Changing stars - a Black Panther ficlet
Ship: Everpanther Wordcount: 1k
The events of The Black Panther through the eyes of CIA agent Everett Ross
(Written at 1am after seeing the movie for the second time in a week, not beta read, don’t judge)
– Korea –
To say seeing the King of Wakanda there amongst the gamblers was a surprise for him would be an understatement.
Although technically, if Everett was real with himself, it wasn’t as much the thought of an African royalty being in the room that shocked him, but thinking about T'challa as a person, and in what danger he would clearly be if he went up against someone like Klaw.
But he couldn’t let himself get distracted by his odd fondness of the man (or by how well he filled out his fancy suit), there were more than enough reasons why a civilian, royal or not, should not get inbetween the CIA and a weapons dealer.
A few minutes later it became obvious that T'challa could handle himself quite alright (better than Everett himself, only shielded by a suitcase and barely making his way to his vehicle), as could T'challa’s- bodyguards? Well, with his luck, one of the women was probably T'challas girlfriend. Not that it mattered. He shouldn’t even be caring about T'challas safety as much as he did, he definitely shouldn’t ponder over whether or not the Black Panther might be single.
He should not think about whether the King would be grateful for picking up his bodyguards/possible girlfriends from their wrack of a car, either.
Seeing T'challa nearly killing a man, the wrath in his voice, only the knowledge that the world is watching stopping him from ending it right there- it lets a chill run down Everett’s spine. But it isn’t all that much of a bad one. Somehow, he is absolutely certain that whatever made T'challa act this way, it must be a reasonable excuse for the hatred.
He wishs he could protect T'challa from all harm in the universe.
Who does the guy even think he is?
‘You talk to him, then we’ll take him to Wakanda’, as if T'challa has every right to just command the world.
Everett should really not like him as much as he does. The King is clearly conceited, if not suffering from hubris. Thinking he owns the world when really he’s nothing but the leader of a tiny, unimportant thirld world country, with what is probably less power at his hands than any mayor in the United States.
Only, apparently the King himself is not the only one to think weirdly highly of Wakanda. And coming from someone who is the enemy of that exact place…
The Wakandans still clearly didn’t give Klaw the Vibranium voluntarily. Either way, they are not the bad guy in the situation. Given what damage Klaw did with a single weapon, it’s understandable why they would like to keep it under wraps.
If it exists.
Everett does believe that if anyone were to deserve a fortune this big, it’d be T'challa.
He doesn’t get to think about it for too long. Bombs go off, guns are blazing, and his last thought is that whatever these people really are, none of them deserve to come to harm.
Only, it wasn’t his last thought.
– Wakanda –
When Everett awakens, he isn’t in pain at all, yet it’s the only thing his memories seem to be filled with.
He doesn’t recognise anything in his surroundings.
For a brief moment, he comes to the cliché conclusion that he must be dead, and hopefully, this is heaven.
Then he sees the girl sitting at her workspace, and her snark and wit immediately snap him out of it.
Why does her voice sound familiar?
Her brother will return soon- she does sound a lot like him, and Everett did not mean that in the douche racist ‘all people of colour sound the same’ way, no- she must truly be the sister of the king.
A princess then, if that system worked any way like what he knew of European royalties.
Whoever she is, he finds he likes her.
In fact, he hopes that she is T'challas sister, thinking that the other man could use someone like her in his life.
They say the King is dead.
There isn’t any time to comprehend it.
Refugees now, running from their own kind- or in his case, the people that had saved his life just hours ago.
Freezing cold, just kilometres away from the heat of the city.
People in masks, making him wonder whether this is how it will truly end for him.
Whether saving him just made it borrowed hours until death.
He can’t read the leader of this tribe at all, never quite knowing how much of it is just joking, how much is absolute truth.
He finds he would like to get to know him better, though.
The Great Gorilla M'baku is an interesting person for sure.
Then he brings them to T'challa’s body, and nothing else matters anymore.
The Black Panther lives.
Controlling the Wakandan airplane isn’t easy, not even with the 'american-style’ system.
The decision to keep flying it even when the lab is under attack, however, is all too easier.
Everett feels he owes them that much.
Life for a life, isn’t that how it’s played here?
But more than that, he’s come to love this country and its people way too much to let it fall apart.
(There’s also, of course, the fact that those weapons could’ve basically caused another world war, but while that will be the reason he will later tell his superiors, it barely crosses his mind now).
He is still glad he made it out alive, in the end.
Even more so when he learns T'challa did so as well.
The Black Panther asks him to stay a liaison between Wakanda and the United States.
Everett Ross answers that he cannot assure him that his superiors will agree to that, but that he will do everything in his power to have someone suitable in that position nonetheless.
Then he adds that he would still love to see Wakanda again either way.
T'challa smiles at him, and Everett smiles back.
And in that moment he feels it’s not the King doing his duty entertaining an ally to his country, but simply: two men, smiling at each other.
Am not content with title and ending of this, will look over it again once I’m actually awake.
Might continue this story if a) people like it and b) the muse hits me again.
What do y'all think of Okoye/Nakia? Bc let’s face it angry dude doesn’t deserve Okoye, and Nakia totally needs a gf now that her ex is banging a CIA guy xD
If you’re interested in more of that, subscribe to my Black Panther series on ao3 :)
likes and reblogs are always greatly appreciated!
