Hey, everybody! Thank-you everyone for all of your reviews/kudos/followers!
KnickerbokerGlory: Thank-you! To be honest, I was just making it up a bit as I went along, so it's good to hear that!
Eyerish: Thank-you! You said you were obsessed with the shop as in the marketplace? A little of that is going to come pretty soon if that was what you were talking about. Briefly, anyway. Erik and T'Challa are the same age in this fic, 15 to start with. I'm not quite sure who is older yet, but I'll figure it out. As for Erik finding out about his father's death, I'm working on that. I've got something in mind to cut some of the drama in half, but I still need to think on it.
Guest, JBOYKINS1; Rosebud on Royal Icing: Your next chapter is here!
xSerenityIsn'tAlwaystheAnswerx: Yeah, I know, it's terrible isn't it? Like, the moment he called her princess, I had that feeling. You know, the shipper feeling? That's what I get for shipping people who so much as breathe the same air, lol.
Bayumlikedayum: I'm SO glad you caught that reference, lol! I HAD to stick it in there somewhere when she started to list her reasons.
Lollapalozzfanatic83: Wow, I'm not sure if I ever thought that this fic would be enough to convert somebody. Here is your next chapter!
Something was brought to my attention by way of one of my ao3 reviewers, and that "something" was on Erik's Wakandan name versus his American one, which did cross my mind while I was typing the first chapter. I've decided that I'll make N'Jadaka his formal name.(like when a James goes by the name Jim). T'Chaka and Ramonda would call him by that as well as others who aren't close to him, like the palace guards and the servants, while people who know him intimately call him Erik. I'm thinking that might make it easy to keep with the name we knew him by in the movie while not ignoring his Wakandan name.
"Erik!"
Erik quickly tore the sheet of sketch paper he was working on and shoved it underneath the sketch book. Tapping his charcoal pencil against the book, he leaned forward and looked down from his tree branch.
Shuri was smiling up at him with her hands on her hips.
"What are you doing?" Her voice sounded impish.
"Just sketching."
"May I see?"
No!
"Um…sure." She didn't have to see everything he was working on.
Shuri grabbed one of the tree knolls and began to scale the tree.
"Need some help?"
"No, I've got it." Erik braced himself all the same as she hoisted herself up to the next knoll.
She made it as far as the last one before her foot slipped with a cry. Erik sprung from his perch and grabbed her wrist.
"Gottcha!"
Shuri whimpered as she hung in air.
"You're alright, hey-hey, Shuri? Don't look down."
Shuri looked back up at him with terrified brown eyes.
"That's it. Just keep your eyes on me, okay? I've got you."
Shuri nodded.
"Atta, girl. Can you swing your other hand up? That's it." Erik grabbed her other wrist and slowly pulled her up onto the branch.
"There we go."
Shuri threw herself into his arms, clutching his waist like a steel trap. Erik hugged her back, rocking her gently.
"It's okay, princess; I've got you."
He felt her grip loosen a bit as she relaxed into his embrace.
Ever since she started coming with he and T'Challa on their outings six months back, Erik had grown rather found of Shuri. She grated on him less and proved to be fun and liven up their games and walks. He now wondered why he had ever found her annoying.
Shuri pulled away from him and wiped her eyes.
"Thank-you." She smiled sheepishly.
"No problem. Want to see what I'm working on?" He turned his sketch pad around and gently pushed it toward her, praying that she wouldn't turn to the last page.
"Sure." Shuri grabbed the sketch pad and smiled. "Is this T'Challa's suit?"
"No, it's a suit I'm working on for myself."
she looked up at him.
"You want to be a warrior?"
"Maybe…I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
"Well…part of me wants to become a warrior and police the borders, but another part of me wants to become a scientist."
Shuri's eyelids fluttered before he got a verbal reaction.
"You? A scientist?"
He chuckled.
"I thought that'd be your reaction." He leaned his back against the core of the tree.
"No, I didn't mean it that way. I just never pictured becoming a scientist. You're too restless."
"Well, I'd be taking care of all the interesting parts; the tech discoveries."
"Ahhhhh." She scrunched her nose. "I'm still having a hard time picturing you as one."
"Well, while you're doing that, I'm going to tell you all the cool features my suit's going to have. It's going to be top rate with protective, but comfortable armor. I'm going to install boomerang-like throwing stars so I don't lose any. Haven't figured out how, yet, but I will."
"Well, installing some sort of magnets might be a good start."
Erik blinked.
"Come again?"
"Well, if you could somehow turn on and off a magnetic setting, then you bring them all back to you if the setting was strong enough. You could also install some tracking beacons as a failsafe for those who are out of reach."
Erik tapped his pencil against the branch.
"That's…a very good idea. Could you please hand that back to me?"
Shuri handed him the pad and he wrote down magnetic/tracking device.
He set the pencil down on top of the pad.
"Where did you learn that?"
"Oh, I'm at a middle school science level. My tutor thinks I can skip a grade even now, but he's not quite sure yet."
Erik felt his eyes widen.
"You're that far ahead?"
Shuri's face lit up.
"Yeah. Mother says I might get an internship in the tech department next year, if I don't skip a grade. If I do, then I can start working as early as right after my birthday." She laughed. "Don't look so surprised, Erik. I've been fiddling with things since I was 6; it was bound to happen."
"Yeah…" Erik blinked, "I, uh, just never paid too much attention before." He cleared his throat.
Shuri cross her arms.
"If I keep climbing the ladder, then maybe I could pass you in grade level."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, princess." Erik held his hand up, "Don't you be thinking like that."
"Why not? I found out a strategic way to get into you and T'Challa's little club."
"It's not a club if it's only 2 members."
"It sure felt like it at times." Her shoulders slumped. "I never hung out with many people, but the few kids around my age that I did at times…" She shrugged. "I felt…out of place. They were still playing with dolls and action figures while I was reading science books and trying to figure out how the magnetic field worked."
She smiled again.
"That's why I like hanging out with you and T'Challa." She leaned forward and playfully punched him, "I feel like I'm with someone on my level."
Erik chuckled, rubbing his arm.
"Well, you're not too bad yourself, Cuz. You wanna see something?"
Shuri nodded eagerly.
"Where are we going?" She asked 15 minutes later as she and Erik made their way down a flight of stone steps.
"You'll see." Erik stopped mid-flight and turned the wall and felt for the edge of the golden panel. "Ah, ha." He found the little latch, flipped it open, then pushed until he slid the panel to the side, revealing T'Challa in a torch-lit room, staring back at them in surprise.
Shuri's jaw dropped.
"Whoooaaaa." She walked into the room in awe.
"What's going on?" T'Challa closed his book.
"I thought I'd show Shuri our little hideout." Erik shrugged, "She's hung out with us enough."
"This is so cool!" She jumped up into one of the rug-covered couches. "How long has that been here?" She pointed to a wall-length bookshelf filled with books inscribed with ancient lettering.
"We're not sure," T'Challa reached over and grabbed one of the books, "But from what we've gathered, we're thinking it's been here since as far back as the third generations of Wakandans."
Shuri gasped and took the book reverently, gently smoothing over the cover.
Erik felt his grin widen. He knew Shuri would love it in here. It was filled with mystery and history. As much as she loved science, Wakandan history was a favorite of hers, as well, even if she wasn't what people would call a traditionalist.
"You can come in here whenever you like," Erik he sat down next to her, "Whenever you want to study or if you feel like the world is too full of stupid."
"Stupidity." Shuri raised an eyebrow.
He heard T'Challa snort behind him as Erik rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, whatever. You know what I mean." He ruffled her head. "You sure you're only ten years old?"
"I'll be eleven in three weeks." She crossed her arms, "And don't you forget it."
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Three weeks gave him plenty of time to bring the sketch in his pad to reality.
So what exactly is Erik up to? You're just going to have to find out until the next chapter is posted! ;)
