#fanafic | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

theeblackmedusa · 1 year

Text

great mistakes 4/7 {attoye}

pt. 1 | pt. 2 | pt. 3 | pt. 5

ao3 link

summary: "you cannot be wise and in love at the same time."

pairing: okoye x attuma

warnings: violent description, the lovers are quarreling

a/n: i'm sorry for the length of this chapter, but chapter 3 was incredibly short

"What could be the meaning of this?" the Talokan king's sarcastically laced voice came as he entered the throne room with Namora, Attuma, and four others surrounding him.

M'Baku and Shuri stood as they approached, M'Baku not amused by the king's sarcastic tone. It had been Shuri's idea to start defending before Talokan had the opportunity to strike, but M'Baku knew the risks of starting another war with them, suggesting a meeting instead. Everyone knew that Wakanda could not take anymore losses, nor could Shuri.

Namor nodded at Shuri's silence and flicked his eyes over to M'Baku, who was just as quiet.

"It was done by one of your people," Namor stated, confident in his accusation. "The technique of the cuts are specific to Wakanda."

"And this gives you the right to kill an innocent man due to one mishap?" Shuri questioned gravely.

It was obvious that the young woman still had to navigate her role as a peace-holder between the two nations, but the council depended on the hope that Namor held enough of a soft spot for the princess to go easy on her and as well as Wakanda.

"Our man was innocent, was he not?"

Shuri opened her mouth to respond, but M'Baku's patience had grown thin.

"You know that your man died by Wakandan hands and we know that our's died by yours. What do you want?" he questioned, tone commanding yet trying to refrain from sounding as he was threatening the powerful king before him.

"Bring me the murderer," Namor requested sternly. "I will kill them myself and all will be settled between us."

Shuri shot a glance at M'Baku and shook her head.

"We cannot do that," she told him. "There must be another way, yes?"

"No," he responded, standing solidly on his request.

"We will bring you the killer," M'Baku agreed, earning a retort from the princess.

"M'Baku-"

"I am king!" he interrupted. "It is my decision and I say that we will hand the killer over."

Namor nodded, satisfied.

"Good," he replied. "Deliver them at the shore at sunrise, and work out the problems in your power balance. I cannot have my allies so unorganized. It makes us weak."

The king left the room with Namora hot on his trail, Attuma following last.

Shuri glanced at Okoye, worry written all over her face, which Okoye would be sure to ask about later.

"Princess, you must understand my decision to-"

Shuri was not listening as she had already begun making her way out of the room and to her lab, hurrying to get there.

"Go," Okoye told Aneka, who followed the princess immediately.

She gave a look to M'Baku, wondering what they knew, but she knew very well that M'Baku would not disclose any information before he decided that he was prepared to. Her best bet would be to confront Shuri.

Okoye left the room and moved quickly, knowing that if she could make it to Shuri's lab quick enough, a certain blue man wouldn't be able to reach her. She'd learned that he had a habit of picking out exactly where she was and she could not stand to be near him. She wasn't sure if it was because she couldn't stand herself for trusting him in the first place or if she just couldn't stand him for deceiving her.

Her attempt was in vain because, of course, he'd managed to break away long enough to find her. All it had taken was telling K'uk'ulkan's that he wanted to observe more of the palace to learn the layout in the event that the Wakandans did not obey K'uk'ulkan's wishes to hand over the murderer.

"Okoye!" he called after her, attempting to keep his voice at a whisper. "Okoye!"

He was rounding corners right behind her, internally pleading that she would give him just a moment, some time to assure her that he was unaware of K'uk'ulkan's intentions. She kept walking, ignoring his pleas to speak with her. When he finally caught up with her, he grabbed her arm and spun her to look at him. She scoffed at him for grabbing her and at herself for letting herself get caught.

"You ran," he commented, pulling her close enough so that he wouldn't have to speak loudly. She scoffed at him and jerked her arm from his grip, pointing an accusing finger.

"You said you did not know. I asked you and you said that you did not know what was happening," she began, keeping her voice at as much of a whisper as she could. "Yet, you are off killing Wakandans in the early morning!"

"You know that I would never kill you, do you not? Why did you run?"

She gave him an exasperated laugh, backing away from him. He took a step forward with her.

"Attuma, you do not get to choose which ones of us you get to slaughter in your waging of war! By killing one, you have killed a part of all of us."

"Okoye, you must listen to me," he tried to reason, his hand reaching out once more to take her wrist. Attuma grabbed her other wrist as well for extra precaution in case she attempted to strike him. "I did not lie to you."

She wanted to believe him. For just a split second, she thought he might have been telling her the truth, but that's what had gotten her in this predicament in the first place. Okoye pulled away from him as hard as possible, but his grip only tightened around her.

"No," she said softly. Maybe it was more for herself than it was meant for him, a reminder not to let him get into her head again.

He sighed, suddenly crowding her space as his hands came up to cup her face. She shook her head, trying not to let the feeling of his warmth seep into her mind and cloud her judgement again, but it was becoming ever difficult as his thumb traced over her lip and threatened to make her change her mind in just a short moment.

"You have to know that I would never, I could never hurt you, Okoye," he breathed softly. "You ran. You did not fight me, Okoye. You did not wish to harm me in the way that I wished not to harm you."

"You expected me to take on the three of you alone? My escape was for my life, not an assurance that I hold a soft spot for you in my heart," she ensured, taking an invisible dagger and pushing it through his heart.

She hadn't really put any thought into why she hadn't tried to fight him, if it was to ensure she lived if Namora or Namor came to assist him or if it was because if she decided to fight him right then, she would probably do her best to harm or even kill him for his betrayal. Maybe it was a bit of both.

A throat clearing pulled them from their temporary daze. Okoye backed away from him, turning to find Aneka at the end of the hallway without a bit of surprise on her face. Attuma wondered for a split second what Okoye had told her, but wasn't allowed the chance to ask as she was already breaking away from him and walking off. Attuma let her go, finding an ounce of relief in the fact that if she'd truly wanted to harm him like he'd thought, she would have never let him grab her the way he had. He inhaled deeply as he watched her leave, wishing he could rip his own heart from his chest to make himself stop fantasizing of the possibility of reconciling with her on the brink of a war between their nations. Never in his life had he felt the need to justify his actions to anyone other than the gods, never valued the judgement that fell on him from others. But, here was Okoye, present in his every thought since they'd met.

Aneka walked until she was directly in front of him.

"She is not the woman that you scorn, warrior. Have you not taken enough from her?" she bit, poking Attuma right at his guilty conscience. "Do not test your luck with her because it will soon run out. I'm sure that by now you know how she deals with the men that betray her."

Aneka caught up to Okoye, not prodding as they walked the rest of the way to Shuri's lab. She'd figured he was fond of her, figured that there was emotion between the pair, but she was unsure of how she never connected the dots of a relationship.

"What do you want to know?" Okoye sighed finally as she could feel the questions running through Aneka's mind.

Aneka stayed silent for a moment, trying to decide what she wanted to know first. There was plenty that she wanted to know. Ayo always called her nosey, but she felt that she had the right to be this time. She wanted to know how, when, all of it.

She remembered the facade that she and Ayo had put on only a few years before in fear of retaliation from Okoye. She found it ironic that they'd feared her reaction so much only to have her tell them she'd known from the beginning, and now, Okoye was in a similar situation. She settled for something simpler that wouldn't put Okoye more on the edge than she already was.

"I take it that he is more than just a sparring partner?" Aneka inquired knowingly.

Okoye gave her a wry smile but didn't deny it, knowing it was no use to try and slip one past the so observant Aneka. She knew Aneka had already put the puzzle pieces together.

"Do not worry. I will not let Ayo know of your involvement with the Talokanil," Aneka laughed lightly. "It is over, yes?"

Okoye nodded in response, not being able to help the regretful feeling inside of her. She wasn't sure what it was that she was regretting. Was she upset that she had involved herself with Attuma or not allowed him the opportunity to explain himself? She had no time to figure it out now. Based on Shuri's reactions in the throne room, their nations were going to war, and she needed to push all thoughts of him out.

Aneka noticed Okoye's solemn nature and sighed, placing a supportive hand on her shoulder.

"We have to work on your taste in men, my friend," she joked, getting a soft smile out of Okoye. "Why is it always Wakandan enemies?"

Okoye shrugged nonchalantly before sighing.

"Because they always look the best," she teased back, placing a hand over Aneka's before they approached the lab, the doors sliding open to let them in.

They stepped in and their eyes immediately found Shuri, who was pacing in thought, obviously trying to work through Wakanda's current situation.

"Princess, we must find out who killed the Talokanil," Okoye spoke softly, hoping not to alert Shuri as the two warriors could see her heightened anxiety.

The young princess stopped her pacing, acknowledging the women's presence. She inhaled deeply and flickered her eyes between the two in thought. Aneka frowned, brows furrowing as she realized that the princess knew something. Shuri always at least had an idea of everything that was happening around her, and if she didn't already know the entirety of a situation, she would always find out the rest and click pieces together. She exhaled before speaking.

"What I say is confidential. Your absolute secrecy is required," she told them, knowing she could trust them but still eyeing them both to prove the importance of their discretion.

The two women nodded, silently swearing themselves to secrecy and the princess finally spoke.

"I know who killed the Talokanil," she admitted. "I have known since it occurred and I have known that a war was on the horizon."

Shuri walked to one of her monitors, typing a password into the keyboard. A moment passed and a wall was sliding open, revealing a small hallway with a door on the end.

"You have secret rooms in here?" Aneka asked, always managing to be amazed by the constant surprises in Shuri's lab.

The princess shrugged.

"I have secret rooms everywhere, Aneka."

The trio of women walked into the hallway, the wall closing quietly behind them before Shuri lightly knocked on the door. Light footsteps were heard before the door cracked open slowly.

"Thandiwe, it is me," Shuri greeted softly and the door opened the rest of the way, revealing a petite woman with a young boy hiding behind her legs. The boy couldn't have been any older than six, a mixture of fear and amazement in his eyes as he looked at the warriors in front of him. Every Wakandan child of his generation knew of Aneka and especially Okoye, and now they were standing in front of him. With everything going on, he couldn't help the small bit of excitement that filled him at the sight of them. It made him feel like a kid, which was exactly how he was meant to feel.

Aneka's eyebrow raised as had a hard time believing that such a small woman could manage to kill anybody, let alone a Talokanil. She opened her mouth to speak, but Okoye shot her a knowing glare before she could get a word out. As smart as Aneka was, holding her tongue came very difficult to her, which was something Okoye was constantly trying to mediate when she was general.

"Don't," she mouthed as if she could read Aneka's mind.

"This is Thandwie," Shuri introduced, voice quiet to not scare the already frightened woman before them. "She was protecting her son, Sifso, and killed the Talokanil man in the process. She has been here in my lab since I found her with the body. I am protecting her."

"Protecting her from what?" Aneka questioned, worry growing within her the more that Shuri spoke.

"M'Baku wants to hand her over to Namor," she replied, looking gravely at Aneka. "And, Ayo agrees. She has been hunting her like a lion on its prey."

Okoye and Aneka shared a look, knowing that if Ayo was tracking her, it was only a matter of time before she would be found. Ayo's tracking was so incredibly accurate that Okoye made sure she was always the one that was sent on missions to find people. With Ayo on her tail, Thandwie was in immense danger.

"Shuri, what is your plan?" Okoye inquired. "If Namor does not get his hands on her, Wakanda will fall victim to another one of his merciless attacks."

"More Angels," she responded. "To infiltrate Talokan before they can infiltrate us."

Aneka's brow raised in shock. She was under Ayo's command, who was under the command of the thone. If she were to go against, Ayo would heave her head.

"Do not worry, Aneka," Shuri ensured. "You are a Dora, but Okoye is not. I am technically no longer royalty, currently a princess by title."

Aneka exhaled at the revelation that she would not have to challenge Ayo's authority.

"Okoye, if I can make enough Angel suits, it will be enough to go against Talokan. Riri and I are already working on new nanotechnology for them, but I need you to bring in recruits."

"Shuri, what you are suggesting is-"

"Treason, yes, I know. But, it is for the good of Wakanda," she clarified. "The Midnight Angels will not be loyal to a throne that can easily turn over its citizens to be killed when there have to be other options."

Okoye shook her head warily.

"There may not be another option, princess. You heard Namor."

"M'Baku is yielding far too easily and putting Wakanda's core values at risk. My brother wanted to help those who could not help themselves and as Black Panther, I cannot stand down and not do the same. Namor has yielded to me and compromised before. He could do the same now," she insisted, eyes pleading for Okoye's assistance.

Shuri could make all the designs she wanted, but she knew Okoye was still the one with influence. If anyone could bring in the number of recruits needed, it would be her. She was still known as Wakanda's best and her influence was still untouchable. Okoye softened, deciding that she no longer had much to lose if the plan failed.

"Okay," she breathed before glancing to Aneka. "But, Aneka was not here. She is unaware of this plan and shall not be punished if it backfires."

Shuri nodded in agreement and the three women inhaled, all turning their eyes toward Thandwie. Tears began to flow from the woman's eyes as she thanked them for her protection as well as the protection of her Sifso, who's fear had started to sink as he realized that he was under the protection of Wakanda's three greatest warriors.

As the three of them outlined their plan, Sifso took a few steps around the lab before becoming engrossed in it, observing the diagrams and models all around him, knowing better than to touch anything. Okoye glanced at him every now and then, heart breaking at his innocence. She wished that he could have it forever, but she knew that that could not be the case. She sighed, trying to turn her attention back to their plot to commit treason against the throne instead of letting her mind drift back to Attuma. It was useless. She was unable to get her mind off of him and the dream of a life with him. Okoye was not dumb, she knew it was most likely never meant for them to reconcile and build a life and a family together due to their impossible circumstance, but she couldn't help imagining a life with him and smaller versions of the two of them pattering around their home. If only, she thought before pushing the thoughts away.

The women spent hours in the lab before turning in, a suggestion from Aneka so that they could think it through clearly the next day.

Okoye went home and ended up spending the night alone again. Despite her daydreams, she convinced herself that she didn’t want him there, and she was sure he wouldn’t have come even if she did. Not after the way she'd dismissed him in the palace. She took the extra precaution of stationing M20 just a few yards away from her back door, sure that if Attuma had been startled by a small goat, a rhinoceros would do more than enough to keep him at bay. While it was enough to stop him from making his way to her door, it wasn't quite enough to keep him from showing up to check on her throughout the night. He'd gotten used to having her with him through the night, knowing that nothing could get to her when he was right beside her, arm lazily draped over her waist as she took advantage of the temporary peace she'd get when sleeping. Once he figured all was well, he left her property, heart sinking uncontrollably from missing her.

taglist: @simpingforclaudette @amidalis @angel-of-death-2015 @amber-plans @goodluckdumbfuck @mikastarr222 @abbyeliza28 @skysynclair19 @midethefangirl @sunshinescribes @deepinmydaydream

82 notes · View notes