seasons | killmonger

8 | F O O D

One shares food not words.
~ Somali Proverb

"Damn, I don't need you to follow me everywhere." I rolled my eyes at Erik who was following behind me while we were outside. I specifically told him that I was going to feed the rhinos and that I wouldn't need him to come with me. But he decided that he was going to keep being hardheaded and followed me out anyway.

"According to T'Challa, you do. So cut the damn attitude." He said back, feeding one of the rhinos an apple from his hand.

"Oh, so now you wanna listen to T'Challa? You weren't up for listening to him not that long ago—" I smirked but he cut me off before I could say anything else.

"Are you trying to start shit with me so I can get mad and leave?"

I look at him from the corner of my eye and bit the inside of my cheek. That was exactly my plan, and now I'm pissed cause now I know that it won't work with him. "... is it working?"

"Not at all, babygirl." He chuckled and shook his head. I groaned and tried to speed walk away, but it only made him follow. "You must really want W'Kabi to push up on your ass again, huh? I'm just tryna help you out, ma..."

I let him continue to talk, but I wasn't gonna respond to him. I kept feeding one of the baby rhinos, Kashi. He couldn't be more than three months old but he was a big baby. Kashi was W'Kabi's gift to Okoye before hell broke loose and all of this mess happened.

"Mbali!" His arms were crossed against his stomach and his head was cocked to the side. I kept walking, trying my hardest to pretend like he wasn't there. "You really wanna try to ignore me right now? I know you hear me talking to you."

I said nothing.

"Okay, bet." Was all he said before grabbing my arm and turning me to face him. "You sure you wanna keep ignoring me?"

I raised my eyebrow at him and tried to move around him, but he grabbed my waist and put me over his shoulder quickly. "N'Jadaka! Put me down!" I yelled and kicked my feet against his back. He acted like it wasn't phasing him and I'm sure it wasn't. "You hear me talking to you!" I muffed his head, making him stop walking to turn to look at me.

"Like you heard me talking to you? Exactly." He rolled his eyes and kept walking with me on his shoulder. No matter how many times I pulled at his dreads, kicked his back, and slapped his arm, he didn't put me down so I gave up and just laid on his shoulder because I was tiring myself out more than I was him. "You gave up quick." He smirked.

"Fuck you." I huffed and hit the back of his head.

"You keep saying that..." he dragged out but I knew what was coming after it and I ignored him still while he carried me back towards the headquarters.
Ever since last night, he was talking 'protecting' me to another level; even though I'm the one who's meant to protect him.

"Can you please put me down now!" I whined when he reached the door and seen Shuri. Her eyes went wide when she saw the both of us and she smirked; the same smirk that her family makes.

"Don't you dare, Shuri." I pointed to her when he finally put me down, pushing my braids behind my ears. Erik looked down at me and chuckled before shaking his head and leaning against the wall.