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It was done.
He’d won.
And damn, it felt good.
Black Panther or not, he was still better.
Now-
“Erik. He’s already lost.”
Before he could do anything, Erik Stevens stopped moving.
Most of his counterparts, in universes that had also followed the “Sacred Timeline”, would have gotten angry at him, for following the orders of a white man.
But this Erik was not those Eriks.
“You’ve been reassigned to SHIELD.”
Erik "Killmonger" Stevens frowned.
Those words, without anyone knowing it, would determine - not the fate of the world.
The SEALS - while deprived of a good operative - would survive.
The JSOC units and CIA - deprived of a good operative - would go on to attempt the same things they would in the universes where he joined them.
(They wouldn't do as well, thankfully).
But the fate of three lives, at least, would be changed for the better, more or less.
As T’Challa was rushed to a hospital for his injuries, the Dora Milaje - and the queen mother and (former) crown princess - glared.
Not at the white man, the victor’s comrade, but at the new king, who was indistinguishable from most of the nation.
The irony was not lost on any of them.
“Pffft!”
When the idea of Wakanda being a third world country filled the air of the room, Erik Stevens couldn’t stop himself from snorting.
“Ya’ll really got no idea what’s going on in there?”
His teammates stopped to look at him.
“I thought we did.” Tony Stark said. “Care to share why you think otherwise?”
Erik did just that.
Erik Stevens, looking at them, couldn't care less. “You know, for all that ya'll talk shit about "colonizers" and say you're better than them, I didn't see non of ya jumpin' in to help your king after I won! One little once-a cripple white boy, and he did better than all of you put together!”
The sting of knowing that he was right only made them glare harder.
“Cuz. Got a question.”
T’Challa frowned as he turned around, to see one of his guests.
Erik Stevens was - an enigma.
A Navy SEAL, who had been poached by SHIELD shortly after leaving the military, and had gone on to become a founding Avenger.
There were more than a few children - and adults - in Wakanda who had cheered his rise, even as the more cynical grumbled about how the Avengers only had one person in their roster who didn’t have pale skin.
(Nobody was sure if Thor counted as a racial minority, since he was an alien).
But discovering that he was his cousin?
That had been a surprise.
“Where was Wakanda, when I was a kid?”
“But hey, that's hardly new, is it? Brother, sister, nephew, son, whatever... Don't matter who they are! Second you see em'n trouble, you turn your backs, plug your ears, and shut your eyes! Pretend you didn't see a damned thing! That's all that you people do! LIE! Lie to the world, lie to yourselves and pretend there wasn't ever anything you could do to help somebody else - and we ALL know that's the biggest lie of the bunch!”
Erik could see them all wincing, as he finished.
“Well, tell T’Challa he’s free to challenge me when he gets up. I’m good for now.”
Waving at the assembled crowd as rudely as he could, Erik started to walk away, only pausing for a second to nod at Steve Rogers as he left.