#s’a balancing act

[mallowstep]

Is stolag going to Ba Finished?

Hypothetically yeah. I’ve been working on Jay’s piece, which is the climax, and then Alder’s will just finish up with resolution.

Practically? I mean — yeah, it is. If you were asking about [if you know you know], I wouldn’t have such a certain answer, but yeah, stolag is something I’m pretty proud of.

I know it’s been a LONG while. What can I say. Today I spent approximately two hours being talked into calmness about my inability to eat food in the same room as another person at present.

That said — I wasn’t kidding when I said I have something coming for warriors. It’s pretty close to done, actually, I just haven’t had time to settle down and properly edit it. Tomorrow, perhaps. I need to get some real sleep before I try that.

Anyway, rambling aside, yeah, I have every intention of finishing STOLAG. It will probably be slow. I’ve fought very hard for my mental stability and creativity is only now back “on the table.” It actually scares me at times, when I start running on inspiration. So it’s slow going, because it has to be. But saw3b is in the works, and will be finished, and then I’ll work on the final piece.

<3

[problematic-pleasures]

T'Cherik abo au? (omega t'challa/alpha erik) if abo isn't your thing, T'Cherik watching the sunset together?

went w/ the sunset prompt! it just really inspired me. 

read carry rain or usher storm on ao3!

T’Challa’s attention is drawn by the soft, hollow taps againststone. It’s faint, and distant, but his heightened senses pick it up swiftly.He looks over to Shuri and Okoye, both standing at the door of the elevator,waiting for him. He waves off their curious glances and approaches the cliffside to look down at the great panther protruding from the cliff wall. Again,the sound is barely-there, but the more he focuses the louder it becomes.

“Brother?” Shuri calls out,and the tapping stops. 

T’Challa holds up a hand andcontinues to leer over the edge. “I will be there shortly. Go down withoutme.” He distantly hears Shuri huff, but Okoye murmurs something appropriatelyscolding, then they’re gone. Carefully, he slips over the edge of the cliff andtakes to the rocky ledges with all the skill Bast has gifted him. It’s noteasier—if anything, it likely would’ve been smarter to take the elevator toShuri’s lab first, rather than scale the side of a mountain. 

The man waiting for himbeneath the panther statue has that effect on T’Challa, though: act first,think later. It was dangerous in the beginning, but now it mostly makes theking foolish, much to the amusement of their friends and family. At first, itwas cause for concern (T’Challa cannot count the times someone pulled himaside, asking “my king, are you absolutely sure?”);now, it’s something of a running joke in Wakanda, and likely all over theglobe.

T’Challa lands smoothlybeside one of the panther’s great paws and takes a moment to catch his breath.A few yards away, Erik sits at the edge of the cliff and his legs have resumedswinging, tapping the rock every other beat. He’s dressed in his usual,fascinating combination of traditional Wakandan garb and more American styles:the clash of jeans with vibranium-infused prints is as jarring as ever, yetendearing as well.

T’Challa approachescautiously, but knows his lover heard him the moment he started to climb down.

“Sup, cuz.” Erik says withoutlooking back. His head continues to bob slightly, and if T’Challa listensclosely he can hear the music filtering from the headphones Erik’s using. Oneis tucked into his ear, the other clenched in his first. 

“Erik,” T’Challa greetssoftly. He sits beside him, crossing his legs instead of swinging them over theedge. 

Erik’s eyes stay trained onthe sunset far beyond them. It’s early enough in the evening that the sky isstill mostly blue above them. Only the horizon is painted in streaks of orangesand yellows, bright and fetching. It’s a far different sunset than the one theysaw last time they sat here, together. T’Challa swallows a shudder and lets hisarm nudge Erik’s slightly.

“Yeah, s’a little depressin’,ain’t it?”

T’Challa hums in response.

“Just can’t get that dayoutta my head, you know? It was the first Wakandan sunset I ever seen, thoughtit was gonna be the last. I keep thinkin’ none of the others will compare, butevery night—?”

“You come out here every night?” T’Challa asks. He knowsthat’s not the case. Not only would he be able to tell, but there are plenty ofnights where they are both far too busyto be sneaking off at odd hours.

Erik laughs. “Alright,alright, not every night.”

“But often.”

“Often, yeah.” Erik nods. T’Challawonders what nights he’s missed Erik leaving, wonders how he would’ve missedthat. “I keep thinkin’ they won’t compare. That it was just that one, but I’m always wrong.”

“There are worse things to bewrong about.”

Erik laughs again. “Yeah.” Heleans back and braces his weight on his hands. “You know, sometimes I think m’dreaming?I think I’m still just a punkass kid in Oakland, sleeping on someone’s floor. Gonnawake up any minute now and this is all gonna fade away.”

T’Challa reaches for Erik andtakes his hand. It doesn’t skew his lover’s balance; the power of Bast and theheart-shaped herb still coursing through him see to that. Erik doesn’t pullaway, either. He holds T’Challa’s hand tight, even if he still won’t look athim.

“This is real, Erik.”

“I know,” Erik says, assuredand firm. “Just still hard to believe, sometimes. It’s the sunsets, man. If mydaddy hadn’t talked ‘bout ‘em so much, I don’t think it’d be this bad.”

T’Challa smiles sadly.

“Nothing I ever dreamed ofcompared to this.” Erik says after a while of silence. “Cuz I used to. Used tothink about this city every god damn day. Not even—not to take the throne. Notto plan my revenge. Just thought of it like I thought about my dad. Missed it. Homesickfor a place I’d never been.”

“You should’ve always beenhere.”

Erik rolls his eyes at T’Challa’stone. “Thought you were done apologizing?” He asks with a teasing glint in hiseyes. There’s wetness there, too, but T’Challa refrains from commenting. “M’herenow.”

“Yes.” T’Challa answersslowly when Erik doesn’t continue. “And I am glad for it.”

Erik nods like he’s made adecision. He brings their linked hands to his lips and brushes a surprisingly tenderkiss across T’Challa’s knuckles. “Think it’s finally starting to sink in.”

“Of course it would start tosink in before you’re due to leave.”

This time, the grin Erik aimsat him is purely smug, delighted. “You gonna miss me?”

T’Challa bears his teeth in aplayful snarl. “You know the answer to that.” This time, he tugs their linkedhands to him and kisses the top of Erik’s hand, feeling the flex of his tendonsbeneath his lips. “I am pleased for you. I am excited to see what you will do.I am just regretful I cannot accompany with you.”

“Nakia will be there, it’llbe fine.”

T’Challa sighs against Erik’shand, then lets it drop. “I do not want to go with because I do not trust you.���He reaches out and cups Erik’s jaw. Finally, with a little tug, Erik looks athim. “It is because I will miss you,” he repeats.

“Yeah, yeah,” Erik says. To astranger his tone would sound dismissive but T’Challa knows this voice all toowell. He leans over without hesitation and kisses Erik firmly on the mouth.Erik relents to him for a moment, his lips falling open, but it doesn’t laugh. Theysway perilously on the edge of the cliff beneath the panther, and T’Challatraces the gold teeth in Erik’s mouth with a shiver.

“I’m gonna miss you too,”Erik admits as the kiss breaks.

T’Challa grins this time. “Iknow.”