to the extreme climate.
Alone, the giant remained in his throne and pinched the bridge of his nose as he began to feel both tired and hungry. Trying to understand all of what had happened proved to be something easier said than done.
"What to do?" M'Baku murmured to himself. It was difficult to choose - news of the Jabari Tribe's leader accepting T'Challa's invitation would spread fast but M'Baku slowly began to forget about the others and thought about himself. It was him who had been deceived this entire time and regardless of what he chose to do, he was their leader, so they would have to accept it.
***
Bruised and slightly aching, T'Challa sauntered through the Royal Palace as the workers around him prepared the palace for the royal celebration. The first night was given to him which allowed him to rest in pain but now he was preparing himself to attend the ceremonial dinner with his family, friends and staff. It wasn't long before he spotted his cousin stood before a painting of Bast, hands in pocket and lost in thought.
"N'Jadaka."
Erik slowly turned around and scoffed.
"Cuz, what have I told you? I'd prefer Erik."
His smile proved he wasn't too offended and T'Challa simply nodded with a mutual smile as his hands rested comfortably behind his back.
"My apologies, Erik. I can see you are interested in the Panther Goddess once again."
T'Challa was referring to Erik's curiosity about Wakanda's religion and how it brought him away from the inner hatred that grew in him. Having someone look over Erik made him feel as if the world had not completely given up on him and whenever he felt confused or hurt he'd pray to Bast.
"Just thinking about stuff. But hey man, it's crazy you can finally see everything now," Erik grinned, happy for his cousin. "I can't believe your soulmate is M'Baku."
Both of them shared an amused chuckle and T'Challa admitted in his mind that he wasn't so disappointed that his soul partner was M'Baku. The man was tall, handsome and ferocious after all.
"Neither can I. But it may be what unites Wakanda after all, brings the Jabari from isolation and resolves any conflict between our tribes."
Erik turned to him and smirked before raising a sole finger.
"You're still thinking about Wakanda? Bruh, you just got your soulmate after how many years, just think about this..." Erik insisted, gently pushing the tip of his finger against T'Challa's heart. "Be happy for yourself."
"I will be," T'Challa assured. "I will be."
***
Hesitantly, M'Baku lingered outside the entrance to the dining hall. There were multiple thoughts spinning through his mind and the fearless leader was suddenly clueless as to what to say upon his arrival. He'd never felt like this before and quite frankly, it bothered him. M'Baku thought he would have hated the idea of being soulmates with T'Challa once he had an understanding of what it meant or even annoyed at the fact that they would have to be in the same room but instead, he had no idea of how to feel.
But he couldn't remain out there forever.
Walking in, his entrance stole the attention of the attendants to the royal feast despite a number of people continuing their discussions - likely changing their conversations about M'Baku himself. Awkwardly looking around, M'Baku's eyes trailed across the dining hall until he found his soulmate, T'Challa, peacefully eating and clearly unaware of M'Baku's presence until another man, T'Challa's cousin he'd seen on Trial Day, said something to him that made his head swivel and once he saw M'Baku he smiled.
But this was too much for M'Baku. All the attention, all the confusion, all of it. So he offered a sheepish smile back and walked away. Something he could never have imagined himself doing. Days ago, M'Baku was the fearless Jabari leader who intimidated everyone. Now? He was cowering from the king of Wakanda because they were soulmates and he had no idea on what to do with that.
T'Challa's eyebrow raised as he watched M'Baku stroll from his sights and he excused himself from the table to see what was wrong with the taller man.
"How can someone like that be chosen as T'Challa's lover?" Shuri scoffed. "All he cares for is violence and ruling."
"I don't know...but he seems different. Like having the king of Wakanda as his soulmate finally put him in his place."
"He does not need to be put in his place. Would you hold the same opinions and traditions you do now if you were an outsider to your nation? M'Baku was raised to lead the Jabari Tribe, and their ways are much different from our ways. He is only acting the way T'Challa would for his nation, following traditions and sticking by his people," W'Kabi explained to them.
As T'Challa followed M'Baku from a distance, he watched with slight humor as M'Baku grew frustrated at how he'd forgotten the way out, strolling through the palace and looking around for an exit. His cluelessness was kind of adorable to the king, and he made sure M'Baku's venture through the Citadel was uninterrupted. It could have only been a coincidence that he managed to end up not too far from T'Challa's chambers, or an opportunity T'Challa allowed by keeping quiet.
"I hope you do not plan to wander around here forever," T'Challa smirked from behind the Jabari leader and M'Baku's body quickly turned in shock at the sound of a voice, especially when it belonged to T'Challa. Looking at him, his eyes fixed onto the king and his nostrils flared.
"It is rude to stare, which I can only assume you have been doing," M'Baku complained, crossing his arms. T'Challa's smirk only turned into a grin and he shrugged his shoulders without even attempting to deny his actions.
"Are you not my soulmate?"
"That does not excuse you from basic manners..."
"Well, I am a king too, so I'm allowed to bend the rules."
T'Challa's enthralling voice was smooth to M'Baku's voice, his deep, attractive accent an addition in what M'Baku admitted was something he couldn't ignore if he tried. T'Challa slowly approached M'Baku and M'Baku attempted to back himself away.
"What are you doing?"
Slowly steering M'Baku's back towards the wall, T'Challa was a little finger's distance away from M'Baku and his controlled, sharp breaths against M'Baku's neck made the hairs on M'Baku's arms rise. He knew he was taking a risk, but after a life of being denied sight and finally finding his soulmate, he wanted to claim this more than he wanted to claim the throne of Wakanda.
"Don't you want to try? You looked at me and ran as if I were a disease, why?"
M'Baku's breath trembled and soon he became submissive once T'Challa's fingers trailed over his bicep.
"Because...because I don't know what to do..." M'Baku began, desperately attempting to look away from the handsome monarch but it was impossible. "This is all new to me..."
"It's pretty simple," T'Challa whispered, moving his hand under M'Baku's grass skirt and placed it just above his thigh, feeling warm meat as M'Baku became overwhelmed and felt his member slowly rising. "You are my soulmate. I give my unconditional love to you, and you do the same for me."
Managing to form a smile, M'Baku couldn't deny the arousal he felt as T'Challa caressed him.
"I'm sure I can play my part in that agreement."
Moving his lips onto his soulmate's, M'Baku smiled powerfully as for the first time in what seemed like forever, he found love as well as trust in someone who happened to be T'Challa. Seeing clearly allowed them to see the beauty of each other, and it made the gift of sight so much better. Gentle brown eyes on each other, T'Challa and M'Baku were happy and nothing could take that away from them.
"Well allow me to show you the perks of our agreement," T'Challa whispered, kissing the side of M'Baku's neck. When T'Challa didn't return to the dining hall, Erik had a brief idea of what was happening and when he went to check on his cousin, the noises that could be heard from outside only confirmed his suspicions. With a smirk on his face, he told the others T'Challa had left to visit Jabariland.