Hi, everyone! I'm back with a new chapter for all you, Erik/Shuri loving folks out there! (Seriously we need a ship name. PrincessMonger? Shurik? Why hasn't anybody come up with a ship name yet? My personal bet is on PrincessMonger though I like Shurik as well ;) )

Boomerbaby13: Thank-you! Yeah, Erik is kind of dense at the moment, isn't he? This is definitely a "Make-up" chapter between Erik and Shuri, and, as for the gold digger, we're just going to have to wait and see! ;)

daenerys and kahl drogo 4ever: Awwwww, thank-you! I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do about that companion story yet, but I'll probably think of something.

Guest 1: Oh, Erik will definitely notice eventually, and, trust me; it's going to hit his brain like an oncoming train!

killmonger: Thank-you! And I love it when somebody notices those little Easter egg tidbits I leave in there! I'm probably going to throw in one or two more in the future, so keep your eyes peeled! (There isn't one in this chapter, sadly.)

killmeatingbutte (is that you as well, killmonger?): OOOOOOOO, now THERE'S an idea!

Guest 2: Thank-you! It's kind of amazing how many people started to ship this after fanfiction of it was created!

Peepshow: Thank-you!

Now I'm going to ask you all to bear with me a little. I haven't been feeling too well today, so the editing might seem a little off. This chapter wasn't originally going to exist, but I think it kind of needs to, just to show them making up, because it would be kind of weird to skip to the birthday celebration and have them still not friends again. On a side note, does anybody know how the Wakandans celebrate royal birthdays!? Because I'm at a loss and if there's a way to find out, I really should portray it correctly. Please let me know in the comment section if you guys have any tips!


Erik ducked as T'Challa swung a right hook just inches away from his jaw then lunged at T'Challa's torso and pinned him to the ground with a growl.

"You're getting better at that," T'Challa observed before kneeing him in the stomach.

Erik fell off to the ground doubling over as T'Challa kicked him in the side.

"Alright! Alright!" Erik held a hand up, "Can we please take a ten?"

"Wimp."

Erik glanced over, surprised to see Shuri with a basket in her hands and a smug smile on her face

"Hey, you try being kneed in the stomach then kicked in the side!" Erik pointed to the princess who just rubbed her free fingers against her nails looking bored.

"I still say you're a wimp."

T'Challa laughed earning a glare from his cousin.

"Ha. Ha. Very funny." He sat on his hind then accepted T'Challa's hand up. "What you got there, Shuri?"

"Something for you."

"Something for me?" Erik couldn't keep the surprise out of his voice. It wasn't like he was her favorite person at the moment.

"But not for me?" T'Challa pretended to sound hurt as he reached his hand to touch the blanket covering the basket earning a swat from his sister's tiny hand.

"No. I don't need to apologize to you."

Erik blinked. This was a peace offering? It had been three days since he and Shuri had had their little tiff and he hadn't seen much of her to be honest. Not for a lack of trying either. He had done everything he could think of from a card to a couple of freshly plucked flowers the day before, but none of it had seemed to reach her.

Until today.

"I'll go cool off." T'Challa grabbed a towel off of a nearby branch and swung it over his shoulders walking the other way.

Shuri couldn't seem to look him in the eye as Erik grabbed a towel of his own.

"So…is that something I can eat or is it a critter that can bite me?" He smiled at his own joke as he wiped the sweat off his face.

She cracked a small smile still not looking at him.

"Hey," he grabbed his white shirt, "I'm not mad or anything." He pulled the shirt over his head.

"You're not?"

Erik slid the rest of the shirt down his torso to see that Shuri was finally looking at him.

"No, I'm not. A little frustrated and confused maybe, but not mad."

"Sorry."

"No hard feelings." He sat on the stone bench and patted the empty space next to him. "So what's in the basket?"

Shuri sat next to him and set the basket on her lap.

"Well, remember what you said you missed the most about America?"

"My mother?" Erik couldn't imagine Shuri had miraculously raised her from the dead, as much as that would have been nice.

Shuri blinked a couple of times.

"Um, no, sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"Besides your mother."

Erik paused to think. There wasn't much he missed about America because he hadn't spent a lot of time there. He missed the more modern music, as well as playing basketball with the neighborhood children, and a few of the foods…

Wait a minute.

"Is it something edible?"

Shuri nodded.

"Something sweet?" he felt his hopes lift.

Shuri nodded seemingly unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Is it…fudge?"

"Yep!" She whipped the blanket off the top of the basket to reveal a plate of beautifully arranged fudge cubes shining in the sunlight.

"I found a recipe and made it myself in the kitchen. I hope you like it; it's my first try."

"Oh, you are forgiven." Erik reached into the basket and took a few cubes, "I mean, you were already forgiven, but you are beyond a shadow of a doubt forgiven now."

He took a bite and savored the sweet chocolate melting in his mouth.

"You nailed it," he finished his first cube in another bite. "I can't believe this is your first try; you nailed it."

Shuri beamed.

"I'm glad you like it."

"Want a couple?"

"You sure?"

"Yeah; you made them."

She shrugged.

"Okay." She took one cube and nibbled a little off the side.

"So," Erik finished last bite, "What was it really that had you so upset?"

Shuri froze mid-bite.

"Um, I," she shifted uncomfortably, "Don't know what you mean."

"Come on," he gently tapped her leg with his foot, "I've never seen you that mad before."

Shuri studied the fudge piece in between her fingers.

"I guess I…got used to it just being the three of us."

Erik paused to mull it over.

"Ah, I see. So, you found Shaelene an infiltration of our little group."

"I guess you could say that." Shuri polished off her fudge cube shifting in her seat again.

"Hey."

Shuri looked at him.

"Shaelene's not going to replace you."

"You sure about that?"

Erik chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure nobody could replace you, Princess."

"You dang right." She crossed her arms, a smug smile tugging the corners of her mouth.

Erik laughed.

"Now there's the Shuri I know." He playfully rubbed the top of her head.

"I forgive you," she said sweetly, "Under one condition…"

"What?" Erik pushed down the impending dread.

"That you lay off on any boy I bring home in the future."

"Whoa, whoa, time out here." Erik made a T with his hands, "No promises there."

"Why?"

"You mean I'm not even supposed to glare at him if he looks at you like a creep? Because I had plans, cuz."

"Oh, really?" She laughed.

"Yeah, you have no idea how many times a week I fantasize about offing a dude in the middle of the night for touching you the wrong way."

"Erik!" She slapped him on the arm even though she doubling over in laughter. "Please tell me you're joking!" She pressed her forehead against his arm, her shoulders still shaking.

"Of course I am; kind of." The reality suddenly hit him hard. In two years she would be thirteen, the age when boys would inevitably start to notice her.

Great.

Shuri leaned back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand taking a deep breath before laughing again.

"What?"

"Sorry," She palmed her forehead, "I just got this image of you creeping into a boy's room in the middle of the night with a dagger and eyes glowing."

"You don't mean to tell me that that's exactly what I'd look like?" Erik pretended to be offended.

"You're not that cool."

"Oh, really?" Erik crossed her arms, "You mean to tell me that I'm not cooler than your older brother?"

"Stop it; you're both equally cool in different ways."

"Meaning…"

"T'Challa's cool because he's kind and compassionate; the epitome of a future leader. You're cool in a bad boy sort of way."

"Oh, so I'm a bad boy now?" Erik cracked his knuckles feeling a smile grow on his face.

"Shut up and eat your fudge." Shuri stood on her knees and shoved a piece into his mouth.

Erik chuckled as he removed the piece from his mouth.

At least he and Shuri were friends again.