A/N: Hey everyone! I will be updating Closing the Distance soon, the story is far from over! But in the meantime I'll be doing this Shuriri one-shot series, Moments In Between. You can comment your requests/prompts and I will do my best to fulfill them! Thank you and as always, Enjoy- Kreat.
********************************************
Prompt: Nap date/ Sleepless Shuri
"Okoye!!" Shuri screamed out in hopes the warrior was nearby.
Shuri heard the recognizable thudding pattern of the warrior's feet. Moments after she found herself face to face with a disheveled Okoye.
"Yes, Shuri." Okoye panted out.
"Tell the council I will give them audience tomorrow."
"But Shur-"
Shuri gave the warrior a stern look.
"Tell them I will meet with them tomorrow."
"Of course." Okoye nodded in confirmation and turned to leave the room.
"Oh and Okoye, if they ask why tell them I had some more important matters to attend to."
Okoye turned her head and again nodded in silent confirmation. She exited the quarters with growing concern. She and several others had began to notice a change in their Black Panther's mood. If Shuri wasn't working in her lab, she was holed up in her living quarters. There were several nights she had gone without eating. And there were several nights Shuri had opted to ponder in her lab. Many had noticed the change after a certain MIT student left, but no one was brave enough to confront Shuri about the matter. Yet, Okoye was slowly building the strength. Her concern for the young Black Panther was only growing by the day.
Shuri, on the other hand, was doing everything to keep her mind from falling into a place of despair. After the year's events, many nights she was left feeling alone. Her preferred company had become her work. It was always there, present, and never wavering in it's character. Right now, Shuri felt as though it was the only thing, human or not, that she could trust. Her mind was always teetering on the line of nothingness and sorrow. Her lab was the line that divided that. A safe boundary that she tried to stay inside of. Lately, though, no matter how hard she worked it seemed her mind didn't grow tired. Thinking back to the last time she had som sort of mental relief, a certain someone popped into her head.
Riri Williams. It had been almost a month since they had last seen each other. Shuri would often find her in the lab late at night as well. Her and Griot had even formed their own "friendship". One that Shuri still was a little jealous of to this day.
Their long, sleepless nights in the lab had brought the two women closer than they had anticipated. Their love of science and technology easily created a bond between them. Often, Riri would find herself waking up in Shuri's bed. Shuri would find, well hear, a snoring Riri slumped over her work space. Instead of waking her, Shuri would just carry Riri to her room. Shuri didn't mind sharing her bed. Honestly, it was nice to feel the warmth and presence of someone else. More than once had either one of them woken up to the embrace of the other. At some point shortly before her departure, Riri had declared herself Shuri's temporary roommate. She had spent most of her time between the lab and Shuri's room anyways. Most of her day was spent trying to sleep or talking to Shuri. She had come to know a lot about the young scientist. Their shared space had become a world away from their troubles. One that existed only for them.
Slowly, just as slowly as the days turned to nights, their growing friendship budded into something else. At first, Shuri had thought little of any type of romantic relationship, with anyone. But the peace and any reminisce of joy she held, had only been illuminated by Riri. It was as if the MIT student, had unlocked a part of Shuri that she thought long gone. To put into the simplest of words, Riri held the light to lead her out of the dark. No, she wasn't light. Ms. Williams had her own bouts of troubles and traumas. She wasn't perfect, but for Shuri she was. Shuri felt as if Riri held the key to feeling something other than agony. For some time Shuri contemplated on if those feelings were returned. It was foolish of her to think that. Riri had fallen for Shuri long before she realized it. The night they were kidnapped and taken to Talokan, she felt it. It was a morsel of a feeling. One she had grown foreign to the meaning of. Since the lost of her parents and the sudden obligation to grow up, she had long left the ideas of romance behind. That was until she met Shuri Udaku. A woman whose protectiveness and stubbornness to leave her saved her life. From the moment Shuri had albeit offered her life for Riri's, the MIT student had began falling for the Wakandan without realizing it. The more layers she pulled back, the more of a connection she felt. The sarcastic, hardened woman the world saw was just a mere reflection of her life's journey. And luckily, Riri got to discover that journey. Each exchanging stories of their childhood and their families in between working and the little sleep they were getting. Their minds had connected just as much as their hearts' had. Those budding feelings had come to bloom in the moments right before Riri left.
