Hi! Just a few housekeeping things, unfortunately Morgan has been removed from this fic (she was originally written in Chapter 1) but it wasn't consistent with the storyline :( hoping to add her in another fic something though! Keep an eye out and thanks for reading! :D
The plate of pancakes sits in solitude, no one daring to move it.
The atmosphere is tense and heavy with Shuri's absence.
Nobody speaks.
T'Challa is stuck in his office with Okoye, working desperately with their advanced technology for clues.
Pepper keeps Stark Industry running smoothly, placing subtle calls to her associates in touch with the higher-ups, to ask for search warrants sent out.
Tony's pulled up algorithms and accessed yesterday's traffic cams to check for the truck's GPS signal, with no result.
Bruce has retreated to the labs, sticking to his research project and keeping his back squarely turned away from Shuri's empty bench.
Nat's on the phone to Director Fury, utilising all possible S.H.I.E.L.D's resources, with Steve standing closely behind her monitoring the conversation, his arms crossed and face serious.
Bucky and Wanda sit around the dining table, engrossed in their thoughts as the last people to have seen Shuri.
Peter walks in after a restless, sleepless night and takes a seat at the table, casting a pained glance at the food in the middle.
"Tracking it won't do any good, they could've changed vehicles at any point." Steve sighs, rubbing his forehead worriedly.
Natasha slips the phone away from her ear and slides in onto the table, tapping the speaker button.
Fury's voice blasts out of the phone.
"What else can I do? We've got a team searching already."
"The Wakandan Princess whose kidnapping is an international security threat? More needs to be done."
"Rogers, you think I don't know that? Look, I'm doing what I can but there are bigger fish to fry. I want Shuri back safe and sound as much as you all do, but S.H.I.E.L.D's got other priorities."
"Like what?" Peter blurts out, ripping open a nearby pack of almonds and scoffing them down.
"Kid, if you haven't noticed, there are people dying out there everyday from this disease. They need oxygen, masks, food supplies, proper health care and what's the government doing about it? Nothing. So, the assigned team will do their absolute best to find the princess and that's all we can do until the government starts doing their job."
The sharp beep of Fury hanging up echoes throughout the room.
Peter buries his head in his hands, muttering blearily,
"It's all my fault."
Wanda takes his hand, patting it gently.
"You know Shuri, she might be out there, but she'll be fighting every step of the way. The Avengers are well known, someone will help her."
"I still wish there was something we could do."
"Just trust in our justice system and their law enforcement. They'll find her soon enough, but for now, it's best to finish doing your work."
Sighing, Peter trudges to his room and pulls out his work.
He stares disinterestedly at the screen, typing out one sentence answers to his English homework.
To what extent does Romeo love Juliet as seen from their encounter in the Balcony Scene (Act 2 Scene 2) Discuss with reference to the play and movie in a 2000 word essay.
"Ugh," Peter mutters, not in any state to write anything more than 15 words per paragraph. "I'll do it later."
Clicking on his many files, Peter opens his list of Spanish translation.
Translate the following Spanish excerpt and answer the questions.
Peter skims over the transcript and quickly rewrites the passage out.
Girl: Where did you go?
Boy: To the park
Girl: What were you doing?
Boy: I was thinking
Girl: About what?
Boy: About you
Girl: why?
Boy: You're so amazing, in your mind, body and soul. I love the way you talk and think, always so creative and genius. You're caring and kind, forever thinking of others. You're like a shining diamond, true beauty cannot be hidden. What do you say? Will you be with me?
Girl: *gasps* I love you!
Oh boy, Peter mentally rolls his eyes. Shoulda known Mr Fernado would have picked a trashy soap opera to use. This guy's in deep. He moves onto the questions dejectedly.
Peter hurriedly smashes out answers to the easy vocab questions and finishes on the final question.
How is the girl described in the passage?
Checking back to his notes, Peter lists the various qualities that the lovesick guy believes this girl holds.
Amazing, creative, genius, caring, kind, thinks of others, diamond-like, beautiful
"As if," Peter mutters to himself. "No one's that lucky."
But, the word 'genius' triggers a memory of Shuri finding him in the labs a heat-wave day, bored and dressed casually in loose shorts without a shirt.
"Oh, hi." Peter stumbled over in the lab, realizing who it was that just walked in and grabs his shirt, turning around as he pulls it on.
Shuri chuckled as Peter turned around to face her.
"Nice shirt?"
"What?"
"The joke, it's funny."
He looked down, finding the words, Two tectonic plates bumped into another, and one said, "Sorry, my fault."
"Oh yeah, I thought so too." Peter grinned, returning to his workbench.
"Do you know this one? What did the bartender say when oxygen, hydrogen, sulphur, sodium and phosphorous walked in?" Shuri's smile is bright with humour.
"OH SNaP!"
They burst into laughter.
"What did Bromine say to Boron?" Peter asked Shuri.
"BrB! But that joke is so cobalt, radon and yttrium."
"Ha, CoRnY. Wanna hear a joke about sodium, bromine and oxygen?"
"NaBro, but I heard oxygen and potassium's date went OK."
Peter chuckled,
"When someone threw sodium chloride at me, I yelled, "That's a salt!"
"So, does Tony like to ride the ferrous wheel?"
"Huh?"
"Ferrous, as in a metal mostly comprised of iron?"
"I got that!" protested Peter unconvincingly.
"Sure, genius." She smirked, flashing a triumphant smile.
And they'd gotten a whole lot closer ever since.
Peter sighed, doodling on his Spanish homework. If Shuri came back, now when Shuri came back, he would never let her go again. A fresh wave of guilt hits Peter again, and his phone begins ringing.
He picks it up, not bothering to check the contact.
"Hello?"
"Peter, you better come down quick." Wanda says urgently.
"Okay, to where?"
"Reception." She hangs up.
Confused, but having learnt long ago never to challenge the powerful women in his life, particularly the ones with actual magic, Peter does as Wanda instructed.
He rushes down, feet flying from step to step wondering what was going on.
"Hey Wanda, what's up-"
Peter skids to a stop.
Standing right in front of him is Shuri.
She waves hesitantly, almost shyly though of course Peter knew that "timid" wasn't part of her vocabulary.
"Shuri!" He cries, rushing forward.
She's barely one step inside the building before Peter's arms are wrapped around her neck, hugging her tightly. Shuri can hear the rapid beating of his heart and the smell of almonds, which she knows Peter only eats when he's nervous.
"Hello, Peter." Shuri chuckles.
He draws a deep breath and begins speaking at rapid speed,
"I'm really sorry for before. I shouldn't have said those things." Peter shifts back slightly to gaze into her shining brown eyes. "I thought you'd never come back."
"I couldn't leave with all the homework we have due." Shuri smiles.
"Well, we're glad to have you back either way." Wanda says from further inside.
"Yeah, T'Challa was freaking out big time." Bucky adds.
Shuri grins,
"I can imagine his panic."
"You have no idea, Nakia was screaming at him via hologram."
"Yes, she was." T'Challa's deep baritone sounds from the stairs.
Shuri whips around to see the serious face of her brother, mixed with relief and anger.
Okoye appears behind T'Challa. Shuri catches sight of her general and exclaims happily,
"Okoye!"
"Did they hurt you?" She demands in Xhosa, her face is stern and closed off.
"No, but Okoye, I-"
"Did they ask for any confidential information?"
"No." Shuri answers like a dutiful soldier reporting to her leader.
And hearing the answer, Okoye rushes forward to wrap her princess into a close hug.
"I'm glad you're safe." She whispers into the top of Shuri's hair. "Don't scare me like that again, Princess!"
Shuri grins as she whispers back,
"I won't."
"So, there's got to be some kind of story to this." Bucky coaxes. "Tell us!"
"Well, basically these two guys just grabbed me when I was downstairs opening the door for the grocery delivery. To be honest, they weren't very experienced, so I could untie myself but they'd barricaded the door. I think they made it a few more hours before stopping for a break. They were calling someone because they'd seen my social media and knew who I was. They wanted a ransom, a really high price. We drove a few more hours before they took me out and onto another car. I still had my blindfold, an old shirt wrapped around several times and ties for hand binds, but they were pretty loose because the guys obviously had no idea what they were doing. From there, I was driven a bit further but was able to escape. I ended up around near St Louis.
"So, how did you get up here from St Louis?" Asks Steve.
"Well, all I can say is now I know where Natasha gets all her speeding skills from." Shuri giggles, turning around to greet her saviour, Clint Barton, walking in with Natasha.
"Hey guys," He pulls off his sunglasses and. waves a casual hand in a lazy gesture.
"So you were Fury's search team?" Steve stands with his arms crossed.
Clint grins,
"Yeah, I got a call that they'd traced the car near St Louis and since I was only a few hours away," He shrugs. "Shuri and I had a fun road trip back."
The Princess giggles and Peter glances over at her, amused at her laugh. Wanda catches it and smiles to herself.
"Yeah, T'Challa you can never complain about my driving skills now." Shuri says snarkily.
"Oh, good the princess returns." Tony appears at the doorway.
"Thank goodness!" Pepper rushes down to hug the ecstatic girl, pleased to see her friend.
"Yes, and thankfully my clothes didn't even get ruined! Though it would've been a good excuse to get more." Shuri sighs. "Well, thanks for the warm welcome everyone, I better be heading upstairs, schoolwork waits for no man. Or woman, I suppose."
"I'll help you, most of Donner's homework is really repetitive." Peter offers.
The crowd slowly dissipates, relieved at the bright teen' return, each returning to their own busy schedule.
"You coming?" Steve asks his partner, needing to finish some paper work that Fury had sent.
"Yeah, one moment." Nat replies, turning back to Clint. "How's Laura going?"
"Good," Clint answers, "How are you and Cap going?"
"Fine, it's funny to watch how everyone's' eyes go buggy when they see him at the hospital." She chuckles.
"Yeah, I can imagine." He grins as Nat's phone rings. "Who is it?"
"Oh, just some doctor from the hospital we go to."
"Huh," Clint peers over at the screen. "Jo?"
A beep sounds and Nat checks it again.
"Wanna meet up again?" He reads, just before she hides it in her pocket. "C'mon Nat, tell me!" Clint begs.
She rolls her eyes before sighing loudly.
"Well, we met at the hospital when he was on shift and I-"
"-was a wounded lady in desperate need of help?" Clint finishes.
"No," Nat snaps. "This little girl was due for an operation."
"Aw," He frowns.
"Yeah, and he was helping her get ready for her surgery. She was scared, she told me. So I told her that it was okay, and that I could teach her some acrobatic tricks, just like she wanted."
Clint made a sympathetic sound, remembering how scarred Natasha was when he first met her.
"So this Jo huh, where's he from?"
"Well, his real name is Joseph, and he said he's got a background from the Navy."
"Impressive. Then retrained as a doctor I presume?"
"Yep."
"Huh, sounds like a background just like Cap's. Army then therapist." He notes.
"Yeah, I guess so." She answers.
"And how is it between you guys? You seemed pretty close last I saw." Clint raises his eyebrows suggestively.
Nat rolls her eyes, unimpressed and unsurprised at her oldest friend's antics.
"His girlfriend had just died, give Steve a break- he needed a friend."
"Right, and you were playing the best friend when you tried to hook him up with those other shield recruits, hmm?"
"Yes."
"Sure." He laughs.
"It's true!" She protests.
"Alright, alright." Clint holds his hands up in defeat.
"Will you stay for dinner?" Nat asks.
He sighs,
"I don't know, don't really want to leave Laura alone for too long."
"Oh come on, it's not like they're going to turn into dust and disappear." She smiles.
"Will you make your delicious calzones?"
"Fine."
Shuri grabs her phone excitedly, like any teen after been deprived of their technology for a day. She checks it hurriedly, swiping away any unnecessary notifications.
Peter sits at her desk, filling out the answers to Shuri's math homework.
"Peter!" She calls.
"Huh?" He says, turning around.
"Have you watched How to lose a guy in 10 days?"
"No, but it sounds like a rom-com." He pulls a face.
"Well Cindy recommended once you finish, we're watching it." Shuri says decisively.
"Ugh, do we have to?"
"Yes, I'm making it part of the Peter's Repayment Plan, and you did promise to do whatever I asked for." She reminds.
"Alright."
Shuri flicks through the rest of her notifications, mostly media requests for an interview about living with the Avengers, since word got out that she was still in America and staying with them for the time being. What a massive headache, and Okoye wouldn't be pleased either, it was a security risk after all. But at least she wouldn't need to hide the fact that she knew Spider-Man. Maybe they could do something on social media together?
"Okay, I'm done. Have you set up the movie?" Peter asks.
"Oh, no not yet." She gets up and loads their streaming service. "Ready?"
"Yep."
They settle down, sitting on the floor of Shuri's room, surrounded by massive beanbags and the food remnants of their previous binge-watching movie-marathons scattered on the floor. As they watch the movie, Shuri glances over to watch the smile stuck on Peter's face and gasps suddenly.
"What?" He asks.
"You like rom-coms!" She giggles.
"What? No way." Peter blushes furiously.
"No, it's so obvious." Shuri would've fallen to the floor laughing were it not for her already being on there. "That's so cute."
"What?" He blushes a brighter shade of red than possible. "You don't think that's weird?"
"No, silly of course not. Why would it be? It just means I have someone to enjoy them with." She says with a dismissive wave of her hand. "T'Challa hates them so I usually watch them by myself."
"I mean, my aunt always used to watch them and after my uncle died, I didn't want her to watch them by herself."
"Aww, that's so nice of you." Shuri smiles.
"Thanks."
"So Shuri, how was your one night of reprieve from us noisy bunch?" Bucky asks at dinner.
"I think the food was better." Shuri grins jokingly.
"What did you do when you got back?" Aunt May asks.
"Oh, just finished off some bits and pieces of homework."
"We watched 'How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days' too." Peter adds.
"Peter found the karaoke scene hilarious." Shuri adds.
"Oh, I love that scene! It's so funny how they're basically just yelling at each other the whole time about deceiving one another." Pepper adds excitedly.
Tony slams his palms on the table and jumps from his chair, eliciting a loud screech.
"We're doing a karaoke night!" He announces, ignoring the stunned looks.
"Yes!" Shuri cheers.
"We can have a sing-off." Nat suggests with a wry smile.
"Good idea, Red. Let's make it girls vs boys? Who's in?"
"C'mon Peter do it! Then we'll have to verse each other." Shuri prods her friend.
"Let the best singer win." Peter replies with a competitive smile.
"Yeah Steve, you should join the boys' team." Nat grins at her partner from across the table.
Steve sighs, wanting to eat his massive meal in peace.
"Fine. But Bucky has to do it with me."
"Great, so it's currently Me, Peter, Steve and Bucky against Natasha and Shuri. Barton, what about you? Don't tell me you can't play the drums, I've seen you do it before."
Clint shrugs,
"Sure, why not."
"Wanda! Join us!" pleads Shuri.
The red-clad student shakes her head.
"Wanda, as your spy mentor, I set you the task of participating in this karaoke session. It'll improve your performance skills." Nat orders.
"Alright," Wanda says reluctantly.
"Great! Everyone has until tomorrow night to practice, and everyone else who isn't part of the groups will be judges. No one is skipping, you're living in a building funded by me, I don't put rules in place often but there is one now; you have to come. And if your name gets called, you're singing. Got it?" Tony points a stern finger at the group.
A murmur of affirmative responses satisfies the excited billionaire.
"Excellent!"
"Ready to get your ass kicked?" Shuri smirks to Peter.
"Yeah right, as if you'll win." He grins back.