Archive of Our Own

He was a leader of one of the fiercest tribes in Wakanda, and yet here he was twiddling his thumbs like some timid school boy.

He’d been sitting outside of the throne room waiting for all of 10 minutes now, but it felt much longer. He was starting to question whether or not it was even a good idea to come here in the first place. Every time he went down that line of thinking, he quickly shut those thoughts down.

He was a man of his word, and he knew how to remain humble.

His way of remaining humble now was to thank the pretty general for saving his life.

She was a fierce warrior and he could see why T’Challa chose her as general of the Dora Milaje and his own right-hand. She was a sight to see - a beautiful sight at that.

M’Baku was accustomed to being surrounded by beautifully wild warrior women, which is why his reaction to one General Okoye shocked his own senses.

He was used to women like her, so why did he feel the need to personally thank her? Maybe it had something to do with him wanting to see that beautiful smile of hers. Or maybe it had something to do with him wanting to be on the receiving end of such a thing.

Whatever the reasoning behind his actions were, it didn’t change the fact he was now patiently waiting for her exit from the king’s throne room. He was still sitting there when his ears picked up on a few quiet giggles. He was suddenly made aware of the fact that he was no longer alone.

Turning towards his left, he was met with the wide smiles of Princess Shuri and Nakia. The two women quickly strode down the glossy corridor from the far end of the hallway before coming to a stop right in front of him.

“What do you want, girl?” He questioned as he squinted at the princess with bright, smiling eyes.

“Oh, nothing. We just came by to check on you; these meetings can run pretty long, sometimes.” Shuri replied between badly hidden laughs. “We saw you come in a little while ago, and we wanted to make sure you were comfortable.”

“You have to excuse her. She likes making fun of obliviously infatuated men.” Nakia evenly replied as her brown eyes roved over his face trying to figure him out.

He frowned at her word choice before shaking his head at the notion, “I’m not infatuated. I’m simply a man of honor, and a man of honor thanks those who make it possible for him to live another day.”

“Yeah, right. Is that why you brushed your hand over your face five times in the last minute?” Shuri questioned with a raised eyebrow. "Is there a reason you're so nervous?"

“Shuri!” Nakia exclaimed throwing the younger girl a scolding look before turning towards the teddy bear of a man across from them, “You have to excuse her. She’s had a lot of time on her hands lately, but she means well.”

M’Baku’s brow furrowed at the conversation as he wondered if he really rubbed his hands across his face as many times as Shuri claimed. He wasn’t counting; but then again, his mind was too busy being distracted by other things to take notice of any nervous ticks he’d exhibited in the past ten minutes.

Maybe the irritating girl was right? Am I that obvious?

Before he could even think of a witty comeback, the large, oak doors swung open. Quickly standing to his feet, M’Baku rubbed his hands over his beard once more as he watched the council filter out of the throne room.

The council was mostly made up of regal elders, so it was a fairly quiet exit. Which he expected, but he wasn’t paying much attention to them anyway. He watched as Nakia threw a hopeful smile his way before ushering the younger girl away from him and towards their previous spot.

“Now’s your chance; don’t blow it.” Shuri replied under her breath as they passed by him.

He knew with Okoye being T’Challa’s general that she would probably be among the last batch of Dora to filter out of the room. As he watched the group of women filter out quietly, he finally laid eyes on her.

She was lowly speaking to T’Challa in Xhosa. He chose not to eavesdrop; instead, he took a few quiet steps towards the duo causing Okoye to stop talking. Even in the midst of a private conversation with her King, she was in tune with everything taking place around her.

Confused, T’Challa turned towards him in order to figure out what forced his general to stop speaking.

“M’Baku, this is an unexpected surprise.” He replied, “Excuse me for not knowing, but did we have a meeting that I forgot?”

“No, actually I wanted to speak with Okoye. I don't mean to interrupt you; I just thought now would be a better time than any.” He said as he straightened his shoulders and looked the King in the eye.

The King’s eyes widened in surprise before his face settled on an unreadable expression before turning towards the woman in question.

“My King, I’ll catch up with you in a bit. This shouldn’t take long.” Okoye lowly replied as he nodded at her in question.

“If you need me, I’ll be in Shuri’s lab.” T’Challa replied to both of them as he held a thoughtful look while looking between the two of them for obvious signs of something.

Watching the King glide away in his royal robes, M’Baku shook his head at the mess he’d made by coming here in the first place.

“M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe.” Okoye replied with piercing eyes. “How can I be of service?”

“It’s not a business call; there's something I need to tell you.” M’Baku replied.

Okoye’s eyebrow shot up at his words; however, she simply nodded giving him the silent permission to continue.

“I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life on the battlefield. I know war is war, but I still feel as if I should thank you for allowing me the chance to take another breath. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.” M’Baku replied with a wealth of emotion.

Okoye maintained her world famous poker face, but her eyes .. her eyes always gave her away. And in this instance, M’Baku was grateful that she had some of the most expressive eyes he’d ever seen in his entire life. If not, he would have been wracked with nerves.

“No thanks are necessary, M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe.” Okoye replied with a slightly raised palm. “I was doing my duty of protecting those who choose to fight alongside us.”

“No, I know. I just wouldn’t feel right if I didn’t at least thank you for doing it. My head wouldn’t let me do it. I couldn’t, in good conscience, just let it go.”

“If you insist, then you are most welcome.” Okoye replied with a small smile.

M’Baku simply smiled back at her. He didn’t think he would be able to do it, but he did. He managed to get through the whole thing without stumbling over his words.

He was proud of himself. He was never one for overt sentiment, but his mother taught him to be grateful and to show thanks while you can. With the lives they lead, it was only a matter of time before you couldn’t.

“I know it must have been difficult for you; choosing me over your … over W’Kabi.” He sputtered out. He still wasn’t quite sure of the nature and extent of their relationship, but he knew W’Kabi was something to her.

M’Baku watched as a thoughtful expression crossed Okoye’s pretty face.

“There comes a time where everyone will be faced with a difficult decision, and they must pray to Bast that it’s the right one. If not, it will come back to haunt them for years to come.” Okoye said as her eyes strayed to some point in the distance that only she could see. “W’Kabi made his choice long ago, and I made mine. I don’t regret it, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“Still, I know it must have been hard on you having to make that decision at all. It couldn’t have been easy for you.” M’Baku sympathetically replied causing her eyes to focus back on him.

”M’Baku, leader of the Jabari tribe, I think you enjoy allowing people to think you’re this scary, hulking man.” Okoye said with a pleased look. “In reality, you’re nothing more than a gentle giant. I’m glad to know we’re on the same side. And for the record, it wasn’t easy but it had to be done.”

With her last words, she gave him a gentle, encouraging pat on the shoulder before walking past him towards the exit at the end of the corridor.

“I just have one question: how’d you know to save me at the right time?” M’Baku asked in one fell swoop.

Stopping in her tracks, Okoye didn’t turn around but began speaking anyway, “A good general has her eye on everything that’s going on in the field. To not know what’s happening on your battlefield is to die.”

With those words, he was struck speechless. But this time, she didn’t allow him the chance to respond before she continued her trek towards the exit.

M’Baku watched her until he could no longer see her before he let out a relieved breath. He didn’t realize how long he’d been holding it in until she’d left.

Well, that went as well as he could hope. Unfortunately, the conversation did nothing to stop the desirous thoughts flitting through his mind of the beautiful General Okoye.