Sunlight on your face (Shuri x reader)

Chapter 17: empty

I was woken up by the sunlight shining through my blinds. The space where Shuri was laying last night was empty. My head wasn't hurting anymore, and the only thing reminding me of yesterday's events was a small bruise on my head. I groaned when I sat up, it felt like I had done ten full-body workouts the day before, and every muscle in my body was sore.

I was met with Okoye sitting at the kitchen table, typing something on her bracelet. Shuri wasn't there, and I was starting to get worried.

"Good morning, are you feeling better?" Okoye asked, and I could see a hint of compassion in her eyes.

"Yeah, my body just feels sore, but nothing bad..." I answered, glancing around the living room.

"Shuri is in her lab, she asked to not be disturbed, I think she's trying to figure out what to do," Okoye remarked, noticing my confusion.

"What to do about what?" I asked with an uneasy suspicion.

"About you and about what happened yesterday..." she replied without looking at me.

"Did she say anything to you?" I took a seat at the opposite side of the table.

"Look, she didn't tell me anything, but I know her, and I know her need to protect everyone... and I get that you wanna stay here, with her, but if she has made a decision, you will not be able to change it..." she said with a sorry look, pressing her lips together.

"I'm gonna go talk to her, she can't just send me away..." I got up, angrily pushing my chair back.

"Good luck..."

The two Doras in front of the lab let me in, concern and pity visible on their faces. The lab was unusually silent and empty. I spotted Shuri sitting on a stone bench in front of the window, absently gazing into the distance. She hadn't noticed me yet, and I could feel the anxiety in my stomach as I walked down the stairs.

"Shuri?" I asked cautiously. She tensed at the sound of my voice but kept her eyes fixed on the window.

"What is going on?" there was still no reaction, "Shuri, talk to me..."

The silence was so suffocating, I could've heard a pin drop. I slowly walked over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to get her to look at me. My heart sank when she flinched at my touch. Something was wrong, very wrong...

"You are leaving," she finally broke the silence, "your bags are packed, and the jet will take off in two hours."

Her gaze was still avoiding mine, and I had no chance to figure out what she was thinking.

"Shuri, we talked about this, I won't leave, I will not just give up after everything that happened..." I said, trying to keep my voice steady.

"None of that matters anymore, you are leaving, it is too dangerous for you to stay here," she said in a monotone voice.

"Shuri, please don't do this, you don't have to do this, we can get through this together..." I rambled, trying to sound convincing as I sat down next to her, taking her hand in mine. She was still not looking at me, her eyebrows furrowed, and her jaw clenched, "I know you don't want to do this..."

"You don't know shit!" she yelled, yanking her hand away, and finally meeting my eyes.

"I don't know what you think this is," she spat, pointing back and forth between us, "but this is not a fucking fairytale, where everyone gets their happy ending, and whatever you think we are, you're wrong, I'm sorry if I got your hopes up, this was fun, but it ends now,"