ACT ONE.  CHAPTER VII:
A WORM IN LOVE WITH A STAR

RIVER VILLAGE, WAKANDA.
2016, APRIL 11.

Namor treasured every moment he spent with the young princess as if it were his last. He relished the way her eyes lit up every time she started talking about one of her new discoveries, or the books she seemed to voraciously devour. He loved the way she listened to every word that came out of his mouth with such curiosity. The list went on and on each time he had the privilege of laying his eyes on her. With each passing day, he felt his heart swell with a feeling that he had finally stopped calling a parasite, and that inhibited his thoughts day and night. Rest had become foreign to him since he had met her, no day going by without her smile appearing in the recesses of his brain. His mind was entertained to play with him, making him see her in simple things that he was used to looking at without much thought, recalling having wondered what she would have thought of the arrangements that had been made around his throne.

He felt himself going insane, and the very idea made him laugh at the irony of the situation. Here he was, regularly coming to the surface because he couldn't help but want to spend time with a princess who had deftly melted the ice around his heart as if removing the thorns of a rose. And even their daily trysts weren't enough for him, Namor wanted to see her constantly, to feel her vanilla scent of jasmine notes filling his mind, to feel the warmth of her body against his. But even that didn't seem to be enough, he lacked the words, even the thoughts to express how much he needed her by his side.

She drives me crazy.

The steady movement of her lips indicated that she was talking to him, but at that very moment it was as if he heard nothing. The little things he liked about her made him want to laugh so much for he had never imagined thinking such things before. How could he explain to someone he found cute the way she buried her feet in the sand every time? Or even explain to himself that the way the light made her skin glow diffused that now familiar warmth in his stomach, stirring his thoughts to an unexpected degree.

What has she done with me?

K'uk'ulkan, all-powerful and undisputed god among his people. He had merely become a worm in love with a star.

In his four hundred and forty-five years on earth he had seen many women. It was no secret that these relationships had never gone beyond mere carnal desire. Not only had the universe, the gods, decided to show him that he could find something else in the arms of a woman, but this desire seemed to want to suffocate him now. His whole being was straining not to be the first to give in, because he wanted her to fall first, to be the one to start begging him to end this dangerous game they had been playing. But he was failing miserably, the mere sight of her thighs through the slits of her dress being enough to set his mind on fire.

He was trying, with all his might, but perhaps he wasn't as strong as he thought.

Beginning to detail her for what felt like the hundredth time since they'd sat by the water, he suppressed the movement of his Adam's apple in vain as his eyes fell on his late mother's bracelet, and one of the jade necklaces he'd gifted her, neatly blended in with the rest of the jewels in her ceremonial outfit. Continuing his ascent to her eyes, he noticed that she was also looking at him, eyebrow arched, and head tilted in curiosity, action which he also found cute.

"You're clearly not listening to me right now." she simply stated as she saw him widen his eyes as if he had just woken up from a unbelievable dream.

"I was." he blurted out, quickly turning away to focus on something other than the outline of her lips.

Sade wasn't stupid, she knew exactly what was going through his mind, the intensity as well as the darkness of his eyes left no room for speculation. The state he was in made her want to chuckle, fighting against himself as his ego did not want to be eclipsed. The young princess was determined to see how long he could bear the heavy tension between them, having enough willpower to last the long run.

"What was I talking about then?"

Namor stammered something as he continued to stare ahead, horribly aware of how tight his shorts were. He felt like he was scorching on the spot, even feeling that bold heat take over his cheeks.

Opening her mouth once more, Sade found herself cut off by the sound of one of her Kimoyo beads. Wondering well why she was being contacted at this time of day, she widened her eyes as she remembered why she had so much jewellery on her, standing up abruptly.

"By Bast, I'm late!" she exclaimed, removing the grains of sand that had come to stick to her hands.

"Your brother's coronation? It's been going on for quite a while."

The young woman paused in her movements before looking up at the Talokanil king in disbelief.

"You knew it had started and you didn't tell me?" she snapped, shoving him with her fist, making him snicker slightly. "And that makes you laugh?"

"Forgive a wretched and pitiful creature who merely wanted to hear thy words oh revered Princess." he retorted as he continued to smirk at her, holding her wrist in his hands.

Why did I introduce him to Shakespeare?

Sade scoffed, wanting to get that grin off his face. "You weren't even listening to me!"

With a mischievous expression, he pulled her against his chest, trapping her other wrist. "Guilty." he said with a faint wince before bringing his lips to her ear, smiling at the shiver that ran through her. "But I was thinking of other things that might interest you."

Knowing full well that he wouldn't let her go so easily, and despite the fact that she could clearly break away from his hold, she decided to get in on his game.

"Oh really?" she purred against his neck, satisfied by the tension she could feel in his muscles. "You'll have to tell me more because I don't know what you're talking about, K'uk'ulkan."

Namor exhaled heavily through his nose as he closed his eyes momentarily, aware of the effect it was having on him.

"You are playing a dangerous game, my fair panther."

"Oh, but I invented the game, K'uk'ulkan." she whispered, feeling his breaths growing more laboured.

Dropping a kiss on his cheek and taking advantage of his surprise to pull away from him, she hurried away with a giggle.

"You'd have to find some different shorts, you look a bit confined, sweetheart."

RIVER VILLAGE, WAKANDA.
2016, APRIL 11.

Thema let out a hiccup of surprise when she saw the young princess beside her, smiling with all her teeth as if she had been there since the beginning of the ceremony.

"How-"

"I can teleport, have you forgotten?"

The young woman blinked several times before narrowing her eyes. "Where have you been?"

About to blurt out a series of lies, Sade was cut short by the sound of wooden drums accompanied by loud chanting emanating from the mouth of the main cellar. She crossed her arms as she rolled her eyes, knowing full well who was approaching with so little discretion. Six Jabari warriors and two drummers appeared, adorned in elaborate wooden armor. Their wooden swords acted as an extension of their arms as the crowd could not hide their surprise at seeing the imposing figure of their leader, M'Baku, emerge. Out of the corner of her eye, the young princess saw W'Kabi and Nakia unsheathing their weapons as Okoye readied the Dora Milaje.

"M'Baku. What are you doing here?" finally confronted Zuri, who was as stunned as the rest of the assembly.

Only Sade's bored face contrasted with their shocked expressions. She wasn't particularly upset with M'Baku, they had parted on good terms, but he had this tendency to always jump into problems head on. And even before he opened his mouth to answer the shaman, she already knew why he had come all the way from the snowy peaks of his mountains.

"It's challenge day." he replied casually as if the answer couldn't be more obvious than that. He turned away from Zuri and T'Challa to the crowd, meeting her gaze for a split second. "We have watched and listened from the mountains! We have watched with disgust, as your technological advancements have been overseen by a child who scoffs at tradition." he continued, pointing his spear at Shuri, who widened her eyes as he was now closer to their stance.

As if the ceremony wasn't already long enough.

Turning around once more, M'Baku added again, still flustered. "And now... you want to hand the nation over to this prince..." He moved closer to T'Challa again to get within inches of him. "Who could not even keep his own father safe."

Sade felt her breath hitch at his last sentence as her brother gave her a look that seemed to tell her it wasn't her fault, noting the tension in her muscles. She felt Thema's hand come to squeeze her shoulder lightly as she fixed her gaze on the Jabari.

"Hmm? We will not have it. I said we will not have it! I, M'Baku, leader of the Jabari-"

"I accept your challenge, M'Baku." cut in T'Challa without looking away.

"Glory to Hanuman."

The sound of drums began to echo again as Zuri placed the Panther mask on the prince, M'Baku smiling and doing the same. Raising and clutching his wrist, he called out to his Jabari soldiers to form a semicircle behind him, pointing their spears at his back. Imitating his movement, T'Challa called out the Dora who fell into place behind him, closing the perfect circle of spears around the fighters.

Uncertainty creeping into his face, Zuri reluctantly raised his hand. "Let the challenge begin!"

"Why don't they stop it-"

"He's in the right, Thema." Sade cut her off, her expression neutral as she watched T'Challa slump into the water after M'Baku hit his shield.

The young woman beside her frowned as she looked at the slightly too calm face of the princess beside her, unable to hide the fear that threatened to send her over the edge.

"Aren't you afraid for your brother?"

Sade, her gaze still fixed on the fight, swallowed slightly. She'd fought M'Baku before, she knew he had substantial strength, especially since T'Challa no longer had his Black Panther powers. But she was sure, she convinced herself, that he was going to make it. She wasn't ready to experience another loss at this point.

"He'll be fine." she said simply, stopping herself from looking away when she saw M'Baku corral her brother into a bear hug and headbutt him repeatedly with his gorilla mask.

"No powers. No claws. No special suit, oh! Just a boy, not fit to lead."

From where she stood, the young princess could see that T'Challa seemed to be in a daze, his eyes fighting to stay open. She exchanged a worried look with her sister as Ramonda clenched her fists, "Show him who you are!"

"Come on, T'Challa." she let slip in his mind.

Seeming to find strength in his mother and sister's voices, he threw two punches at M'Baku, shaking off the headbutt and stunning him with a savage flow to free himself. The Jabari leader snapped out of his stupor and thrust his spear into T'Challa's shoulder, breaking through the mask of neutrality that Sade had maintained until then. Sade held her breath as the spear sank deeper into his flesh, causing him to let out another scream of pain.

"I am Prince T'Challa, son of King T'Chaka!" he shouted before removing the spear from his shoulder, wedging it under his foot, pulling M'Baku to the pool with a kick.

T'Challa flipped his body into a series of leg chokes as M'Baku continued to struggle to get free, bringing them dangerously close to the edge of the waterfall. The circle of Dora Milaje and Jabari soldiers came dangerously close to them as M'Baku continued to free himself.

"Yield! Don't make me kill you."

"I would rather die!" he replied as T'Challa tightened his grip, causing him to begin to fade, and Sade to roll her eyes at his sentence.

"What would the proud Jabari do without you?" he insisted, tightening his grip further. "You have fought with honour, now yield! Your people need you!" The crowd continued to shout T'Challa's name louder as M'Baku looked up at the Jabari through his airless dizziness.

"Yield, man!"

Closing his eyes again, the mzn grudgingly reached out and tapped T'Challa's thigh, who sighed before releasing him. The latter got up with difficulty under the ovations of the crowd, proudly lifting his arm. Zuri approached him with his ornate panther tooth necklace, turning briefly to the crowd.

"I now present to you, King T'Challa, the Black Panther," the shaman proclaimed after exchanging a hug with the new king.

The sound of drums resumed as he exchanged a long look with Thema, whom she had seen go through every emotion at his side.

"Wakanda forever!" he shouted, crossing his arms, the arena echoing the phrase emphatically.

Sade smiled proudly at her brother, who smiled back, hiding the storm that raged in her mind, the words he hadn't finished taking her into their spiral of doubt once again.

"Maybe that's why Baba didn't believe in the idea that you-"

I hope your mind is at ease now Baba.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

aaah making them nearly kiss and find something to prevent them to do so, i love this. Y'ALL KEKE IS PREGNANT AND I'M GOING FERAL OMGGF LIKE (no that doesn't necessarily mean they'll have kids 🙄)
oh and we reached the 2k of votes and 600 followers, soo the face reveal is still up until saturday (don't go looking, just imagine me as the watcher 👩🏾‍🦯) and i'll write the namor teacher au chapter when i'll get the time. i'm even thinking about writing some deleted scenes like i did with my paul atreides fic, we'll see i guess.

the "a worm in love with a star" comes from a french tragic drama written by one of my fav racist author 🥰 *drums rolling* victor hugo. it's ruy blas (i don't think they changed the name in english), it's actually a good theatre piece and i strongly encourage you to read it because that's sad, and... i love sad tragic things

another point, if i were (i insist on this because people are quick here to say they've been robbed) to actually write an intimate scene between sade and namor, first thing to know is — izia do not use the real terms. no p-word, no d-word no whatever word directly related to sex simply because i don't even know where to place them in my sentences. maybe i'll be bold this time or not, but i don't see myself using those words. like i have a certain writing style, putting "p**sy" out of nowhere just breaks the vibe. if you were searching for pure nasty smut, this is the wrong place 🤷🏾‍♀️ it would be my second time writing something like this, and the first time wasn't that bad, those who've read it didn't seem disappointed 🧍🏾‍♀️tenoch saying the most dirtiest things in his interviews in spanish is not helping at all 💀😭

and friendly reminder to stop commenting here, on my mb or sending me messages about updates 🙃 i think we both prefer having good chapters that you will actually enjoy than messy chapters published just for the sake of updating everyday 🙂

namor getting played for the umpteenth time

&& don't forget to vote, comment and share 🫶🏾

© ADONYSIAC ― IZIA™