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Life moves on whether one is ready for it or not. That's what Shuri discovered when she stood in front of her mirror and found a single grey hair in her dread locs. She stared at the grey hair to long for any sane person.
Shuri knew she was getting older hell she had just celebrated her 43 birthday three weeks ago. But this single grey confirmed it she was getting old.
"Shuri, are you almost done?" Namor called out. This snapped Shuri out of her thoughts.
She remembered now why she was in the bathroom now. She and Namor were going to have date night. Their kids where now teenagers and Namor gave them some money to go galavant around citadel.
They hardly got time alone since four teenagers lived under their roof everything felt like a crisis.
Shuri grabbed her lipstick putting it on. She exited the bathroom seeing her husband and she felt the pit of her stomach drop. Namor hasn't aged since the day they met all those years ago. She felt anxiety inside of her. The what ifs began to flood her mind.
She began to wonder would Namor leave her once old age truly set in. Would he leave when her hair is fully grey and her memory is slower. She wondered would he leave her for some brighter and younger woman.
"Shuri? Miiso, what is wrong?" Namor said brushing one of her long locs out of her face.
"I've got a grey hair and your gonna leave me for some younger woman," She said poking her bottom lip out tears welling in her eyes. Her own anxiety causing her to feel emotional.
"Oh, Miiso you are my one and only. I'm going to love you even when your head full of grey hair," He said kissing her knuckles.
"Even when I'm wrinkled every where," She said as Namor pulled her close kissing her neck.
"I'll kiss every inch of your wrinkled skin," he purred as Shuri laughed.
"You dirty old man," Shuri laughed before kissing him deeply.
Shuri bones ached as she held the railing of the stairwell. She regretting her decision on taking the stairs. But in her defense Namor did say she was getting to old to be in the lab everyday. She wanted to prove him wrong that at the rip age of 65 she can still pull all nighters.
The sound of the elevator dinging can be heard as Namor stepped out his brow furrowed as he looked at Shuri in the middle of the steps taking her time. Then his anger composure resolved. He couldn't believe it was happening again. The person he loved the most was ageing right before his eyes.
Namor flew up taking her into his arms. She squirmed in his arms thrashing around.
"Put me down!" Shuri screeched as Namor sets her down at the bottom of the lab.
"You are too...well...you shouldn't be up this late it's almost 1am," Namor scolds as Shuri rolled her eyes as she put her handa on her hip.
"I'm what? Too old? Isn't that what you said in front of my colleagues earlier today," She huffed.
In their 40 years of marriage Shuri had never felt so inferior. Her becoming older had made things more complicated in the lab her mind slipping like forgetting to turn off beakers or forgetting the answer to math equations.
But Namor was spry as ever only few crows feet by the corner of his eyes and laughs lines. But he was still perfectly youthful. They both could feel the weight of reality that Shuri was getting old and Namor wasn't.
"I'm sorry my love. But we can't run from reality but we can make it better," Namor pulled Shuri into his arms.
"My Miiso, I want you to strip me of my youth," He said as Shuri looked up at him bewildered.
"That beautiful brain of yours created a whole new heart shape herb. I bet you can use the serum that strips the black panther from you to strip my youth away from me," He said as Shuri shook her head.
"No, that would strip away your powers. Sure you'll still have your wings but you will be human. I'm not doing that I'm not taking away our people's god," She shook her head back away from him.
She couldn't do that to him he lived thousands of years. She wouldn't simply take away a big part of his identity.
"My love this isn't about our people this is about us," He said gently. Namor had been thinking about ever since their children graduated from college and Shuri was starting to grow patches of grey hair.
"Ku’kulkan," Shuri said gently touching his face.
"We knew this would happen don't let my aging stop us from enjoying each other," She said gently letting him kiss her wrist.
Shuri had fallen ill her eyes were crusted shut as she coughed rough. At the age of 75 she found it harder to fight off common colds. Namor held her hand. He only had two grey hairs. But he was defiantly ageing.
"Shuri," Namor whispered as he helped Shuri take her cold medication.
"You know, I think your going to become a silver fox," Shuri chuckled before coughing rough.
"Please..." Namor said kissing her knuckles.
"We don't even know if it will work or when you would be able to drink it," Shuri retorts as Namor smiled softly.
"I trust you and that perfect mind of yours," He kissed her forehead.
Namor helped Shuri to her feet handing Shuri her cane. As he guided her towards the hot plate.
"So, it's ready then?" Namor said to his aging wife who was 89 now. Shuri curled her wrinkled lips into a smile.
"Are you sure? You already have one patch of grey hair. I would hate to rob you of your future," She said gently as he kissed her.
"My future would mean nothing without you," He grabbed the beaker and began to drink the serum. Shuri watched her husband age rapidly.
"G.R.I.O.T what is Ku’kulkan a proximate age?" Shuri called out to the A.I.
"The great Ku’kulkan age is 99 years old," G.R.I.O.T the AI said as Shuri smiled as she let her husband wrap his fragile old bones around her waist.
"You always have to be old than me huh?" She teases kissing him gently.
Shuri was content at 92 she had her 102 husband to cuddle her at night. She helped her husband get to his walker and return her husband cut up her meat at dinner time. She lived a full life as she felt her heart beat slowly. Namor wrinkled hand entwined with her wrinkled hand.
"Do you truly think we will be immortalized in talokan folklore?" She asked wiping Namor tears.
"I truly believe the story of our love will live on," He said softly.
"You know your a pain in the ass but I wouldn't have wanted anyone else to be by my side," She smiled weakly.
"My miiso," He kissed her knuckles.
"I love you..." Shuri words trail off as she closed her eyes. Namor couldn't find her pulse. He smiled softly as he closed his own eyes.
In the morning the handmaiden screamed in terror and grief seeing the two lovers dead with their hands together.