Chapter Text
Namor felt her the moment she stood, far and respectful since he's talking to Shuri's fellow Avengers. He lokos back and her breath hitches, lips pursed tight, and he knows she's on the verge of breaking so he quickly flew to her.
"What's wrong, kiik?"
She takes a deep breath and cries.
He quickly embraces her, hiding her face on his neck and she furthercries.
Sue sees the distress only familiar with an older sibling seeing the younger one in pain.
"I'm sorry, kuya—" she hiccups, "I failed you," she sobs like a child, and Namor's heart hurts because Pearl rarely cries even as a toddler who couldn't get her way.
"What's wrong?"
"I failed you." She said, further confusing him because her mere birth perfected his life and she's been nothing but a miracle to him, including Talokan.
"No, you didn't—" he tries wiping her tears but she only hides her face further. He worries that his many necklaces hurt her— knowing how it's her most constant complaint.
Her body shakes. sobbing more and Namor's pain easily reflects on his face.
"We'll fix it, then."
"I don't want to fix it!" She counters, "I failed you and everything's ruined!"
He embraces her, caressing herhair, letting her cry her heart out, "I'm here," he says instead, "kuya is here."
She calms down with that, he cups her cheeks, gentle and soft, like she never made a mistake at all— whatever it was, "I couldn't kill it— him."
"I'll handle it."
"No." She shakes her head, "can you look after Sierra and Manny isnteaed?""
He blinks, her request bizarre, "okay."
Then the panic starts again, "but Sierra doesn't like the water and Manny has his livestock—"
"I'll find a way, I'll make a way."
"You will?"
He smiles, "yes."
"Okay."
Then Pearl fals asleep, he catches her naturally so he sits in the sand with her slumbering figure in his arms. Johnny was about to approach him when Ling appered from a portal.
"What happened?"
Ling sighs, disheartened. Were they expecting Pearl to make the final blow? But she's the airbender, controlling the most lethat and dangerous element, "she almost succeeded."
Namor's jaws tightened, pulling his sister closer, "you should've helped her."
Ling's eyes turned glassy, "she wouldn't let me— she won't, for any of us."
"You couldn't call me?"
"She doesn't want to." Ling admits in a whisper.
Namor looks at Pearl's sleeping face and holds her cheek like it's glass, like she'll break the more he holds her. He speaks. In Mayan, "this is what I was afraid of. I just wanted her to live a normal life, yet here we are."
Ling's face showed she understood what he just said, "what can I do to help?" Namor gives her a look, she understood once more, "she," Ling pauses, not knowing the proper term, not that it matters to him, "did… it."
He sighs, knowing Pearl was more than glad to accept whatever Rio places on her, "my sister…" He whispers in Mayan. He looks up to Ling, "you're familiar with her cousins, yes?" She nods, "check on them first." He stands up.
"And Pearl?"
He noticces the apprehension in her face, he calls Namora and Attuma, both astonished at their fallen and rested sun. Namora wanted to carry her but quickly leave it to Attuma.
"Let her rest in Talokan," he told the two, "so either of our faces will be the first she sees when she rises."
The two nodded and set out to swim. Ling's eyes widened, her face already longing, "she'll be in Talokan for the time being. I'll see what I can do for her cousins."