' What are the last words I just said ? '
' Family is important. '
' Good. '
Erik grabs T'challa and kisses his neck as his hands wander down to his ass , grabbing his cheeks and squeezing them.
' Baby, if you let me....'
' Your going to crease my garment. '
' Let's fuck.' T'challa gently pushes him off him.
' I'll be expecting you. '
'C'mon. I won't take long. '
T'challa slips out of his arms and breezes past Erik like he was never there.
Erik feels like he's shooting season 20 of blue balls. Ever since that eventful first night, it's been quiet. T won't say if he's pregnant and Erik doesn't know how to make it back into his bed. It's not like he's going to ask. He's too proud and stubborn. It's been quiet. T'challa expertly dodges all of Erik's questions.
Erik looks at himself in a green agbada with gold embroidery in his chest and a cap. Nanny dressed to match. T'challa's in purple of course.
' You look like a handsome Nigerian chief. '
' Thanks. '
' You love your fit ? '
' I don't, I feel like a heifer. '
' Aunty dress code ? '
' Something like that. '
' Just like Aunty Ramonda. She hates me. '
' Hate is a strong word. '
' It really is whatever. Let's roll. '
By the cocktail tower, Erik is still reeling from Lord M'baku's handshake. He almost broke his hand. Nigga is strong af. He trying to kill him. Tf? His arm is still sore. Erik should probably get checked for a fracture. M'baku back slaps are worse. Erik should also check if he migrated something in his body.
T'challa stands by the food buffet pretending to inspect. It's the best angle he can steal a glance at Erik. He tries not to stare at Erik for too long. He looks so different when he smiles. You can't help who you are attracted to.
' These people are so many. How am I supposed to know all of them ? '
' Is it me or do all these people look alike ? ' Nanny asks.
' Maybe when the world began inbreeding was popular. '
Nanny chokes on her mocktail.
Erik is approached by Aunty Manduli dressed in a cream colored iro-buba adorned with coral beads.
' You. ' She says pointing her finger at Erik accusingly.
' I know you. '
You're the one who tried to kill T'challa.'
' He was the opps. I'm validated. '
' What is opps ? '
T'challa grabs his hand and tugs him along. He's not chancing those kind of problems.
' Bye Auntie. ' Erik says gladly being towed away.
T'challa starts talking to one of these important people and Erik slips away to the open bar.
A slender girl in a white and blue kitenge print and head wrap gets in Erik's way. Hands clasped together with a bright smile.
' Do I know you ? '
' You can see me ? '
' Yes. '
' Today I'm a cucumber, tomorrow I'm a tomato. ' Erik smiles. He has found his tribe.
' Your rolling ? '
' I want to ask you something. '
' Shoot your shot. '
' I want to to know you. '
' Get me a drink first. '
Erik watches her fetch him a whiskey sour. He adds it to his champagne into the glass. Emeka feels on his bicep. They seat on the bar stool next to each other at the bar counter.
' How that make you feel ? '
' Your handsome. '
Erik checks out her ig. Brown gurl - DSD ? His eyes almost pop out. She's so sweet and innocent looking.
' How does the bathroom sound ? ' She slips him something across the counter in her first. Erik takes it and takes a peek. A red lace thong.
' Let's lower the ratings of the washroom. '
Emeka laughs and gives out a loud squeek. T'challa appears just in time and whisks him away. Erik feels Emeka drop something in his pocket.
' Yee-yee ass nigga. '
' Emeka is troubled. '
' What happened to minding your own business ? '
' Your like a toddler. ' T'challa kicks Erik in the sheen.
' Ouch ! Bast, so help me. I'm about to toss this nigga in the bushes. ' T'challa makes an insulted noise.
' Aunty, he ain't right. '
Just then Queen mother appears with a guest in hand. He feels familiar. Nigerian chief, Godwin Kojo Chukwuu. Dressed in a red tie Babban riga. An Igbo function about political grown people stuff that Erik doesn't care for.
A jolly round burly man. He is just like M'baku, his voice precedes his presence. He humbly approaches him with his hands in each other, his head bowed down.
' Do I know you? '
He turns around sees Erik and laughs
obviously happy to see him.
' The boss with big things.
The boss itself.
The big boss of our generation.
The boss of our time. '
Erik can't remember the last he was gassed up this much.
' Your fit is ill too. '
' Where is tiger of Wakanda? ' he says deliberately mocking T'challa's title .
' I can see that you have met Erik. '
' King T'challa. The man with good heart. Your legacy too much. '
Godwin adds a compliments.
' Yes, I have met the man with the heart of an elephant. '
The staff come and start setting the table where they are. They get seated.
Erik gets a strong sense of Deja Vu.
' Who did you tell that you were coming ? '
' Don't be like that. '
' What do you want ? '
' I need a loan. '
' No. '
' Are you going to turn away a brother in need ? '
' More money for what ? '
' You know I have a family, people depending on me ? '
' I'm going to have to question your sanity. '
Erik notices Godwin's leg outside the table. He feels this weird pull. It looks like it's glowing. He is hit by another wave of Deja Vu. Erik drops T'challa's hand to inspect the steak knife on the table.
He crouches by the side of the table. He rips the seam of Ije's pant leg to many gasps and shrieks. The music stops, people have piped down the cocktail babble. Ije asks his bodyguards not to interfere. Everybody looks pissed. Erik knows this. He knows the answer to this. Ije's leg looks swollen and bruised.
' Cancer.'
Erik casually utters in the midst of the eerie silence and hundreds of uncomfortable stares. Ije laughs.
' He wants to be a physician now. Look at this one. '
Uncomfortable laughter joins him. Erik ends up in his room in time out for the entire week with his nose facing the wall. T'challa is too livid to talk after his little stunt.
On Wednesday morning Erik's room is filled with a hundred bouquet of roses. Godwin was found with a stage two cancer diagnosis after a random full body scan. He is lucky to have caught it before it progressed. Erik was right.
King T'challa knows what the herb brings. New abilities, some temporary, some permanent and others needing to be honed. He doesn't know how long Erik is going to be clairvoyant. Low key, he enjoys these new shenanigans, it takes the spotlight away from him.
Erik's gets a short visit from the King, who mumbles a few words then he's gone. He's too proud.
' Cool.'
Erik mumbles back unbothered.
Erik is busy , tweaking his beads. He's working on something. He checks out the bottle of fake perkies Emeka slipped into his pocket. He tested it at the lab. Fetty. T'challa was right about her. Erik and Emeka did sound good for a hot moment.
T'challa's private IG is nice. Erik can never tire looking into those gorgeous brown eyes. Hacking is worth the thrill. He seen his bishes too. Monica Rambue. Looking all thirsty and shit. Does Carol Danvers know that Monica is a hoe ? Bisexual hot ass mess. Ororo, is the irony here. Posing as an ambassador. Those weak gris gris bags must not be working anymore. Fake hoodoo queen.
Nakia and T'challa giving that awkward sibling energy posing for the photo. Erik laughs.
Wait, this photo is new ? Taken at the Umoja Peace Concert. They look too cosy for his liking. Erik looks at the dates and links to news articles. It was almost after T'challa's heat fuck.
Erik tosses his tablet away, his had enough visual stimulation for a night.
