Part 2

Shuri walked into her lab the next morning, a blush crawling its way from her neck to her cheeks as she thought about the night before.

She had woken M'Baku on a few different ocassions, all for the same reason. She could not get enough of him, and it seemed the feeling had been mutual. He had been very thorough in his ministrations to her throughout the night, almost as if their time together was as special to him as it had been to her.

When they had parted ways later that morning, Shuri had been sure M'Baku would be gruff with her. Part of Shuri thought he would be like another man after a one nighy stand and just blow her off as he snuck out before she woke. Instead he cupped her jaw in his hands and kissed her tenderly before bidding her farewell. He truly was such a gentleman, such a wonderful man.

Shuri let out a breathy sigh, completely focused on a certain Jabari leader who she would do anything for. Shuri had never felt such a longing for another as she did with M'Baku. Recently, each time they parted she was sure her heart would burst from its chest and fly away after him. Obviously it never happened, but the ache in her chest grew and grew each time they parted, threatening to swallow her whole. Shuri knew she was young, but she knew what she wanted and it was to spend her life with M'Baku.

Hopefully her seduction had worked. Hopefully M'Baku realized she was the right choice, even if his people were hesitant to an outsider.

"Wakanda to Shuri, come in Shuri." Okoye pressed, startling the young scientist from her musings. Shuri jumped a few inches before glancing around, realizing she was in her lab and standing in front of her friend. How long had she been here lost in thought?!

"Oh! Okoye, I did not see you there!"

"Obviously. What has got your panther on a string, Princess?" The general smacked Shuri's arm playfully, waiting on an answer.

Shuri blushed before walking fully into the lab, ignoring her friend.

"Blushing now? Perhaps I should ask who has your panther on a string? Have you finally met someone who holds your interest?"

Shuri nodded before blurting out, "I assured him it was only a one night thing, so please do not make a huge deal of it."

"Only one night? Why would you promise such a thing?"

"I was worried he would refuse me if I asked for more. It does not matter as he intends to marry another. I mean, he is not betrothed, rather in the process of finding someone to betroth?" Shuri shook her head at the blank expression on his friends face before getting out some equipment to focus on the days task.

Okoye followed after her like a lion stalking its prey.

"Ach to marry another and not even consider you as an option? What a baboon!" Okoye paused, the wheels turning in her head as she gaze knowingly as Shuri. "I saw M'Baku, the great ape man of the Jabari, this morning as I was coming here to greet you. So odd the Jabari lord was at the science center so early or at all."

"Oh?" Shuri turned, frantically tearing down a hologram and working on creating another of a new building to be built in California with the necessary dimensions to fit new labs she would need.

"Oh indeed. He seemed rather... satisfied when we crossed paths."

Shuri's face reddened further. "Perhaps he slept well."

"Perhaps he was getting a head start on his search for a wife. I did hear from my King the Jabari elders have requested M'Baku select a wife sooner rather than later."

"Just spit it out already, Okoye!"

"You fancy M'Baku? What on this earth must your brother think of such a thing!" Shuri rolled her eyes, swatting st the general when her space was invaded.

"If you must know, I was merely following the advice of my brother." Shuri fixed a wayward braid before looking back at Okoye.

"He told you to sleep with M'Baku?!"

Shuri laughed loudly. "For Bast's sake! Of course not. He did mention if I gave M'Baku an ultimatum he may be more inclined to see that I am obviously the best choice."

"Well obviously, but how is sleeping with him an ultimatum?"

"I only promised him one night as I know he will marry soon. If he does not choose me, then he was clearly not as satisfied as you thought."

"Ach, these are images I do not need in my head! I did not even realize your affections for him and now you wish to marry?"

Shuri sighed heavily. "I believe I have loved him since I encountered him on Jabari lands and realized he had saved T'Challa. Before then my only encounter with Jabari people was on challenge day and M'Baku was so callous with his words to me. I admit I had been frightened. But only an honorable man would save someone he considered an enemy, let alone assisting them in battle to save our nation. How could my heart not belong to someone like him?"

"But he called you a child and insulted your technological capabilities."

"And yet he has only been kind since then, he even keeps all the things I make for him and brings the excess to his people as gifts."

"The Jabari do not take gifts." It was widely known the Jabari only accepted gifts from valuable allies and only from within their own ranks. To accept any offering from someone unworthy was unheard of. It meant to M'Baku, Shuri was worthy to be Jabari.

Shuri smiled and turned to Okoye. "I know. How could I not love him, Okoye?"

Okoye cast a heartfelt look at her young friend. "If he knows what is good for him, he will love you back. If not, he will not live to see a wedding." Shuri threw her hands into the air before laughing loudly.

"Ey! No killing the man who stole my heart!"

"Only if he does not worship its every beat." Okoye smiled, hoping to reassure her friend. It came out as more of a snarl as she pictured Shuri being heartbroken by the likes of such a buffoon. Surely even a man such as M'Baku knew a good thing when it was clearly in front of his face.

"You are a great friend," Shuri said tearfully before hugging Okoye to her. They held on for a long moment before breaking away and sharing sly smiles.

"Only the best. Now tell me, how was it?"

"It was amazing. Explosive, perhaps the best —"

"I have heard enough! I am glad you are happy, Princess." And Okoye was. Even if her love life had exploded into a ball of flames when Killmonger had invaded Wakanda. It had only gone to show her that when the heart of a person was tested, their true nature was revealed.

Okoye had not sought a love match since.


M'Baku moved about the city centre with a pep in his step. The sun was brighter, the sky more clear, the people more friendly. He felt the urge to grab a nearby child, toss them high into the air just to hear them giggle with delight as they soared neared the clouds.

M'Baku felt like the happiest man in Wakanda. No, in all of Africa.

Usually he stalked about, constant frown on his face to avoid any sort of connection with another in Wakanda. At least, those not on Jabari lands. Or Shuri, his constant exception. After living so long in the mountains, it was hard to take in the stares of frightened women and children, balking in the face of the Jabari might.

M'Baku felt a frown forming on his face as he remembered his first meeting with Shuri.

How frightened she had been, her eyes scared at the very sight of him and his brethren. Not only had he come to conquer and possibly kill her brother, he had yelled at her, silencing her when barely a word from her mouth had been said. He remembered how Shuri had flinched back, fear in her eyes as she kept her gaze locked on his. M'Baku had been arrogant to cruel to one so pure of heart.

He even remembered her shouting encouragements to her brother, so ferocious even amidst her fears. Such a brave woman he was in love with.

How callous his behavior had been to her. To think, only a few short days later would he begin to feel the strong traces of attraction, the distinct pull of interest for Shuri. M'Baku wondered how it grew so quickly within him, the desire to see her as much as possible, to just be in her presence. Perhaps it had been his own arrogance when they first met that clouded his mind and his heart to her on that challenge day.

M'Baku felt a smile tug on the corner of his lip at the memory of Shuri and his first glimpse of her as a warrior.

It was just after the battle to reclaim the throne for T'Challa. Shuri had rushed to her brother on the field of battle, war paint on her face, a bit of blood, a few bruises, decked out in the customary war garb of her people, some sort of Vibranium gloves adorned her hands. It was obvious they had seen some heavy battle. Shuri seemed unfazed, smiling brightly at her brother before throwing herself into his arms.

M'Baku remembered his arms flexing, as if it was him who tried to catch her. The motion had surprised him and at the time he chalked it up to the adrenaline coursing through him.

It wasn't until later that evening when M'Baku thought of Shuri again, this time his thoughts circling around how beautiful he found her smile. How it should never dim, how she should never live in fear or worry. Not with M'Baku there to protect her.

If only M'Baku knew over a year ago that he would be so enamored with her that even defying the elders of his tribe could not keep him from following his heart.

Perhaps he should tell Shuri of his plans to woo her?

Would she accept him and his hand to be wed?

Would she turn down his proposal of marriage as she was fairly younger than him? What if she was not ready to settle with another. The elders would be arrogant and demand if he were to marry an outsider it be sooner than later, especially if the elders knew it was a drawback for the couple.

M'Baku felt a cold ball of dread form in the pit of his stomach as fears assailed him. What if she decided after last night she no longer fancied him? He was not used to feeling insecure in his own person and it was not a feeling he enjoyed. To doubt one's self was sacrilege. Every single thing he did as a leader was with the utmost confidence in his cause. It was the only way to succeed for his people and himself.

M'Baku shook himself from the terrible line of doubt that had begun to take root in his mind. Shuri was kind, generous and loyal. Though she would honor her word of one night if he so choose, she would not turn him away. Not after last night.

Not after they had bonded, their souls blending together smoothly. He saw his essence reflected in her eyes last night, a sure sign she was meant to be his and he was meant to be hers.

One might assume as the mighty ape man of the Jabari, M'Baku should not believe in such things as a soulmate. However, it was known, especially among his people, that a soulmate was a gift from the heavens and to be tresured.

M'Baku, while he had thoroughly enjoyed sex with Shuri, was more in awe of the intimacy of their entire evening as he felt his entire being become one with his woman, not just his physical body.

Who knew M'Baku would cherish holding something so small in his arms? He surely had not. As a proud warrior, M'Baku was not one who felt sentimental towards others, who wanted to be openly affectionate with another.

Yet he found himself holding Shuri to him throughout the night, listening to the gentle sound of her snores in his ear while he held her tightly to him. M'Baku was a man of action and yet he would give anything to hear her snores every night for the remainder of his life.

The tradition in his tribe was for the Jabari leader to select a bride among his people. It was not acceptable to wed an outsider.

The elders would just need to get used to a new tradition.


Shuri looked down at her vibrating kimoyo beads, a small smile lighting her face when she realized M'Baku was reaching out to her.

Without a moment's hesitation, she pressed the blinking bead,

"M'Baku! It is nice to hear from you!"

"My Shuri, how are you this day?" His Shuri? His Shuri! A small blush began to form. Shuri wanted to smack herself around to pull herself together. Why did this man always make her blush? Ugh, it was so childish.

M'Baku, for all the world, seemed completely oblivious to his choice of words. "I am fine M'Baku. Merely finishing up some work in the lab."

"Only fine?" His sly voice came through clearly, as did the glint in his eyes and the smug grin covering his face.

"Perhaps more than fine," Shuri smiled back, feeling as if the two of them were sharing the world's best kept secret.

"Would you be willing to come with me to the mountains this afternoon?"

"To Jabari land?" Shuri was taken aback. Aside from her first 'visit', Shuri had never dared go near the mountainous village. Not accustomed to the cold, she lacked the appropriate outerwear for such a jaunt, and also, the Jabari people had frightened her for a longer time than she was uncomfortable admitting. She had never expressly wished to venture to such a place before.

"Yes, where else would I mean?" M'Baku joked.

"It is a few hours from here by foot. I would not make it back before nightfall." M'Baku's smile grew even further, no doubt recalling how they passed time the evening before.

"Is this your only objection?"

Shuri felt her face heating at the insinuation. Was this his way of asking her for more? She felt a flutter of indecision, the uncertainty creeping in. She needed to hold on to the boldness she had felt the night before. The confidence of know he wanted her as she wanted him.

Shuri felt her self confidence waivering. Be bold, for Bast's sake. Shuri thought to herself. Be confident. Make him think you have already reached your decision. String him along, is that so hard?

"I only mean to question your intentions after we reach Jabari lands, M'Baku." Her voice cracked on his name. Eh, she wanted to fling herself dramatically onto her desk and burying her head into papers that weren't there because she relied on holo projections for all her data.

How was that bold? Oh Bast, he would think her foolish now. Young and naive, just as she feared.

M'Baku only smiled. "You seem nervous, Princess. Afraid to be alone with me?"

"You should be the one scared," Shuri sniped back, earning a loud laugh from her companion.

"Indeed, I should. Consider me shaking in my furs at the thought of what you may do to me," he growled out suggestively.

Shuri gasped before clapping a hand over her mouth. An instant later she was laughing and cursing into the kimoyo beads. "M'Baku! You cannot say such things like that. What if someone hears? You said yourself you would be searching for a wife. What if she heard you?" Shuri wanted to grab the words as they left, toss them back down her throat and never utter them again. As much as she would honor M'Baku's decision, if he would not choose her then she did not wish to bring it up ever again.

The joking smile left M'Baku only to be replaced by a sincerity Shuri was not accustomed to seeing on him as they held gazes.

"I hope she did, my Shuri." Shuri felt her heart flutter.


The travel up the mountain had been quicker than Shuri had anticipated. She never would have assumed a hike would be a pleasant experience, yet she found the view to be wonderful and the company even better.

A few tribesmen moved ahead of the pair, carrying a few packages of kimoyo beads as well as new hiking boots made with the same technology as her Sneakers.

One day Shuri overheard a few of the Jabari complaining about the boots they typically wore being uncomfortable over long distances.

Shuri had taken the time to install fur into the shoes to keep the tribesmen warm during their patrols. They were also given the stealth soles to keep from creating noise. Shuri had been unsure if her idea for them would be well received, but M'Baku was always wearing them with either his tribal garb or his day to day wear. He apparently enjoyed them so much he had ordered several hundred pairs for his people, hence the men guiding the couple up the mountain.

"Do you think it will be a problem, my staying here for the evening?"

"Most certainly. It is not done, aside from T'Challa, to have someone in our lands who is not Jabari." M'Baku reached down, his large hand engulfing Shuri's as they walked side by side.

His hand seemed to warm her all over. Shuri nearly paused when his words caught up to her. T'Challa had only been welcome because he had been gravely injured and he was the King of Wakanda. She wanted to gulp before running away and fleeing back to her lab. Instead, she straightened her shoulders, lifted her head and walked along side the warrior who stole her heart. If the people of the Jabari wanted a fight, she would gladly give it to them if it meant M'Baku would be hers.

"Why do you seem so relaxed then?" Shuri lifted an eyebrow to the man who nearly tugged her along, his steps so much more pronounced than her own.

M'Baku smiled. "I get the sense that a life with you will be always interesting. It would seem a shame to not embrace it."

"That is what has you relaxed? Knowing you will be bringing an outsider into your tribe and there will be hostilities?"

"It is not that. Last night, Shuri... I am not a man who often speaks of his emotions or feelings, but last night was it for me. I knew you were special in my heart, but I did not realize how intertwined our fates were." At Shuri's startled look, M'Baku smiled even wider before tugging her to him so his arm could wrap around her shoulders, the small furs he'd given her brushing along his bicep. "Yes, the Jabari believe in fates. We may not share the same gods, but we share the same beliefs overall. Being with you fully, no walls, no hesitations, it was easy for me to see that you were meant for me and I for you. If the elders cannot accept this, accept you, then they cannot accept me. Why would I want to lead a people so unworthy of you?"

"M'Baku, this has always been your home. Your people. I cannot stand the thought of being the reason you are unwelcome."

"If my home is so unwelcoming to you, it is unwelcoming to me. You are who I shall spend my life with." Shuri sucked in a quick breath, causing M'Baku to pause, afraid he may have scared her off. "That is, as long as you would like that. I mean, I would like that, my Shuri. I never wish to spend another night apart."

Shuri took a step back, causing M'Baku's arm to fall from her. She was silent as she stared at the ground, not moving, not looking at him. Had he guess incorrectly when he assumed she would be pleased to know his search for a wife was over? It had never really begun to be honest. He had known all along no one could compare to Shuri in his eyes.

"Are you being serious?"Shuri asked in a rather small voice, which was nearly comical coming from such a large personality.

Closing the space between them, M'Baku cupped Shuri's face in his hands, lifted her head slightly until she looked up at him. "I have adored you for so many months, too weak to do anything about it. Too foolish to see something so wonderful right in front of me until it was almost too late. You are my truest friend, my closest ally and now you are not only my lover, but my love. Please do not tell me I have reached out to you too late, that my callousness has not been enough to dissuade you from the union I would love to seek with you."

"You sure know all the right things to say," she replied with a smile in her voice, her hands holding his to her.

The Jabari ahead of them had stopped when the couple did, shocked looks on their faces as they took in the scene before them. Shuri and M'Baku were lost in their own world, completely oblivious to the looks of awe from their companions. It wasn't until a flash from a cellphone caused them to look over at the Jabari traveling with them.

"N'Kon, I'Rach, what are you two doing?" M'Baku barked at the two holding their cellphones out.

"What? It is not everyday you see your leader handing his balls to a woman. I figured the others at camp would like to see this adorable photo when I retell the story later. Otherwise they may not believe me."

Shuri's mouth dropped open at N'Kon's words, 1000% sure M'Baku would roar with rage and charge after the poor sop who had just spoken.

Instead, M'Baku threw back his head and laughed, wrapping an arm around Shuri's waist and starting their journey up the mountain again. Darkness was nearly upon them and delaying any further would only cause her to freeze more when the temperature plummeted.

"I could not have given them to a more worthy woman."

"You really mean that, don't you?" M'Baku looked down at the woman questioning him.

"Of course I meant, otherwise I would not have said it."

Shuri rolled her eyes.

"Just as you told Mother and I you were vegetarians last year. Imagine our surprise when you refused the feast we provided for you after battle. Instead of a nice salad you demanded steak, a 'warrior's meal'." His shoulder's shook with suppressed laughter.

"Steak is a warrior's meal."

"But you are not a vegetarian! I am not even sure if you have ever eaten a salad in your life. Ugh, the shame that befell my poor mother. She was distraught."

"It was merely a joke to put everyone at ease that day. How was I to know you would both take it so seriously?"

"She had 300 salads made for you and the Jabari. 300! We had to send out several courier ships to different countries in Africa to offload it to others before it went bad." The Queen Mother did not believe in wasting one's food. Just the gas and money it cost to send out those salads.

The Jabari ahead of them laughed loudly, no doubt eavesdropping on Shuri's conversation.

"You are all just so mean!"

"I feel that perhaps you quite enjoy it now."

"Oh I most certainly do not!"

M'Baku spun on his heel, gripping Shuri's waist as he drug her into his body, bending down and pressing a firm kiss to her lips. Shuri squeaked in surprise at the swift move before shutting her eyes and leaning into him.

Her hands, seemingly of their own accord, moved until they were wrapped around his neck and she was pulling herself up and into his arms, the kiss deepening as she wrapped her legs around his waist, taking over the embrace as best as she could. M'Baku let out a throaty growl, his hands cupping her ass to keep her pressed firmly into him.

Shuri bit his lower lip, tugging it gently into her mouth before sucking it and releasing his lip with a small pop. M'Baku tightened his hold on her, his shaft digging into the center of her. Shuri shuddered. "How much further until we arrive?" Her voice was breathy, heavy with lust. M'Baku groaned at the need he heard in Shuri's voice, mirroring his own desires.

M'Baku let go of her ass with one hand, shooing his men along briefly before focusing wholly on her again. "Not close enough," was his reply before stepping back a few feet and maneuvering Shuri with him into a nearby cave. Their were torches that went into the cave, giving it a nice romantic glow and keeping the cold out the more they moved inside.

Finding a stone slab to sit Shuri on, M'Baku made short work of their clothes before grabbing ahold of his woman, entering her with one sure stroke. Both of them groaned at the contact, feeling both bereft and fulfilled. It had only been a day since they had sex, but for M'Baku it may as well have been a small eternity. Shuri wrapped her slim arms around his neck, holding him to her as he moved inside her in sure, unhurried strokes.

It was nearly an hour before they made their way out of the cave and up to his home in the mountain.

Neither of them minded the delay.


Later that evening, weary from her travels, Shuri cuddled into M'Baku as they lay in his large bed. Shuri was uncomfortable to the point where she was laying mostly on top of M'Baku, thankful she was small enough to not cause him any pain as she lay above him. He was much more enjoyable than a bed anyway.

"As much as I am loving this, I feel like you are laying on me to avoid the bed." His voice came out gruffly, although he was only messing with her.

Shuri was silent for a moment before laughing lightly and caressing his chest with her soft fingers. "The rock bed is not as nice as my bed back home."

M'Baku smiled slightly, remembering the bed fondly. If Shuri intended to spend all of her nights with him, and M'Baku would see that she did, he wanted her to be happy, no matter what. He wanted to hear her refer to Jabari as her 'home', her bed as his bed. He looked up at his woman, a small smiled spreading across his face. "Amazon, you said?"

Shuri smiled. "Yes, Amazon."

"I'll order a new mattress in the morning. For now, I suppose you can sleep on me."

"How kind of you," Shuri joked, fully intent on laying on him every night, nice mattress aside.

"I am always kind," M'Baku said hotly.

"Mm."

"Mm? I give self praise and my woman says 'mm' as if she disagrees with me. Agh. "

"It is awfully medieval but I do enjoy when you say I am your woman."

"You are my woman. As I am your man. It is fact."

"I hope the others of your tribe agree with us."

"Do not worry, it will all work out." M'Baku squeezed Shuri's arms reassuringly before letting his eyes close as he began to drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Shuri sat up abruptly, causing M'Baku's eyes to pop open at the sudden movement.

"You've spoken to T'Challa about this?"

M'Baku raised a brow and his voice. "You believe I need to seek permission from the young king? About matters that do not concern him? I, the mighty ape of the Jabari?! I ask permission from no one, king or not!"

Shuri looked at him before lightly smacking his chest.

In a smaller voice he said, "I may have forgotten." Rolling her eyes, Shuri plopped back down, laying her head on M'Baku's chest in order to hear his heart beating. "I will seek his council tomorrow when we return to the city." With a soft kiss to Shuri's forehead, M'Baku fell asleep with his woman in his arms.