Prompt: Everett speaking Xhosa fluently to the surprise of others/ TâChalla being proud of his husband.
It was a large room made small by the lifelong bonds the people present had forged over the many years. TâChalla stood proud to be not only the king but a friend to many of the individuals there. He spotted WâKabi talking to the leader of the river tribe. Shuri was showing off new tech to some of M'Bakuâs men. They seemed impressed. His mother sat in a large seating area, indulging in Wakandan politics with some of the other tribe leaders. She looked beautiful. It was a social gathering. Not everyone was present, but TâChallaâs family was there. He decided to be a spectator for most of the night. If anyone greeted him or came up to him to spark friendly conversation, then TâChalla indulged them. Needless to say his mind was elsewhere. That was until around 10 pm. The clearing of familiar a throat to his left practically made his ears perk up. TâChalla gave Everett the due justice of a full head turn. Everett wore a deep purple suit made with fabric from Wakanda and designed with thin silver triangles, glinting in the dim orange light of the room. His hair was combed back and he had a bright smile plastered on his face.
âThanks for finally joining us.â
TâChalla spoke, happy to finally see Everett with him
âDonât scold me I brought gifts.â
Everett handed TâChalla a glass of clear liquid. TâChalla sipped, wincing as it trickled down his throat.
âThe bartender said itâs the best in the house.â
Everett spoke as he watched TâChallaâs face scrunch up.
âAnd you believed them?â
TâChalla coughed the drink out of his system and Everettâs face fell.
âI havenât had Witblits since I was a young man.â
TâChalla laughed and clapped Everett on the shoulder.
âYou need to brush up on your Wakandan culture, foreigner.â
âForeigner? I think that drinks gone to your head my friend.â
They both laughed, Everett taking his own sip of the horrid drink.
Shuri spotted Everett and left the men to greet him with a little handshake.
âWe didnât think youâd actually show up.â
Everett passed a confused look from Shuri to TâChalla.
âDefine âweâ, I attend parties.â
âYeah. Political parties. I havenât seen you outside of a business suit since you were nearly paralyzed.â
TâChalla gave his little sister a disapproving look.
âWere those men bothering you?â
Everett looked passed Shuriâs shoulder to the two men she was conversing with, whose eyes seemed to keep catching his. Shuri shrugged her shoulders.
âNah theyâre cool.â
âI donât think they like that weâve whisked you away. â
âThen I should probably get back to them. You know how short the male attention span is.â
Everett raised his eyebrows, agreeing.
Just as Shuri turned around the two men began to get up from their seats, walking straight for the trio. Everett could see by their dress that they were M'Bakuâs men, but he didnât know their names or recognize their faces.
They greeted TâChalla as their king, but dismissed Everett altogether, like he wasnât there. Then one of them said something Everett couldnât quite understand. Heâd practiced learning the language for the last few months heâd stayed in Wakanda, but he rarely spoke out in public and definitely didnât know every word in the dictionary. He recognized the phrase âyou inviteâ in the past tense, and then a word he couldnât quite place, yet it sounded familiar, like heâd heard it somewhere before only recently. This was followed by words he heard a lot in the meetings he attended. Something about their tribe and Wakanda. He strained his mind in the short seconds after he heard the man speak, watching T'Challaâs face change subtly from mild mannered to cold steel. Little forest mice she called it. Earlier that week Everett visited the village where he met a dressmaker to tailor some new clothes for him. He had seen a large green snake in the shadows of the trees on his way over to her. He recounted this to the local woman, who thankfully understood english. She said snakes slithered about and were relatively harmless unless provoked. She said they ate rabbits and little forest mice, like porcupines. Hedgehog. Heâd called him a hedgehog. Everettâs train of thought had lasted a couple seconds in real time, because TâChalla was barely opening his mouth to retaliate when he interrupted and spoke the little Xhosa he knew, the cheap drink giving him false confidence on his speaking skills.
âIâd be careful what hedgehog you go after. Iâve got a panther at my side.â
The two men turned their attention to Everett, who downed the rest of his drink in one gulp, holding the glass with his left hand so that they saw his ring before he slammed the empty glass on a nearby stand, all without breaking eye contact with them. The men glanced from Everettâs serious expression to TâChalla.
TâChalla responded in english with an ear to ear smirk on his face. The men proceeded to walk away, glaring at Everett as they passed.
Shuri looked at Everett with a mixture of confusion and awe. She almost remarked on his Xhosa being nearly perfect, but settled on just giving him a high five and then walking away.
Everett faced TâChalla with a small smile, watching Shuri leave to join the rest of the party.
âI wouldnât say that. Maybe we should skip the rest of the party.â
Everett eyed TâChalla, who looked to have a permanent smile on his face and a certain twinkle in his eyes. Everett shook his head, laughing.
âThat drink definitely went to your head. Come on. I want to say hi to your mother.â
Everett took TâChallaâs hand in his and the two made their way across the room, joining the rest of the fun.
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