Chapter Text
“Mind if I ask you something?”
And this is why she prefers driving her own snowmobile, but the Bast damn thing is out of gas. She can’t stand when one of these men starts talking to her. It makes it worse that her hands have to be on his shoulders to keep her from falling off.
“What’s that?”
“Why’s the Princess of Wakanda out here in the arctic removing landmines?”
She feels as if she answers this same question daily. The truth? She’s here to feel something , anything, to ward off the fact that she has no family left. After her mother died from heartbreak of losing T’Challa, Shuri gave M’Baku permission to become not only the king, but the Black Panther as well. She knows the ancestors are frowning down on her for not keeping the tradition going under Bashenga’s lineage. She couldn’t stay in Wakanda another second.
“I enjoy the thrill.”
“Adrenaline junkie? I can dig it. Hold on tight, babe. These things are always a hassle to brake.”
Shuri rolls her eyes underneath her goggles.
That’s because you don’t know how to drive it correctly.
The snowmobile stops and she can’t get off fast enough. She runs to the shed where her flags are and starts attaching them to her belt loops to peel off later.
“Good morning, Udaku.”
She feigns a smile for her boss, whose real name she can’t fully remember so she refers to him as Frost - in her head.
“Good morning. Cold one today, huh?”
Frost throws his head back and laughs loudly as if it’s the funniest thing he has heard in his life. These men are always doing that.
“Ah, good one, Udaku. You’re just identifying today. We have some new recruits from the army base that will be disarming the mines today.”
“…Are you sure that’s wise, sir? The ones Russia set up here are strong enough to vaporize a person if detonated. I don’t think having rookies disarm them is wise. With all due respect.”
Frost shrugs his shoulders. “They gotta learn somehow. Get going, Udaku.”
Shuri picks up her probe and walks back out into the arctic desert. She quickly glances at the soldiers in their uniforms getting a rundown from one of the experts on the crew, unable to shake the uneasy feeling from her gut.
These men don’t want to die. They’ll know what they’re doing. Calm down, Shuri.
She pulls up the breathable scarf around her neck until her nose is covered then gets down on the snowy ground. She crawls on her belly, moving slowly and waiting for her probe to go off. She pauses when she finds her first landmine of the day and carefully removes a flag from her body to mark the spot. She starts moving in a different direction, knowing more have to be in the same area.
While in the middle of placing down her fourth flag, she overhears the sound of a new recruit taking his tools out to disarm the landmine. He’s making far too much noise as it is. Her eyes widen in horror when she sees him approaching it completely wrong.
“NO-“
Namor sulks on his throne, occasionally lifting his legs up to look at the sad excuse of wings on his ankles. This is the first time they have been this severely damaged. They were almost burned to a crisp when he went on land to search for meat to bring home to Talokan after they suffered from the yearly fish migration.
He took one step on the ground and it exploded.
He has heard about this phenomenon before; something man made used to kill each other unexpectedly with.
It is going to take at least a full year for them to grow back into what they used to be.
He sighs heavily and tilts his head back.
Oh, well.
His wings may have been vaporized, but at least Talokan is fed.
“K’uk’ulkan?”
He straightens up to see his soldiers and confidants, Attuma and Namora, floating in front of him.
“What is it, my children?”
“We’ve noticed you haven’t been yourself since the hunt,” Attuma says as he tries to avoid looking at the damaged wings. He was present when the explosion happened and nearly broke into tears thinking his god had died. “But there is something Aapo noticed a few weeks ago in the arctic that might bring you some joy.”
Namor’s voice comes out monotone, knowing that Aapo’s form of entertainment is penguins rotating while swimming.
“And what could that be?”
“A frozen conquistador,” Namora laughs, unable to contain it. “Trapped in a block of ice with his eyes closed, in a stupid suit and a little circle shield.”
“A frozen….” Namor grins, his first genuine one in days. “What’s he doing out there!?”
“Aapo doesn’t know, but he thinks he has been out there for decades.”
“And they just left him there?” Namor swims away from his throne. “I need to see this for myself.”
“Would you like us to go with you, K’uk’ulkan?” Namora asks, and he shakes his head.
“No, in chu’upalo . I’ve been needing some time to myself. I need you two to watch over Talokan during my absence, but I’ll return in a few days.”
Namora and Attuma give him the Talokanil open-palmed gesture and he takes off in the direction toward Antarctica. He sings his call for his orca, who joins his side. He rides on top of her for as long as she can handle it and swims the rest of the way. He makes an occasional stop to eat some kelp and take a quick rest on the ocean floor. Eventually, he feels the temperature change in the water and knows he’s in the arctic.
The surface is frozen and he can hear voices not too far off, wondering why anyone could possibly want to colonize the tundra. Knowing that they’ll either die or leave eventually, he doesn’t break through to bother them. They’re not a threat to Talokan and the only thing he’s interested in is the frozen conquistador.
When he finally spots him, Namor smiles and puts his hands against the ice. He bursts out laughing seeing the blonde hair, pale skin, and outfit that resembles the flag of the United States. He laughs so hard that his stomach hurts from it all and he has to stop, but can’t seem to look away from the frozen soldier. He laughs so hard that he forgets about his wings being burnt by landmines.
After it finally dies down, he sighs and thinks about what he can do now that he’s here. He quite likes watching the polar bears hunting. Perhaps he can give them a hand.
Before he can leave the conquistador, a sound from the surface causes his ears to twitch. It’s loud explosions, one after another. He looks up and can see the sky turning red and smoky above the ice. Something is hurtling toward him, the shadow of the object growing larger and larger until it crashes through the ice.
A person dressed in multiple layers of clothing is floating in front of him, their large eyes desperate behind her cracked goggles. There’s blood coming from somewhere on her head and leaving a red trail in the freezing water.
Knowing that she’ll meet the same fate as the soldier if he doesn’t get her out soon, Namor pulls her into him and swims to the hole she descended from.
Her teeth chatter and she curls herself up into a ball, desperately containing any body heat she has left. Her eyes watch the damaged ankle wings of the man as he trudges across the thick blanket of snow. He squats down in front of one of her dead crew members and removes the majority of their clothing.
She’s freezing and cannot move, even when her brain is screaming at her to get away from him as he approaches her holding the thick coat, thermals, leggings, and ski pants. All the while, he’s not wearing anything on his body except jewels around his neck and a small pair of green shorts.
“We have to get you out of those wet clothes or you’re going to die.”
Seeing how she’s already laying on her gravesite, she closes her eyes and allows him to take full control. She’s completely numb now, waiting for Bast to reach out and take her to her family where they can run free together for eternity. She imagines transforming into something - a panther, perhaps - and leaping toward a burning sun.
Then, she feels her body warming up.
Her eyelids flutter open halfway, finding herself bundled up in clothes far too big for her and in the arms of the stranger. Weakly, her cheek falls against his bare chest and the ice on her skin melts.
“Y-You’re the one who…pulled me from…the water…”
“Where have you been sheltering?”
“Cabin…” That’s all she can manage; feeling very drowsy suddenly.
“Your pulse is weakening. I’ll have to get you there soon and warm you up. Hey,” he whistles and shakes her in his arms as he begins running through the snow. “Can you tell me your name?”
“Sh-Shuri…”
“Hang on to me, Shuri. Don’t fall asleep.”
It’s not only the exhaustion that’s making it difficult to keep her eyes open. A blizzard has picked up, blinding even the man trying to rescue her as snow and wind blows dangerously around them.
“There’s…snowmobiles…faster…”
“There’s nothing and nobody back there. The same explosion that took my wings from me destroyed everything.”
Wings.
The small, burnt ones that she saw earlier.
She forced herself to look up.
Pointed ears.
He’s not human.
She’s not going to question it right now. She knows there are beings in this world with mutations that walk amongst everyone else.
All she cares about is getting warm.
She can ask questions later.
Somehow, the stranger has delivered her to the cabin. He kicks the door down before she can tell him there’s a key under the mat. He drops her down gently in the center of the cabin. He fiddles with the light switches, but the storm has destroyed the generator outside that powers the cabin. He finds her sleeping bag and throws it at her.
“Undress and get inside.”
“I…can’t…move….”
He kneels down beside as she lays back on the floor. Her frozen boots and socks are pulled from her feet and he demands her not to look at them.
“Are they…gone?”
“They need to defrost. Relax,” he speaks calmly for a change, not as demanding as before. He rubs one of her feet in between two warm hands and they make eye contact. “Where are you from, Shuri?”
“Wakanda,” she murmurs, now having some feeling in her right foot. He switches to her left. “What about you? What were you doing in the water?”
“Wakanda?” He questions, ignoring the ones she asked. “My mother told me about that place. You’re uncolonized, aren’t you?”
“Yes…” Her breath hitches when he drops her foot and straddles her. He’s taking the bloody jacket of her crew member off and lifts the multiple oversized thermals over her head. Her arms are too weak to reach up and slap him when he stares at her breasts covered by her purple sports bra.
He clears his throat and lowers himself down to her ankles, taking off the layers of pants. He leaves her in her undergarments while he fixes the door he busted down. After he gets it back up, he starts digging in her drawer until he finds a few pairs of leggings and turtlenecks.
“I’m going to bundle you up with your clothing until I can get a fire started. I want you to stay zipped up in that sleeping bag until you’re warm again. Do you understand?”
She doesn’t reply. There isn’t much else she can do.
As he covers her body in the clothes, he attempts to have another conversation.
“What’s a Wakandan doing out in the arctic?”
She might as well speak the truth for once. It’s easy when she doesn’t know him.
“Because my depression gets too severe being home. My father was assassinated during a United Nations meeting, then my brother got sick and passed, and my mother died from a broken heart. I’m all alone…You…” She can’t even cry. “You probably should’ve left me to drown. There’s nobody left that cares if I live or die and lately, neither do I.”
His fingers rake down the sides of her torso after she’s dressed. “Look at you speaking in full sentences.”
She just spilled her heart to an asshole.
It further pisses her off when he doesn’t say anything else. He zips her all the way up in the sleeping bag, making a cocoon out of her.
“Your father must’ve been very important to have been assassinated.”
The first thing she’s going to do when she’s able to move is punch his throat.
“He was the king.”
“King, hm? That makes you a princess.”
“And what’re you, exactly?”
He grins with all of his teeth. It’s somewhat unsettling as it is attractive. She doesn’t understand how it’s possible.
“The less you know the better.”
“Well… Can I at least have the name of the man who saved me?”
He starts wandering around the cabin until he finds the pile of wooden logs. He carries them to the fireplace while finally telling her something about himself.
“I have many names, Shuri. K’uk’ulkan, Ch’ah, Namor. You can call me whichever you prefer.”
“…What does each one mean?”
“You’re a curious one, aren’t you?”
“I’ll go with Namor.”
He mutters something incoherent and then finds the box of matches. He leans against the mantle, observing her with those intense eyes.
“How’re you feeling now? Warm enough?”
“Still numb in most places…”
“If this fire doesn’t help, I can share my body heat with you.”
Her face contorts in disgust. “Pervert! I swear if you try anything, I’ll-“
“Please. I do not have sexual relations with those from the surface world, as beautiful as you are. Sharing body heat is the fastest way to warm up.”
Shuri doesn’t let up her death glare on him. She may not have the powers her brother did, but she knows how to fight. He seems to sense her unease.
“You have to say the words, Princess Shuri. I will not go inside that sleeping bag otherwise.”
She can see his breath as he talks, and her gaze shifts to his only piece of clothing.
“You’re not shaking, but I know you must be freezing. Your mouth is creating fog.”
“This cabin is full of cold air that does not contain much moisture. It’s rapidly lowering the temperature of our breaths, reaching dew point.” He arches an eyebrow while striking a match. “You’re a scientist, aren’t you? You should know what happens after that.”
She rolls her eyes. “I know what condensation is. It’s just hard to believe you’re not affected by this extreme cold at all.”
He moves as far away as he can from the fireplace after finally lighting up the wood. He finds a corner in the room to sit in. His smirk is barely visible in the darkness.
“I’m hotter than the average person.”
Her face burns up when she realizes horrifically that she agrees. At least her cheeks aren’t numb anymore.
“Are you a sea werewolf?”
His eyelids lower. “That doesn’t even make sense.”
“I’m going to keep making assumptions if you don’t tell me.”
“Very nosy of you, Princess. No wonder you caused that explosion.”
“That wasn’t me!” She snaps and he laughs in amusement. “The new recruits did! I’m an expert at disarming landmines but my idiot boss-…” She stops herself. “I shouldn’t speak ill of the dead.”
Dead.
The crew she has been working with these last few months?
They’re all dead.
She’s the sole survivor of a tragedy.
It doesn’t seem real.
At least she never bonded with any of them.
“Why are you humans always fighting each other, anyway? Don’t you know that causes more harm to the planet?”
“Hey, don’t look at me! I’m trying to fix what was wrong. I wasn’t the one who planted them.”
“And what do you do to disarm those explosives?”
“Why do you care?” She’s getting tired of talking about herself and getting nothing back in return. Then she remembers his wings and what he said about them. “I…can teach you after this storm passes.”
“That’s surprisingly kind of you. I was beginning to think you were ungrateful that I saved your life with all the attitude you give me.”
The arrogance of this man. She bet he has a god-complex.
“Not used to women being annoyed by you?”
“Not at all. The women I know worship me.”
Gross.
“After this storm passes, you’re going to help me get to the central base so I can report what happened and then I’m going to need you to leave me alone.”
He licks his lips. “She gives orders, too, it appears. That’s fine with me, Princess. I’m on vacation.”
Whatever that means.
“I’m going to rest for a while as I warm up. Don’t talk to me. If you crawl in here, I’ll scratch your eyes out.”
“A little miiso’, hm?” He sighs and clutches his heart. “You have my word that I will remain right where I am.”
It’s hard to keep his promise when he sees her body trembling underneath the sleeping bag. No matter how much he risks his health getting close to the fire to burn it hotter for her, the princess continues to shake.
In normal cases, a human dying from hypothermia isn’t any of his concern.
But Shuri…
He’d like to keep her around a bit longer.
“I can keep you warm, Princess.”
“N-No.”
“It’s like having a furnace beside you.”
“No.”
“I’m not asking to penetrate you, Shuri. I’m offering to save you again. I will not take off my shorts or violate you in any manner. I find you very interesting and worth keeping alive.”
He’s expecting another decline, but she surprises him.
“Why should I let you snuggle up to me when you can’t tell me one personal thing about yourself?”
Seems fair enough, although he doesn’t want to compromise Talokan.
“Ask me something and I’ll decide if I want to answer.”
“What’s up with the three names?”
“That’s too long. Ask me about one.”
“Fine. Namor.”
“Ah, that’s a fun one. I killed a priest when I was a child who looked at me and said, eres un niño sin amor. A boy without love. Namor.”
Her eyes snap wide open. “Why in Bast’s name would I want you next to me after hearing that!?”
“Calm down. I haven’t killed anyone since then. You would’ve too if you saw your people being abused.”
She’s silent for a long time, then eventually zips down the sleeping bag. He gets as close as he can to her before closing them in.
“Do I have permission to hold you?”
“Don’t touch my ass, pussy, or boobs.”
He pulls his eyebrows together as they glare at one another. “What a vulgar mouth you have! I was going to hold your waist!”
“It better stay there or I’ll castrate you.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
She huffs and rotates her body. His nose becomes buried in the back of her braided head while they both face the fire. He wraps an arm around her waist and pulls her in as close as she can possibly get. He can already feel her body and heart calming down.
“Better?”
Her response is a relaxed hum. She’s still slightly cold, though. He knows another way she can warm up, but if he tells her, she’s going to slap him or worse.
It’s worth it.
“There is one more thing you can do.”
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Give yourself an orgasm.”
He grins at her effort to pound her fist into his forearm to free herself.
“You’re sick!”
“I didn’t say for me to do it! I said give yourself one. Have you ever had an orgasm before?”
“That’s none of your business!”
“If you have, you should know what it does to your body. It increases your heart rate, makes you perspire, releases oxytocin… I will not judge you if you touch yourself. It’s an act of survival.”
“You’re severely inappropriate, you know that? Don’t talk to me anymore. You’re here for heat, that’s it. Good night.”
It’s very rare for him to take orders, but even rarer for someone to give them. For some unknown reason, he allows it.
The cabin grows quiet, aside from the howling of the blizzard and the fire cackling. He thinks the princess has finally fallen asleep until he feels her moving. Her right hand brushes past his forearm and slides under the waistbands of her multiple tights.
She begins to rock against him as she touches herself and he tightens in his shorts. He didn’t expect her to actually try it, but far be it from him to intervene. Her breath is coming out in short, fast pants as she rubs herself vigorously, leaving what exactly is going on in between her legs to his imagination.
“Namor,” she purrs, giving him permission to speak again. “Tell me something. Please. Anything.”
He brings his mouth to the shell of her ear, biting down gently before whispering hotly,
“You’re not as innocent as you look, are you? I bet you’re fucking yourself to thoughts of us together.”
“Oh, Bast, Namor! Yes!”
Her ass is grinding against his erection, teasing him further, but he does not forget the promise he has made her. She needs to get off on her own.
“Come on. I know you can be louder than that.”
Her moans turn into cries as she fingers herself deeper and sets a rhythm. The scent of her arousal consumes his head and he wants nothing more than to bury his face in between her legs and drink from her, or replace her fingers with his cock and show her what a good fuck can really be.
He revels in the beautiful sound she makes when she reaches her release, wishing he can see what her face looks like as she comes undone.
Her breathing slows eventually and he brings his mouth to her ear again.
“It takes the average woman fifteen minutes to climax. You did it in five. You really are a needy-“
She yanks out the hand that was inside of her and shoves her fingers in his mouth.
“Shut. Up! After you carry me to the base tomorrow, this is all over. Don’t talk about this ever again! Good night.”
She pulls her hand away and gets back into the same position she was as before. Blinking, he holds her waist again and stares at the nape of her neck.
He’ll take her where she needs to go.
But now that he has tasted her sweet ambrosia, how can he possibly leave her?