T'CHALLA UDAKU crossed his arms over his chest, glancing at his watch every now and then. He tapped his foot in irritation, waiting for the elevator to slide open and to reveal a princess trying to discreetly sneak back into her room.
He could already imagine the abundance of excuses she would pour out of her clever mouth, trying to sway him off his feet and make him forgive her for being out so late.
Okoye stood beside him, looking passive as ever, yet he could sense her amusement towards his annoyance.
" She can take care of herself," Okoye spoke, watching T'Challa's face soften.
He pinched the bridge of his nose," I know that she is not a child anymore, Okoye. But what she did was very immature of her, and reckless too. She is a princess, she should know how to act like one. She should know how dangerous it could be for her to wander around alone without us knowing where she is."
Okoye dismissed him with a wave of her hand," Give her some privacy, maybe she was with the Parker boy."
T'Challa looked at his general with uncertainty," You trust him?"
" He is an avenger is he not ?" Okoye asked," Stark's son?"
T'Challa wanted to tell her that the last part wasn't true, but then again, the boy was always under Tony's wing.
Never did he once see the man without Peter by his side these days, so he shrugged and merely replied," I am quite sure that she is not with him."
Okoye raised an eyebrow, worry now creasing her features," Who was she with?"
The elevator dinged, drawing the pair's attention towards the scene that was about to unfold before them. T'Challa stiffened as the metal doors slowly slide open to reveal exactly what T'Challa had expected.
Shuri was grounded in place, her eyes widening at the sight of her brother. She took a step backward, her cheeks reddening,"T'Challa! You're still awake, and not on your dinner date with Nakia?"
" Yes," He replied, approaching her,"Due to urgent calls from the War Dogs she had to cancel, I contacted Okoye to see if I could visit you in Stark's Lab, but you weren't there. I was also surprised to see that you have deactivated your kimoyo beads."
He glanced at Okoye," I wonder why."
Shuri felt small under their gaze, even though she had encountered moments like these before, she felt vulnerable under her brother's hawk-like gaze.
Usually, Shuri would be quick enough to dismiss it with a lie, she did exactly that the day her mother and he had caught her climbing through the window of the throne room one night( just because she wanted to go see a concert downtown in the middle of her coronation.)
