Dec 14, 2022
California
2:00 PM
It was a cool Saturday afternoon and Riri and 14 other chosen students were on a bus in California on the way to the Wakanda Outreach Center. This trip was supposed to be for the top kids in MIT.
Everyone was talking about what things they would see, and there was also a chance that the new Queen would be there. However, they weren't so sure about that.
That was what Riri was thinking about also. It had been six months since she got back from Wakanda and she hasn't seen Shuri since.
She has truly missed her though.
Riri has always had a crush on Shuri even before going to Wakanda. She remembered the day when her sister told her about the King opening up the Outreach Center. She also remembered her showing her a picture of the Princess who would be running it and for Riri, it was like love at first sight.
She was a little disappointed for not saying anything to her before she departed Wakanda but she knew Shuri had a lot on her plate and decided against it.
Plus, she wasn't even too sure Shuri would even accept. Considering the fact that she brought most of the drama that came to Shuri's life.
But there was something that was telling her that she should still say something. A kind of force. The force that had been pulling the two towards each other since that time in her dorm. It was as if they were destined to be soulmates.
Riri had never really believed in that, especially when a friend of hers got married to someone she had only met a month ago. She never really believed that there was an exact person that was made for her on Earth.
Well, until six months ago. Now she definitely believes it. That's why this morning she was nervous and excited when the day finally came. Excited because she planned on telling Shuri how she felt some point in time while being there and Nervous because no calculation could help her figure out the outcome of it.
All of a sudden, her thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of people cheering around her and MJ shaking her. She was glad to have her friend here with her, she would need comfort if she got rejected.
They had just turned into the parking lot and we're getting their instructions by the professors that came along with them.
They got off the bus and walked into the Center. Everyone looked around in awe. Riri should have known the building would be nothing but spectacular.
Just coming through the entrance, there were white marble floors with a metallic black reception desk sitting in the middle. On the roof was a crystal chandelier. There were plants so green, they looked fake.
Just like in Shuri's lab, people were walking around different jobs.
"The Queen will be with you all shortly," The receptionist told the professors.
MJ started jumping up and down. "Did you hear that, we're gonna get to meet the Queen!"
Riri just let out a soft laugh. 'If only she knew...'
She hadn't told anyone about her trip to Wakanda besides her family. One day she would tell MJ but not today.
She was calm on the outside but on the inside, she was jumping up and down just like MJ.
They had been waiting for a good five minutes before two Dora Milaje came from around a corner.
'Okoye and Ayo, of course' Riri just looked at the two. Ayo sent a smile her way while Okoye's face held a sly smirk. They didn't have their normal uniform on or their spear but instead, they wore a black blazer, black pants, and black heels. From the looks of it, Okoye even seemed to have on the right shade of makeup.
"The Queen is waiting for you all. Follow me and don't touch anything," Okoye said sternly. Riri, of course, did as she said knowing what the woman was capable of.
The group walked back into an auditorium and they saw a stage and chairs. Somehow MJ managed to pull her and Riri up to the front. Okoye and Ayo stood next to Riri. It seemed like Shuri was going to take her precious time coming out so she just got on her while she waited.
"Primitive," Okoye murmured. Okoye just rolled her eyes playfully.
Little did Riri know, Shuri was backstage freaking out with Aneka trying to calm her down.
"Aneka, she's sitting in the front!" Shuri yelled out.
Aneka sighed. Shuri had been like this for the whole week but today it seemed like it just went up higher than it already was. She spent two hours just looking for an outfit until Aneka came in and picked for her. She even added her grills to the outfit. Luckily Shuri approved of it because if she didn't, two would have turned into three.
(Pretend her hair isn't braided)
Shuri was all over the place. Riri had been all over her mind for the past few months and she's been good but the one time she finds out she'll see her again, she's a babbling mess.
"Shuri, listen to me," Aneka grabs her by the shoulders, "I know you are nervous but there is a whole group of students that you have to go out there and give a speech too. So, you're gonna have to suck it up." Aneka then turned and walked onto the stage to announce her.
Shuri didn't really understand why she was feeling this way. She was walking around, hysterically but then decided to sit down and think.
There was once a time where she didn't even believe a thing called 'soulmates.' She never really believed that people were 'destined to be together.'
Until six months ago when she met a 19 year old girl in a dorm at MIT.
It was as if time had just stopped right then and there. It honestly felt like love at first sight, something else Shuri used to not believe in. Not to mention the time in the lab when they were preparing for the battle. There was definitely some chemistry there and it wasn't from the chemicals in the lab.
Honestly, she now understood what her brother and Nakia were feeling. Whenever either of them would talk about their relationship to her, she would just block them out but now she understood.
She now saw that there was an exact person designed for her in this world. She didn't know why it took so long for them to find each other but she honestly didn't mind.
So she wasn't nervous about seeing Riri again, she was nervous on how she would confess her feelings to Riri.
Riri had been running circles around her mind and she couldn't hold back her feelings anymore. If they were destined to be together, Riri would feel the same way.
She didn't know what time but she knew it would be today. She also knew she was ready. Ready to be with her future wife. Ready to be with her soulmate. Ready to be with the woman she was destined to be with.
"And now I present to you, Queen Shuri!"
Shuri got up from her seat and walked on the stage. Her eyes immediately fell on Riri in the front row and her eyes were looking right back at hers.
It seemed as though Riri had just got more beautiful after she left. Her hair freshly braided with curls. Her outfit was relaxed but Riri just made it stand out in a different way. She was truly breathtaking.
'
(Minus the purse)
Shuri let out a breath and looked around, "Good morning everyone." They greeted her back. This was the one thing she hated about being Queen. Public Speeches. Somehow her eyes managed to land back on Riri's and all her nerves just faded away.
"Welcome to the Wakanda Outreach Center. Here at this center we do many things: Provide food and shelter for the homeless, help the abused and weak, and provide programs for young people like you to accomplish your dreams."
"Whether that be culinary, fashion, or science, you can learn about it here. If I had to take a guess, you guys are here for the science program."
The students cheered a little, even Riri.
"Well, you got the best person to teach you," Shuri boasted, "You will be learning a handful of things. From engineering to technology to chemistry. Basically you'll leave knowing a lot more than you knew before."
Some of the people in the audience nodded their heads.
"Alright, we're going to do this a little elementary like," Shuri joked, "You all are going to be separated into groups and put at different stations."
"I will lead one group while two of the scientists from my lab will run the other."
"So before we split off, any questions?"
MJ raised her hand, "Do you have a girlfriend?"
Riri looked at her shocked. 'She didn't even like girls.'
Shuri let out a small laugh and looked Riri dead in the eyes and responded, "Not yet."
Shuri looked around searching for more raised hands. "Alright Aneka, Ayo, and Okoye will show you to your groups and when you get to the lab, don't touch anything."
Everyone got up and murmurs filled the room as everyone was being assigned.
"MJ, is there something you want to tell me?" Riri asked.
Last time she checked, MJ was straight.
"Don't worry, I only asked for you," she assured, "I know you have a crush on her, those pictures on your vision board tell it all."
Soon MJ's name was called. Once Okoye saw that the girl was gone, she walked over to Riri.
"Long time no see, small girl," Okoye said. Riri rolled her eyes playfully.
"Did you come over here to make fun of my height or tell me where to go Okoye."
Okoye just smirked. "You're in Group A, you'll be with Shuri." With that, Okoye walked off.
Riri sat there thinking. 'Did Shuri do this?' She didn't want to put too much thought into something that probably wasn't even that big of a deal so she walked over to her group.