As I'm publishing this chapter, I'm almost done outlining Year Three and I'm excited for you all to get there.
Year Three: Someone With Her
Luyano Home, Wakanda - 17:47 PM
After Iqadi and Imanu got married, she gifted his family a new house which was a major improvement to them. It was nothing extremely fancy since they didn't want something that lavish, but just more than enough for them to live. It was definitely better than their old house and not far from the palace. Imanu would visit his parents and Kili whenever he had time to spare or they would drop by the palace, or when Iqadi was out of town and he was done with his royal protocol training and daily responsibilities. Despite living in the palace for nearly three years, he still didn't like being there alone, especially if his in-laws were there. Queen Ororo and King T'Challa were still as intimidating as he believed them to be before he even met them.
"Why doesn't Iqadi have a lady-in-waiting?" His mother, Kamali, says as she puts away some dishes. "Ororo occasionally has one but I've never seen Iqadi with any assistants."
"You know she doesn't like being helped," Imanu says, smiling a little. "If she can do it herself, she would."
"It must come from how she was brought up."
"Mother."
"Don't you mother me. Ororo and I were talking and she told me that she and T'Challa tried nannies but Iqadi never liked them. She'd always run away or hide from them. She only wanted her parents to watch her so they had to change their schedule around."
Imanu nods. "Sounds about right."
If Imanu had to guess, Iqadi's parents tried to get her a lady-in-waiting when she was old enough but declined. Maybe her parents tried to give her a sibling as someone to be by her side but couldn't.
"Her mother told me that Iqadi is very independent, sometimes too independent," Kamali continues. "She sometimes worried that Iqadi would prefer being alone or become too proud if she could always manage to do things by herself."
"Mother, why are you telling me this?" Imanu asks.
"Because you're the closest person to her. Seems like you know it to be true by now, even before you married her."
"I'm her husband."
"Even so. You could have a professional marriage, a loveless one but you don't. You're the closest person to her, her best friend. Ororo and I noticed."
Imanu smiles, warming up as he thinks that over. "She's mine too."
-o-
Darwin Library - 11:22 AM
James scrolls through his phone until he gets an email regarding his SO. He skims through it and reads that his SO isn't indicated on his student account since his SO didn't confirm it on their end for unknown reasons but should get back to him soon. The agent who wrote the email says to meet her at her office during her office hours, which were provided at the end of the email, and she'd give him the rundown. James types a quick response and shrugs.
"Cool," he states before continuing with his day.
-o-
Hudson Residence - 11:29 AM
Angela and Xavier sit at his desk in his dorm. She pulled over Ashton's desk chair as Xavier calls their parents from his laptop. They wait a few seconds before seeing them both there and it's another five minutes of pleasantries and catching up before Angela and Xavier share who their SOs are and wonder what they're supposed to expect. They weren't agents they were introduced to when they were younger so they had a hunch their mother didn't know them.
"Everyone I've spoken too, profs included, think I'll get shipped to Camp SHIELD as a counsellor," Xavier says.
Peggy: Vander organizes Camp SHIELD. You're definitely going.
Xavier groans. "Why me?"
Angela laughs when Peggy points at Steve who sits next to her on the other side of the screen. Xavier narrows his eyes at her, tempted to kick her spinning chair down the hall.
Peggy: But if he also administers dorm inspections, you could be an RA.
"I've heard that too," Xavier says.
Steve: You'll end up as both.
"I bet."
"But what would Agent Moore make me do?" Angela asks. "She wasn't even teaching last year and she's likely only a prof."
Peggy: With my SO, I did a lot of extra help with cadets, was a sparring partner, or tracking times. It even helps you too. Seeing where other cadets need improvement helps you be more self-aware of your own capabilities. I did the same to my cadets when I was a SO.
"Sounds boring," Angela says.
"Would you rather go to Camp SHIELD?"
"Dying of boredom watching cadets run or having Sci-Tech blow up my face? Definitely the former."
Before Xavier could argue, Ashton bursts into their dorm starting to rant about something they couldn't pick out because he kept on rambling. Angela and Xavier weren't sure if he was drunk but he sure seemed like so even if it was barely noon. They kept quiet, watching him go off and glancing at their parents' stunned and concerned faces on the screen. It didn't help that once Ashton slowed down, Angela and Xavier could piece together that Ashton was coming back from a bad time with a girl and wondering about his crappy dating life and girl issues.
Then, Ashton sees Angela and Xavier on the phone with their parents and he pauses, regretting the past five minutes of his life. The twins almost burst out laughing.
"Hi, Captain Rogers, Agent Carter…" Ashton mutters. His cheeks heat up as he waves to them. "Sorry about that. Forget this happened. I'll be on my way."
"No, no," Angela says, stopping him. "Our parents have been married for 21 years so they could give you advice."
Ashton blinks. "I would rather jump out that window."
"You can barely be with a girl for 21 minutes so sit down."
Ashton can hear the parents laughing as he takes a seat behind them.
"Should've run into Brody's dorm," Xavier whispers to him.
-o-
SHIELD Helicarrier - 12:20 PM
Merida narrows her eyes in annoyance as she hears her parents babble to her on the phone. She thought that out of everyone she knows to help her with her SO crisis, her parents would be supportive and help. Instead, they don't care since they can't and don't want to do anything about it. They told her to have fun in Communications and Merida was almost tempted to call the cops because there's no way in hell that her parents would say that (or that any sane person would say that about Communications). She continues hearing them blab about how much of a learning experience it would be but she stops listening. Her eyes look up and see an agent leaving the office she was waiting for.
"Useless," Merida says, "love you. Bye."
Merida hangs up as she scurries into Director Fury's office. When he sees her, she closes the door and takes a seat in front of his desk.
"I'm in Communications," Merida tells him. "My schedule is now changed because I'm now in some Communications courses."
"So?" Fury asks.
"So?" Merida is almost surprised he asked that. She thought that he would be more useful than her parents given that he's her godfather and cares about her. "I'm an Operations student. I should be supervised by someone in Operations. Or if anything, I thought you would've been my SO."
"I can't supervise students. I'm not with the Academy."
Merida scoffs. Liar. "You would've supervised me."
Fury shrugs. "Blame Communications because they're unpredictable. Remember, your friend Britney was raised by Communications agents."
Merida can't argue that. She's heard stories about Britney's nun-ninjas, or nunjas, for short. "Am I even allowed to have a Communications SO?"
"Yeah. Any agent can be your SO because they more or less have some knowledge in all the fields. 99% of them stay within their area because not only is it what they know best but it makes sense."
"Then what am I?"
"You know math. You're the 1%."
Merida rolls her eyes. "I'm disowning you as my godfather. From now on, Captain America is my only godfather."
Fury isn't surprised. "Look how dramatic you are. You belong in Communications."
Merida narrows her eyes at him, seething, especially when he smiles. "Disowned."
"Communications."
"You know, there's a story as to why you won't be my SO and until I find out, disowned."
"Bye, Barton."
"Disowned."
Merida walks out extra dramatically on purpose, garnering looks from passing agents. She yells it one more time once she's at the end of the hall.