Chapter Text
you rolled your eyes as you watch shuri and riri continue with their conversation that sounds like a completely different language to you.
they were working on a project that seemed quite large, so large that a part of the object they were tinkering with was being worked on in a different lab because more space was needed.
you gathered all your salty energy and huffed out as you continued to stare at the two from your corner.
they were unaware and unbothered, so hyper fixated on the task at hand. it felt as if you were the only person aware of your own existence in that moment.
this new technology seemed to be taking so much of shuri’s time. you felt like you were losing her in some way and that maybe you weren’t meant to be with her since she has such good chemistry with riri when they work together.
of course, these were irrational fears, but you let your overthinking get the better of you sometimes.
we all have our flaws though, and you couldn’t help these fears of yours.
shuri could sense your increased irritability as the weeks passed and knew it had to do with her interactions with her temporary work partner.
she has tried many times to appease you and quiet your worries. she was successful most times, but the thing with flaws is that they were ceaseless sometimes.
you were doing your best to work on it tho, and you were sure that once this big project of theirs was complete you’d feel much better.
///\\\///\\\///\\\
shuri was fast asleep in your shared bed, you watched her silently and caressed her sleeping face gently with the pads of your fingertips.
sleep bade you farewell at an ungodly hour. you couldn’t sleep for some reason, so you decided to just take a brief walk around the palace to clear your head.
you passed the night shift guards who you greeted with a kind smile. they gave gentle nods of their heads, acknowledging your presence.
your feet mindlessly took you around the beautifully decorated, and quiet, palace walls. you eventually found yourself in front of the room that had the current project being worked on by shuri and her team.
you didn’t enter the room and just stood at the entrance door in the middle of the hallway, the place was quiet, not a single soul to be seen or sound to be heard in the room either.
you sighed.
your brain needs to give your mind some peace honestly, you were probably stressing shuri out a little bit with your thoughts.
you slowly sauntered back to your bedroom and quietly tried to maneuver your way under the covers.
“where’d you go baby?” a soft voice, heavily laced with sleep asked.
you froze.
“i couldn’t sleep so i was just strolling around the palace to tire myself out.”
shuri hummed at your response.
“did i wake you? i’m sorry my love.”
you felt bad your movements might’ve woken her up. she’s been so busy these months so interrupting her circadian rhythm was the last thing you would’ve wanted.
“no, i just couldn’t feel your warmth and woke up i guess. now come here baby, i want cuddles.”
you weren’t going to complain about that request.
in moments, your arms wove around one another and shuri covered you both with the duvet.
“my love, you know you have nothing to worry about. the love in my heart is for you and you only,” shuri whispered into your ear and kissed your temple.
your chest warmed at her words.
“i know, i’m sorry i always overthink. i guess i’m just scared of losing you sometimes,” you admitted as you played with her fingers.
shuri slightly lifted her head to look at you after your little confession. the moonlight seeped into the room, providing a soft ambience and a little light to see.
“y/n, you could never lose me. i’ll always be here for you my love, never forget that.”
you look up from your cuddled position and gave shuri a soft, slow kiss on the lips to show your gratitude for her comforting words.
she always knew what to say.
you slowly pulled away.
“no…” shuri said breathlessly as she felt you pull away.
“more please?”
you quietly giggled, she was half asleep yet spoke so coherently. she was too cute.
you leaned forward and gave her a longer kiss.
within moments, you both fell asleep in the warmth of each others embrace.
///\\\///\\\///\\\///\\\
“no,” you quickly began to shake your head, in complete disbelief at the insinuations presented before you.
you were completely and utterly lost for words, flabbergasted really.
for the situation you were currently in was one you never dreamed you’d experience.
you walked into the lab room after being summoned by one of the dora milaje.
in front of you was the project, scattered and shattered to complete pieces. the person - or people - who vandalized it must have held a lot of bitter anger in their heart. next to the ruined project was the team who were working on it, alongside some guards, shuri, riri and okoye.
“the guards spotted you walking around this area in the early hours of the morning, ms l/n,” okoye reported, one hand on her wakandan spear as she stood guard by shuri’s side.
“there’s no way-… you think i did this?”
they were accusing you.
“i was just walking around to clear my head!”
this was ridiculous.
“shuri, please for bast’s sake tell them i didn’t do this. this is an absurd accusation,” you said as you swiftly turned towards your partner in crime, just not this crime.
she knows you would never do a thing such as destroy her work. shuri loved her technology like they were her own children.
shuri stared at you, disappointment etched in her face.
you felt your heart drop to your stomach.
“i can’t believe this y/n,” shuri said.
“what…”
there is actually no damn way this was fucking happening.
she didn’t believe you…
“baby what? why would i ever do such an abhorrent thing?!” you questioned, your voice shrill and sharp at the accusations that were being thrown at you.
shuri remained silent as she quietly looked at riri, who looked at you nervously and fiddled with her fingers.
you stared at riri, then back at shuri, mouth agape at the insinuation.
“this is one sick prank right?” you questioned.
“there is no fucking way….” you took a deep breath.
“that you all think-“ you pointed at everyone in the room.
“that i did that…” you pointed at the destroyed work.
“because of her…” you finished as you pointed at riri.
“y/n, you’ve been-“
“-a jealous bitch?” you finished for her.
shuri bristled.
“i wasn’t going to use those words.”
“but you still think i did all of this because of jealous feelings,” you said.
you felt a big headache coming.
“i didn’t even enter the room! ask griot! or- or the look at the security cameras or something!”
you were scrambling for evidence to defend yourself.
“griot isn’t connected to this lab room since it was merely a temporary set up,” a scientist in the room explained.
“what about the cameras?”
you were told someone turned them off.
“if i did this in the early morning then how come you didn’t hear any loud smashing noises?”
“the room is soundproof, ms y/n.”
this can’t be happening right now. you began to feel hot tears of frustration cascade down your cheeks.
you felt overwhelmed.
shuri shook her head as she stared at you, the warmth she always carried in her eyes when she locked eyes with you was now vacant and cold.
she thought… she seriously believed you were lying.
“i’ve never had this much disappointment in anyone before.”
you couldn’t believe the words coming out of her mouth. it felt like a punch to the gut.
this was all a terrible misunderstanding.
“shuri, baby you have to believe me!” you desperately yelled out. you could’ve sworn you slightly saw her recoil at the term of endearment you always used to address her.
“when have i ever lied to you on any serious matter?!”
you began to slightly panic.
‘oh god.’
you had no proof, there was nothing you could think of to prove your innocence.
the people that were currently in the room tried to avert their gaze as they watched the scenario unfold.
you looked around the room at each and every person in there.
they all did their best to avoid eye contact.
no one was on your side.
you were alone.
is it getting harder to breath? what was this heavy and tight feeling in your chest that was weighing you down?
with an ache in your heart, you silently nodded, accepting defeat at the accusation. for now at least.
“so it’s like this huh?” you let out a chuckle as tears began to fall from your eyes.
it was the word of one against tens of people.
you had no way of getting evidence, but it seemed as if people weren’t ready to hear you out anyway.
everyone’s judgement was clouded by their anger.
and there was only so much pleading one can do when there is a case of tyranny of the majority.
you hastily wiped your tears.
you looked at shuri one last time. your eyes had only one thing in mind.
‘today you have betrayed me.’
“guards, take her to the room in the west wing for confinement,” shuri could not look you in the eye as she made her command.
you gathered what morsel of dignity and composure you had left, removing your kimoyo beads and placing them on a nearby table.
two guards approached you, quietly handcuffed you and walked you out of the lab.
‘you have chosen your side, and now, i shall choose mine,’ you thought.
///\\\///\\\///\\\
shuri has been having the most restless day.
the project was so destroyed it looked beyond salvageable, but she’d most likely find a way to fix it.
shuri’s mind was riddled with the utter look of betrayal in your teary eyes.
she was so angry at the time.
months of hard work, was all destroyed in mere minutes it seemed. of course she was clouded by her anger, but everything pointed towards you. the voices of the people around her also suspected you, what could she have done?
her technology and experiments was one of her most precious things to do when she wasn’t busy dealing with the elders in the council meetings and fulfilling her responsibilities as the black panther and princess of the nation.
she had control. she was the god when it came to her work. but after she walked into that lab room that morning, all she saw was red after seeing the utter destruction.
she sat on the grand throne and huffed in frustration, heart conflicted at the thought of her one love doing something so terrible.
she did not have the heart to have the guards imprison you in a jailroom, however your actions were inexcusable and a suitable punishment was necessary.
“your highness, aya implores for a hearing with you.”
shuri raised her brow at okoye’s words. why does one of her lab colleagues wish for a hearing with her.
shuri nodded her head.
okoye left the room and within moments the grand doors of the majestic throne room opened.
a woman stepped into the room and began her walk down the marble stairs towards the main floor of the room. although her head faced the floors, shuri recognized her by her braids and walk immediately.
shuri rested her head on her hand as she watched the woman walk forward.
she was caught off guard by the heavy sound of knees dropping to the floor and the sudden sound of loud crying.
shuri was confused.
“cease your whining and crying this instant aya. speak.” shuri’s voice was cold.
she was already in a bad mood, she did not feel like conversing with a scientist who reeked of alcoholic substances. shuri’s heightened senses could smell it from miles away.
“it was all my fault your highness-“ she hiccuped, snot coming out of her nose. “the lab i- it was all my doing.”
shuri stood up immediately. she felt a sharp chill run through her body like lightening.
no…
“i had one too many a drink and i was consumed by my anger because-“
shuri felt her heart drop 10 feet to the ground as each second passed when she listened to the woman speak.
“-and i got upset after that because i was the one who was to work with you on the project, not that american girl. i felt replaced.”
shuri felt nausea course through her entire body. her feet felt like jelly. were it not for her altered hearing she would not have heard the voice of her colleague’s shaking quivering voice because she felt her heart beating in her ears like a thousand drums.
she fucked up astronomically.
when aya finished giving her account of the situation and expressed her acceptance to whatever punishment she’ll receive she looked up.
shuri stared at the floor in silence.
she looked up at okoye, eyes welling with unshed tears.
“general… we have made a grave mistake…”
out of all the years that her general stood by her side and faced a myriad of dangers and chaotic events with her, this was the first time she saw unadulterated guilt swimming in okoye’s irises.
and she bet her eyes mirrored the exact same expression.