#K'uk'ulkan x filipino!reader

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water Masterlist

Summary: All your life, you were afraid of the water. How you had found yourself drowning at a young age—only to be saved by a man living in the waters. Little did you know of the past you shared with the man whose name struck fear upon your family’s town and around the world. Characters: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader Warnings: Smut. Death. Blood. Mention of Wars. Possible Dark elements. Mentions of Thalassophobia. Specific warnings to be added to each parts.

Chronological Chapters

Intro

Part One

Part Two

Part Three

Part Four

Part Five

Part Six

Part Seven

Part Eight

Part Nine

Part Ten

Part Eleven

Part Twelve

Part Thirteen

Part Fourteen

Part Fifteen

Part Sixteen

Part Seventeen

Part Eighteen

Part Nineteen

Part Twenty

Part Twenty One

Part Twenty Two

Part Twenty Three

Part Twenty Four

Part Twenty Five

Part Twenty Six

Part Twenty Seven

Part Twenty Eight

Part Twenty Nine

One Shots / Blurbs / Imagines

Water Under The Bridge

More Than A Woman, Less of A God

[nellycanwrite]

His Queen

K’uk’ulkan x Filipino!Reader Blurb

Summary: K'uk'ulkan pays you a visit to ask you to become his queen.

Rating: PG 13+

Warnings: None.

Word Count: 1.5K

Note: Filipino!Reader is inspired by Marvel's equivalent to the Filipino Superhero Pearl Pangan, also known by her hero name Wave. You can control water and have the same capabilities as a Talokanil, but you are still a land-dweller born and raised in the islands of Mactan, Cebu Philippines.

It is also worthy to note that I have not included any Yucatec Maya phrases despite Namor speaking in his mother tongue as respect to his language. Therefore his mother tongue shall be labeled with italics.

This work is a connecting piece to His Timeless Love. Both can be read separately and in any order.

Hidden by the waves of saltwater was a man. But not just any man; K'uk'ulkan. The feathered serpent god from myths old and from legends foretold. Yet his divine countenance could not compare to your own. The water bent by your will, aides you at your beck and call. It surrounded you like a halo of shimmering fractals that danced around you with the flitters of a sea faerie from folktales. It was as if the sea was your bidding, yet it obeyed you like a knight to its queen. Such prowess came from disquieting origins, yet you wielded it proudly. Regally. 

He was enchanted by you.

There were no words to describe the blossoming heat from his chest, traveling from the pulsing veins of his fingertips down to the tingling crunch of fine white sand beneath his bare feet. You moved with the grace of dancing anemone, glowed as brightly as the stars of the evening sea that guided him through the throes of the darkened currents. No matter how many times he would see you, his breath always hitched. Time always stopped. 

Time was no concept for an immortal such as he, yet he found himself counting every precious second when he basked in your company.

"I know you're there." The sea rippled around him. He shook his head and chuckled.

"How did you know?" He rose from the depths of the water and stayed by the shore's edge. The waves lapped at his winged feet pleasantly like a greeting from an old friend. His eyes trailed across your back as you glided your arms in a dance of tradition with the water accompanying your movements.

"You're not subtle, K'uk'ulkan," you did not turn to face him, but you regarded him with a sliver of ocean water snaking across his arms. K'uk'ulkan held the urge to let a pleasant shiver run down his spine. You chuckled, "I saw you peeking your head from the shore."

"Is it unpleasant for you? For me to disturb you from your rituals." He asked. Your hands stopped.

"Never." You did not bother to correct him that your idle movements weren't rituals. It was mere movements controlled by the crashing waves upon the loose sand, imitating the flow of the currents that shook with each stroke. An impulse, maybe. An urge to dance with the hymns of your orient motherland.

You finally turned to face him, eyes locking with a magnificent earthen oak. He chose this moment to shorten the distance between you, his fingers finding solace at the supple of your cheeks. He caressed the lids of your eyes free of seawater and lingered a kiss to your brows with a satisfied smile. 

"Then why call me out?" There was a mischief behind his words hidden beneath the whispers of ardor. You smiled.

"I would rather have your company than to let you linger by the sea. I know you wish for the same."

You noticed his breath become albeit ragged—although it was but a sliver of a puff of air—so you willed the water to sustain his skin from the blistering heat knowing full well that he would stay with you until nightfall. The sun of Mactan, Cebu on the high end of summer's afternoon was one of the hottest recorded in any index; it would harm K'uk'ulkan if you were to let him stay under it any longer. A thin dome of water covered the both of you and the light bounced off from the water to your skins. Picturesque as it might seem to the eyes of an onlooker, there was something much more beautiful in the eyes of K'uk'ulkan.

And that was you.

"Thank you, my love." He spoke in his mother tongue. It was as pleasant and melodious as the wind chimes from your rattan house. It always filled you with immeasurable joy for him to use his language to speak so softly with you.

"Always," you guided him to sit on the sand under a nearby coconut tree, water covering you at every step and wetting the exposed skin of K'uk'ulkan. A question prodded in the forefront of your mind as soon as you were settled and huddled between the serpent god's legs, his arms wrapping around your waist and head buried on your shoulder, "why have you come to visit, my king?"

"Do I need a reason to see my queen?"

You sighed and shook your head, leaning back against his frame and turning your head to kiss the shell of his pointed ears. "A land dweller cannot be queen, K'uk'ulkan. You know that."

"Yet one lay in my arms at this very moment." He tightened his grip on your waist and peppered kisses against your neck. You tried your best not to humor his need for attention despite the growing heat that formed on your nape and cheeks.

"The people need a queen that is of Talokan blood. I can't simply take that role."

"Your achievements speak for itself," he raised his head from your shoulder and kissed your cheek, "you have saved Talokan from the hands of scientists who tried to scour through the depths of our oceans, kept our secret well-hidden from the land dwellers, and you have kept your promise of aid to my kingdom in times of need. We have seen you divert ships away from our home with your riptides and currents."

"That is hardly a reason. I've only repaid a debt."

"And what debt would that be?"

"Sparing me," your hands snaked towards the hands that locked itself on your waist. You drew circles against his skin as he sighed in content at the moment, "you had every reason to kill me when I stepped through the entrance of Talokan. You were a king who protected his people—I was sure I was going to die by your hand that day."

"You intrigued me," he supplied, his hands now taking yours and intertwining your fingers together, "you did not yield under my threats nor did you use the name my enemies have called me when I have antagonized you."

"Namor," you tried, the name foreign to your tongue, "I much prefer your real name, K'uk'ulkan. And why would I make an enemy of the king of a civilization that I have intruded?"

"You might be one of the rarer sane land dwellers."

"I try." You gave him an amused shrug.

"You are also special, my love," he added, his mother tongue chiming through the warm pacific winds, "my people already revere you as a god of their own."

"Me?"

"Do I really have to spell every word?" He placed two fingers on your chin and made you look up at the flowing dome of saltwater that you are effortlessly maintaining with your powers, "you control the sea. Our life source is at your beck and call. You can breathe like us, swim like us, and you could withstand the pressure of Talokan. You have garnered the love of our people."

"Your people." You corrected him. He shook his head and adjusted himself so he could lay his forehead against yours.

"Our people," he stared into your eyes, the rich earthen gaze reflecting that of his love for the sea. With it also came the tremendous love he had for you; his queen. No one was fit to rule by his side but you. Although there might be reservations from others of his kingdom, they cannot refute the fact that you—an entity that controlled the tides of their home—were to be revered. Respected. 

Your benevolent rule will be the legacy of his choice. And it will be living proof for the people that you were the only rightful queen to sit by the right hand of his throne.

"You hold the strength of the sea at your whim, yet you choose kindness above all else. But you do not hesitate to use force when it is necessary. That is the true makings of a ruler. Your judgment astounds me, your beauty is simply divine. You are perfect, my love."

"K'uk'ulkan…" his name was like a prayer to your mouth. It was ironic, you might say, for the prayers of the god of the sea fell into his attentive ears and returned the favor with worship—as if you were the divine entity and he the disciple. You felt his hands creep into the back of your head and pull you impossibly closer, his fingers tangling with your dampened hair from the obedient water from the ocean's tide, his lips fluttering with the tongue of praise to you; his god. He regarded your meager stature like the statue of a Santo Niño. Holy. Sacred. 

He uttered your name in a breathless whisper that wavered the dome of water from your command. He might have found that amusing enough to release a minute chuckle. He was the only one who could sway your otherwise earnest control.

"This I ask again, will you become my queen and rule Talokan by my side?"

[rokuhoku]

a piece of your history.

Pairing: Namor x Filipino!Reader

Rating: Mature, Comedy (No smut but there is tension)

Summary: It hurts to not be able to properly recreate your traditional pre-colonial Filipino clothing, and Namor takes notice of this feeling of yours.

Word Count: 2,578

Content Warning: Mentions of colonialization

Disclaimer: Namor is kind of cold and dark towards reader!! Idk if its ooc but i would imagine that he would generally be apprehensive towards a surface dweller. you have been warned

___________

Reminder: This fic is part of a Namor x Filipino!Reader miniseries, but can be read on its own! Miniseries fic(s):

a piece of your history. / "beloved."

__________

“Do you like it?”

You asked, grinning, slightly turning yourself around in order to fully show off your work proudly.

Namor hummed, sitting in the water by the shore of the beach. He was always like this, meeting up with you now and again. 

“Is this the wear of your people?” He asked. You grinned and nodded, letting out small chuckles while fiddling with the fabric between your fingers. You had always wanted to make the Pre-Colonial traditional clothing of your Filipino ancestors, it was the closest thing you had of home as of now. 

The process was tedious, you admit that. So little resources or references online on how your specific region’s clothing looked– much less how it was made, due to how much the Spaniards burned and banned, but you had still managed to gather enough to make one as accurately as possible.

“It’s… beautiful.” He simply says, eyeing up the clothes and how it wrapped around your body, causing you to tear your eyes away from him in fear of showing how his compliment affected you in such a way. 

“Why have your people stopped wearing this? Are they not your traditional wear?” Namor asked, remembering the photos of your family that you had shown him. They were wearing what you had called a “baro’t saya” and “barong” for the celebration of “Buwan ng Wika” as he recalled it.

“It’s gorgeous, and made by the hands of your people instead of the colonizers.” He continued, “It escapes me on why your people have abandoned wearing your traditional garbs, instead choosing to wear what they gave you.” This statement slightly irked you, causing you to deadpan at him.

“Dude, we were enslaved and tortured by them for more than 300 years.” You crossed your arms. “Do you think we abandoned it willingly?” You were met with silence, and for once, Namor was the one who was left speechless by bluntness.

“... Right. My apologies.” Was all Namor could reply, causing you to let out a small laugh, shaking your head. It’s not often you’re the one leaving him silent, with him often bashing “surface dwellers”, causing you to regularly remind him that you yourself are a surface dweller. 

Namor never had a proper reply for that.

However, even if you were happy with your work, you still frowned and sighed. You dragged your fingers along the cloth, wistfully looking at its patterns. Namor’s eyes followed the way your face curled up to a grimace, causing him to frown even more (if that was even possible) in confusion. 

“It’s not much, though. The fabric’s sorta cheap ‘cause it was the only one I could find that had this specific pattern. I had to pick between comfortability or accuracy.” You sulked, sitting down on the dry sand close to him. You hugged your knees close to your chest, already itchy from the scratchy inside of the fabric.

“I chose accuracy, of course… for them.” You vaguely finished, slightly bitter on how hard it was to make your country’s real traditional clothing in an authentic way. You palmed the sand, looking for your bag before taking out your trusty cellphone. 

Ah, surface dwellers and their hand-held yet fragile technologies… Namor thought as you typed and scrolled away at your phone. 

“I mean, look at this!” You held your phone out, showing what appeared to be a real life replica of your garbs, just made in a better way. Namor narrowed his eyes in confusion. 

“So your people still make this?” 

“Well technically yes, but no? God, I wish, though. This is just a historical costume for entertainment…” You replied, huffing. 

“Tangina talaga ng Espanya…” You grumbled under your breath. Namor chuckled at you, as he had heard you swear in your mother tongue (he was sure it was a swear– it was literally the first word you had taught him) at one of your country’s past colonizers.

“Jay, ba'ax jaaj le je'elo'...” He replied, agreeing, though this did cause your face to slightly feel warmer. You would never admit it to his face, but him speaking his native language was kinda hot.

You let out a small chuckle, before wistfully sighing and looking at the sky. 

“You know… I’m kinda jealous of you and your people of Talokan.” Namor rose an eyebrow at you, his head turning to look at you. You put your hands up in mock defense, clearly meaning well.

“I don’t mean it in a bad way! And yeah, you guys have faced struggles with water pollution, junk and also colonizer stuff… It’s just… y’know…” You trailed off, suddenly feeling bashful. Namor’s gaze softened, as he nodded to indicate that you continue. You breathed in deeply.

“Well, I mean, you guys got to keep your culture intact, no outside forces ripping it away from you.” You mumbled, picking at the sand that got between your nails.

“No forgotten gods… no forgotten stories… no forgotten practices.” You longingly looked at the sea.

You snorted, though. “Even if they tried, you could still put up a fight and protect it.” You smiled at him, causing him to avert his gaze and look back at the ocean.

“I just… I just wish I could salvage at least a small part of it.” You finished, already feeling your throat close up and tears form in your eyes. God, why did you have to be so emotional? Putangina naman… 

For a beat or two, Namor stayed quiet. You already felt dread setting in your stomach, oh god. What if he had another diva moment and dove back in the water? Before you could panic even more, you heard the water move, as water droplets seem to fall from sky and onto you. You looked up in confusion, squinting your eyes at Namor, who had stood up from his place to sit closer to you.

“... May I see more of these garbs?” 

Your frown was replaced with a smile, as you swallowed back the lump and blinked away the oncoming tears. “Sure! I have so many saved and printed– it’s important to have references before crafting, after all!” 

Your signature grin was back as you happily took out what looked to be a plastic bag containing pictures that looked similar to your clothes. You happily explained away, showing him more and more photos�� though he did notice that you had backed up a bit when he came a bit too close to your personal space. 

He followed along as you showed more and more photos– along with more pictures of Pre-Colonial jewelry that you wanted to replicate yourself. He noticed the way you would stop and longingly gaze at them, before continuing on with explaining.

Namor watched the way your eyes would brighten as you talked more and more about your history, before they would dim as you brought up on why it was not used by your people in the modern day anymore. 

“... And yeah, that’s pretty much what my own region wears! Though, it does get a bit tricky to see if it really is my region per say,” Namor looked at you, a bit confused but waiting for you to continue. Your smile grew wider. 

“All regions basically have a lot of similarities and differences! So sometimes it gets a bit confusing.” You rambled, before noticing yourself and getting a bit embarrassed. Namor softly smiled at you. 

“This just shows how rich the cultures of your people are, in etail.” 

You blinked before letting out a joyous laugh, surprised that Namor of all people complimented you! (Well, to be more precise, your heritage). You were about to reply before your eyes caught sight of the time on your phone. “Ay gago! Ang late na pala! I still have to call my parents!” You put on your coat over your work, before shoving your phone back in your bag. 

Before you could properly stand up, a hand on your wrist stopped you. Your brain loaded for a few seconds, your eyes following the hand and how it trailed back to Namor. “Come back here in two days time.” He asked (more of demanded).

You gawked at him, this was the first time he ever confirmed that you were going to see him! Most of the time, he simply came and went as he pleased. The look in his eyes already made it impossible to say no, so of course refusing him was not an option. 

“I-I…” You stammered, meeting his eyes that had so much emotion in them. You gulped. “Okay! See you in… two days, dude!” You quickly went on your way home.

Namor nodded at you, before he caught sight of the familiar plastic ziplock you had left behind. Before he could call out to you, you were already too far away, and if he were to approach you someone would surely see him.  

Namor watched your back fade from the distance, already confirming the idea forming in his head. He nodded to himself, before grabbing the ziplock bag and diving back into the sea, making sure to not let anything get wet. 

__________

You practically ran towards the beach as you grinned, excited that your.. Friend(?) or Frenemy(?) personally requested your presence. You cleared your throat and attempted to act cool, though severely failing, before sitting down by the drier parts of the sand, admiring how beautiful the waves looked. 

A few moments later, a familiar head peeped out from the water, causing you to laugh and wave at him. Namor uncharacteristically bore a grin at you, continuing to get out of water, the droplets from his hair magically disappearing with each step.

“I have a surprise for you.” was the first thing he said as he offered you a hand in getting up. You nodded, though a bit confused now. 

In his hands, you had finally taken notice of a makeshift waterproof bag tied by a drawstring along with a familiar plastic ziplock of papers. “Ay, onga pala! I accidentally left my papers…” You exclaimed, surprised that he kept them in such good condition.

Namor gingerly handed you the drawstring bag first, urging you to open it. “Please, have a look inside.” You hesitantly took it in your hands, noting the way the fabric practically had gold woven into it.

What you saw took your breath away, 

it was Pre-Colonial indigenous Filipino clothes.

You ran a hand through them, the fabric being silky yet cool to the touch. Just as how Filipino clothes were theorized to be. Somehow, Namor had found a way to wove it with gold, just as what your research had said. You felt tears well up in the corner of your eyes, it felt like a piece of history was being given back to you. 

 “Well? What are you waiting for?” Namor’s voice snapped you out of your stupor. You looked back at him, open-mouthed and too shocked to reply. He chuckled at you. “Try it on, in etail.”

Namor politely turned around, silently trying to hide and bury the way he felt when he heard fabric shifting and the likely assumption of you undressing. 

Your breath hitched as the feeling of the fabric against your skin was a comfortable one. It was perfectly tailored and made for you, as if someone had memorized every inch of your body down to the smallest details, the robes fitting like a glove on your body. 

“You can look now…” You managed to practically croak out, forever feeling thankful at such a kind gesture from no one other than Namor himself. 

The moment Namor turned around, he swore that he felt slightly lightheaded from how you managed to take his breath away with just your look. You looked like you were in your natural element, your most natural state.

It almost felt as if this was how you were supposed to be. 

The way the gold-woven fabric hung off your own copper skin had him thinking of thoughts he swore he would never have of surface-dwellers, and perhaps the most euphoric feeling was seeing the look on your face; the genuine joy and happiness. 

But wait, something was missing. 

He narrowed his eyes at you before rummaging through the bag he carried with him. Namor gently brought out familiar looking jewelry, though with its own twist.

“These… are also for you.”

Namor took your hand and placed it in his, slipping on a rather detailed and delicately made golden ring. He took both of your wrists and placed on them gold bracelets adorned with what appeared to be a jade material.

All the while, he made direct eye contact with you. You practically shook under his gaze, deeming it to be too intimate. 

Before you could process anything more, you felt the heat of Namor’s body behind your back, as you heard gold clinking together. His hot breath fanned on the back of your neck, as the heat in your ears never seemed to go away. 

You felt a heavy weighted necklace be placed onto your collarbone, before a click behind you was resounded. Namor’s hands lingered for a split second on the nape of your neck, before he practically ripped himself away and stood back, afraid of his own actions.

Your breath left your body for what felt like the nth time in the past 30 minutes, as you took the necklace between your fingers and observed the intricate designs of gold and jade beautifully fused together. 

All of this jewelry should have felt heavy, but to you they felt as if they were perfectly crafted and made for you and your people. It was as if these were all made with heavy and careful detail, making sure that they perfectly aligned with your own practices but still with its own twist and charm from the gifter.

You could never take back what the Spaniards have taken from your country, but it felt like a lost piece of your own heritage was being directly gifted to you, you could practically feel the pride of your ancestors. This was all so overwhelming. 

“K'uk'ulkan…” 

Namor suppressed the heat he felt as his natural name rolled off your tongue in such a breathless manner. 

Now, it was your turn to surprise as he did not anticipate that you would tackle him in a hug. You buried your face in his neck, not scared anymore of what he’d do. Namor’s own hands hesitantly placed themselves on your backside, before they tightened around you.

“Salamat… Salamat talaga, K'uk'ulkan…” Namor felt hot wet tears drip onto his shoulder. 

He hugged back even tighter.

“Mixba’al, in etail.” 

__________

BONUS:

“Okay, now ‘putangina mo’ means I like you.” You said to Namor, though the way you tried to (and failed) to hold back your laughter made him doubt that that was the meaning of the phrase.

“Is it really now?” You laughed, nodding profusely. “Hell yeah it is! We Pinoys use it all the time to compliment each other! Like, ‘putangina mo tol, ang guwapo mo nakakabakla ka na!’ ”

“ ‘Nakakabakla’?” Namor narrowed his eyes at you. Were you just messing with him? You laughed even more, clutching your sides by how much it hurt.

“Gaga, uto-uto ka talaga.”

Namor had a deep feeling in his stomach that you were insulting him (he was right) so he stood up and sighed, walking back towards the sea.

“What the-! Hey! Where are you going?!”

“K'a' ak'ate.”

“Aw c’mon K'uk'ulkan! Can’t you take a joke?!”

He was already gone by the time you had said that.

[mrs-lockley]

where the spirit meets the bones

Summary: Above, a merciful Sirena roams the seas of the East. Below, a lonely king seeks retribution. Your paths cross one war-torn night when you save the life of a man from the sea with feathered wings on his ankles and ears that point to the sky. Enchanted by your siren song, the feathered serpent king becomes determined to find you, even if he must wait for half a century. 

Posted on AO3 here.

Pairing: Namor (K’uk’ulkan) x Filipina (Kapampangan)!Fem!Sirena!Reader 

Word Count: 6.6k

Warnings: Mentions of colonization (burning of a Spanish flag in a sea storm but nothing graphic), mentions of drowning and burning (nothing explicit), slow burn (pun not intended), mutual yearning and pining, mentions of death and the afterlife. Physical descriptions of the reader include dark hair and eyes

Tagging: @justrunamok @artsynellyyy @theatreslave @musing-magpie​ @lostfleurs @alathan13 @velvetmel0n​ @mattmurdockswife​ @ameliachastain​​​

Author’s Notes: Hello my darlings! After nearly two years, I have written my first fic. Please be gentle when giving feedback and I apologize if my writing is a bit rusty. But this fic is very loosely based on the Little Mermaid with some Philippine and Maya mythology. 

The reader is Filipina, but from an unidentified region from the province of Pampanga, Philippines. Kapampangan is also the reader’s first language (and my second language) and does not speak Tagalog. This is the first part of a trilogy.

Translations: Kapampangan, Yucatec Mayan, and some Tagalog is used in the fic. For smaller phrases, translations are found throughout the fic in italics. For longer sentences in Kapampangan and Yucatec Mayan, translations are found at the end of the fic (with additional author’s notes). 

Namor’s monologue is in italics in respect to his language. An online translating generator was used. If there are any errors in Kapampangan and/or Yucatec Mayan, please let me know and I will correct it. 

How’s one to know I’d meet you where the spirit meets the bones in a faith forgotten land?

Lubao, Pampanga, June 1827

The moon was full when you rose to the surface, the night quieter than usual. Rain clouds begin to depart as the rain lightens into a steady downpour over the calming sea. The quiet after the storm, but your burning skin and aching bones say otherwise.

On the beach, a mother cries in relief as her daughter clears the water from her lungs, her arms immediately circling around her as she thanks Apong Díos and the angels above. Beside her, the father embraces his family with a joyous shout. 

You had caught the girl wandering the beach earlier that evening at the peak of the rainstorm. It was high tide then, the water lapping too close and too angry as she ran along the shore. One moment she was playing on the sand, and the next, the ocean had tried to swallow her whole.

You fought against the current in search for her, your lungs aching for air as the water screamed in defiance. Your tail cramped as you dove beneath the surface, narrowly fitting between the crevices of the sharp rocks and stones. Only slivers of moonlight guided your path through the dark stormy waters.

But you found her a moment later with her head barely above water, her arms and legs thrashing to stay afloat. Her pleas for help were drowned over the sound of the beating ocean and pouring rain, falling deaf on human ears. The girl’s panicked movements only propelled her deeper into the sea, and it was a matter of seconds before she would draw her last breath.

Softly, you began to sing to her. At the sound of your voice, the girl began to still, her movements drawing to a halt as you approached her. Her eyes fluttered shut, but her breathing slowed as her body was calmed by your song. The water around you began to bend to your will the louder you sang, enchanting the creatures and tides around you into submission. 

With ease, you wrapped your arms around the child and held them in a tight embrace as you swam to the shore. Her head on your shoulder, you continued to sing softly to her to quiet her mind and relax her body. 

You returned her to the surface as you gently laid her body on the sand, your hand cradling the back of her head. In the distance, the yellow lights of a nearby village hut began to flicker with shadows racing across the window. Quickly, you brushed her hair out of her face and pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead, your hand squeezing hers. 

“Gumising na.” Wake up.

At the sound of approaching voices, you released her hand and returned to the sea. 

The little girl stands and holds onto her mother’s hands as they depart from the shore, but she hesitates. You watch as she tugs on her mother’s hands and turns to her, urgently pleading for her mother to listen. The mother gazes at the sea, her expression unreadable as her eyes search for answers. The girl turns and points, but her mother shakes her head and carries her in her arms as the father shields them both from the rain, retreating into the safety of their hut.

You ignore the sharp pang splintering in your chest before you turn, floating on your back with your arms outstretched and offering yourself to the sky. Up above, the clouds continue to depart as the rain slows into a whispering shower kissing your skin.

As you bask in the moonlight, you run your fingers over the curved surface of the golden pendant resting on your chest. It was the last relic of your past life, the only physical memory of who you were before the ocean had claimed you as its own. Tonight was far different than the last night you walked on land, but it was quieter nights like these where your mind wandered into the past. One by one, it all came back to you. 

A gentle mother’s touch on your hand during a monsoon. A sister braiding your hair by the window. A father teaching you how to sail. A lover sneaking a kiss between dances. 

The heaviness in your chest deepens, spreading to your neck and to your eyes as they sting with tears. With pieces of your past echoing in your mind, you look up to the night sky and beg for comfort. One hundred years you have served the ocean. One hundred years you have saved your people from drowning. One hundred years of protecting the secrets of the sea. 

But it has also been one hundred years of loneliness. 

You were unlike the other creatures who dwelled in the sea. While the sirenas feasted on men and dragged them to their deaths, you rescued them and returned them to the shore. The kataws walked on land and were mistaken for humans as they manipulated the water to their will, while you tamed the water to save the innocent. Siyokoys devoured mortals, but you loved your people who walked on the land and found beauty in their world. While you have the sea turtles and dolphins at your side, your heart remains heavy as they whisper behind you. You were not their kind, why would the ocean choose to have mercy on you?

Gazing at the moon with the water holding you close, you stretch your hands and pray. Why did save me? Must I always bear this loneliness?

The only answer you receive is the pause of rainfall and a full moon sighing in the sky. 

Mérida, Yucatán Peninsula, July 1858

By the time you open your eyes, the last of the sun’s rays had settled under the sea with the cool ocean breeze tickling your skin. The dolphin who carried you whistles softly as you wake, its tail brushing against yours as it waits for your command.

“Dakal a salamat,” you whisper. Many thanks. 

With a soft smile, you affectionately run your hands over the dolphin’s back as it clicks before disappearing into the sea. 

You do not know how long or far you have traveled, but as you take in your surroundings, you realize that you have wandered into foreign territory. As the sky darkens into the blues, violets, and greens of the night, the ocean welcomes you into its soft embrace. Around you, the waves fall into a steady calmness. Just as you enchant humans with your voice, this new ocean comforts you in a strange way you could not quite understand, almost as if it were welcoming you home. 

For a brief moment, you allow yourself to relax in these new waters by diving into its arms. As you swim beneath the surface, you find yourself finally able to breathe for the first time. You were far from your home in the Pacific, and you were far from the angry voices of the merfolk who haunted you. 

“Alang cuenta,” the sirenas sneered at you when you had rescued stray fishermen from falling into their trap. Furious at your intrusion, your sisters lunged for you and tore at your tail and skin with their webbed claws and bared teeth. You screamed for mercy as you fought back, but their teeth and nails were stronger as they dragged you deeper into the darkness of the sea.

Either out of boredom or mercy, your sisters finished their prey upon you and left you in the cold depths of the ocean where the light of the sun did not reach. Hours passed before you were able to move and swim to the coral reefs where the dolphins and sea turtles found you nursing your wounds. With your arms covered in bites and your chest and tail in cuts, you found refuge in the dolphins and allowed them to carry you far away from your tormentors. 

Rising to the surface, you push your hair back and run your hands over your face, suppressing a childish giggle at the realization of your newfound freedom. For weeks you traveled with the dolphins to escape their persecution. Despite spending the past one hundred years alone, for the first time in over a century, you feel nothing but relief. You were never welcomed by the creatures of the ocean back at home. Perhaps you could find a new home here. 

You pause. Around you, the ocean suddenly grows cold as ripples slowly reverberate throughout the surface of the water. A chill descends your spine as you suddenly become breathless and frozen.

On the seashore, a man slowly rises from the water, holding a scepter adorned in engravings in one hand with his back turned to you. A golden plate rests on the back of his neck with matching cuffs on his arms, wrists, and legs reflecting the glow of the rising moon. A similar belt rests on his hips and above a pair of dark green shorts, the only article of clothing he wears. In the dim light, your eyes trace the broad expanse of his shoulders and the thick muscles of his back, arms, and legs. An air of regality surrounds him as he fully emerges from the water and stands in his full form. 

This man is not human, you realize as he walks along the beach, the water yielding to his presence. He is a man of the sea. 

Your brows furrow in confusion as he kneels on the sand. 

Wings. There were wings on his ankles.

Something inside of you whispers to swim closer to the shore. With the waves beckoning towards you, you have no choice but to obey.

Holding your breath, you submerge yourself deeper into the water and hide behind a rock to avoid being seen. On the sand, the man with the winged ankles speaks softly in a language you don’t recognize.

“Jach tak in wilech,” he whispers and lowers his head. I miss you. 

His movements and words are gentle as he places a white flower on the sand, his voice soft and low as he continues to speak. Your heart pounds in realization as you watch him revere someone who could not be seen. This was a grave. 

Guilt consumes you as memories of your past life flood to the surface, your pendant weighing heavily on your chest. Turning away from the shore, you close your eyes to force down the tears that threaten to spill. How silly of you to think you could run away when your family rests at home across the ocean. Here, the water belongs to another. Who were you to leave your home behind and reside in a place as sacred as this?

Wiping at your eyes, you turn back to the shore and find the man speaking to the spirits. Even in the dim moonlight, you catch a glimpse of his face, his dark eyes full of emotion and grief.

Slowly, you reach for the sampaguita flowers in your hair and cradle them in your hands. One by one, you sing quietly to yourself as you place the flowers in the water. You linger for a few moments, your fingers running over the pendant on your chest as the water guides them to the beach. 

“Patawad na,” you breathe. I’m sorry.

With a final prayer, you return to the sea. 

On the beach, a soft hand reaches for the jasmine flowers. Dark eyes look to the horizon in search of the one who brought them, but the only answer given were the quiet waves lapping at the shore. 

Gently, the man with the winged ankles places the white flowers on the sand, creating a trail from the grave and towards the spirit’s old home before disappearing into the water.

The only evidence of his arrival is soon washed away by the rising tide of the ocean.

Philippine Sea, near Manila, August 1894

Tonight was much like the last night you walked on land.

The air was laden with tension and uncertainty. Word from the fishermen and villagers had gone around that the conquistadors were having trouble with their colonies in the West. On the surface, you often found the land-dwellers running through the shadows of the trees in the jungle. The islands seemed to hum in anticipation at the whispers of a possible revolution.

In times like these, you turned a blind eye to your sisters drowning the oppressors on the beach. But your hands weren’t clean and bloodless either. As your sisters feasted on their flesh, you were the one to sing to them, distracting them with your sweet voice and innocent smile. 

(You would do it again in a heartbeat, you soon realize. With each conquistador that steps into the water, another revolutionary returns safely home.)

But tonight was different from those quiet nights of revolutionaries lurking in the shadows of the jungle. Tonight was a war.

Lightning strikes through the stormy sky and fuels the flames licking at the near abandoned trade ship drowning in the fury of the summer typhoon. The white sails darken into ash as the Spanish flags fade into dust. 

Around you, your sisters call to them with outstretched arms, promising to save them from a violent death. You do not sing to invite them further in, nor do you move when your sisters feed on their flesh. You watch silently as your enemies fall and drown to their death, your skin heated by the scorching fires of their sinking ships. With memories of your last night flashing through your mind, you gaze at the burning flags in contempt. It is only fitting that the last thing they see is your face before falling to their demise. 

Suddenly, one of your sisters screams and points to the sky. 

Aswang!*

The sirenas shriek and recede into the water as the remaining men on deck scream in terror. Lightning illuminates the sky once more and reveals the silhouette of the figure flying in the air. 

Your breath stops in your throat as you glimpse at the figure, your eyes falling to their feet. 

The man with the feathered wings on his ankles.

You look up at him, your heartbeat mirroring the resounding claps of thunder. The man with the wings pays no heed to your sisters retreating into the safety of the water. Instead, his gaze is focused on the colonizers clinging onto the debris of their sinking ships.

He raises his spear and strikes. 

The ocean thirsts for violence as crimson stains its waters. With each strike of lightning and roar of thunder, the further the Spanish ships sink to the bottom of the sea. Screams and gunshots plague the night as the monsoon beats its anger onto the surface world. One by one, the colonizers perish by the sea, the bloodthirst of your sisters, or the man exacting his vengeance from above. 

Your eyes widen. On the deck of the last ship sailing, a colonizer opens fire and aims his weapon at the sky.

“Saguli-!” You shout. Wait!

Everything moves in slow motion. Before the trigger is pulled, bursts of red, orange, and yellow blinds your vision. Your ears ring from the explosion as your left shoulder is consumed by a sharp pain that resembles shark teeth digging into your bones. 

As your vision begins to clear, the rain continues to pour. Furls of silver smoke surround you as the burning fires devour the last wooden planks of the sunken ship. Despite the rumble of thunder and cries of the sea, the night is suddenly quiet with only the low crackle of flickering flames filling the silence. Your sisters have disappeared. The colonizers have perished. 

In the sky, the man from the sea burns before falling into the water. 

Without hesitation, you dive into the sea to search for him with the flickers of the dying flames guiding your path underwater. In the distance, the glint of his spear reflects the light of the surface fires with its owner sinking beside him, his eyes closed and his back covered in black ash. 

Ignoring the pain in your shoulder, you wrap your arms around his torso and hold him close as you swim towards the surface.

Please be alive, you pray as you break through the water, your lungs aching as you carry the man in your arms. Please.

...

The monsoon begins to falter when dusk brightens the sky. The rain slows into a steady downpour and the wind turns from a thunderous gust and into a whispering breeze. Gray storm clouds weigh heavily in the sky, but cracks of sunlight peek through the horizon. 

Tears burn your eyes as your cries echo in the cove. Pain engulfs your left shoulder and your body screams in agony from fighting against the violence of the waves and the rage from the skies. With a cry of pain, you push yourself up and untangle your arms from the body of the man you rescued. The man from the sea with feathered wings on his ankles. 

A gasp of relief escapes your lips the moment you feel the steady drumming of his heartbeat underneath your trembling fingertips. 

“Salamat,” you breathe, a childish laugh rumbling in your chest as you wipe at your eyes. “You’re alive.”

With a gentle hand, you brush his dark hair back. The dusky rays of sunlight kiss his tanned skin, casting shadows of the planes and contours of his peppered cheeks. Drops of jade sit beneath his pointed ears and mirror the jewel on his nose. Beads of white pearls and golden rings adorn his neck. A large plate rests on his chest with two deep blue serpents meeting in the middle, a large pearl sitting in the center. 

In the dim light of the early morning, you cannot help but gaze in awe at the beautiful man laying in your arms. 

Who is he? You wonder as you softly trail your hand from his hair and down his arm, a frown settling on your lips at the sight of dried blood and deep bruises at his side. 

You glance back at his face once more. You should be afraid of him, a stranger from a foreign land who showed no mercy to his enemies. But despite the violence of the previous night, you remember the first night you saw him on the beach in the Atlantic. You remember his dark eyes full of grief, his gentle hands cradling the flowers, and his soft voice whispering in the wind.

The man sleeping before you now was not the same man that tormented his enemies at sea, but the man you met on that summer seashore.

Gently, you lean forward to caress his cheek and sing.

“Potang paintunan mu ku, lumwal ka, talanga ka. Akit me ing bulan a masala karin mikit kata. E na ka matakut, e na ku naman migaganaka, uling balu ku balang beni mikikit ka king laman ning bulan a masala.”

As you sing the last note, the man begins to stir. 

Panic floods through you as you look down to find his hand wrapped around your right wrist. His grip is firm but gentle, with the heat of his skin warm against yours. 

Swallowing the ache in your chest, you lean forward to cup his face with both of your hands, your thumbs stroking his cheeks as you gently press your lips to his forehead. 

“Mikit tána pasibáyo,” you whisper. We will meet again. 

With one last look, you squeeze his hand and retreat into the water. 

…

Whispers of a man from the sea with feathered wings on his ankles spread across the surface. From the villagers and fishermen to the convoys and rulers, people spoke of his existence in hushed tones, afraid that speaking his name would incur his wrath. Parents passed his story to their children as folklore, but those who were old enough remembered seeing him walk along the beach before his footprints were washed away by the waves of the ocean. 

K’uk’ulkan, they called him. The feathered serpent god. 

The King of Talokan prided himself as a benevolent ruler and a protector of his people. For three hundred years, K’uk’ulkan kept their kingdom a secret under the sea. He lived, breathed, and bled for them, enduring the pain from the surface world to protect the Talokanil from the violence of the land-dwellers. For this, K’uk’ulkan reigned as their king, their feathered serpent ruler. 

While tales of the feathered serpent were considered myths to the tribes on the beach, another name was whispered across the seven seas. From the clergy and the admirals, no one dared to speak the moniker out loud. 

El niño sin amor, the Spanish priests warned. The child without love. 

“Namor,” his enemies gasped as they looked up at him, their eyes wide with fear. 

It had been five weeks since the Spanish ships departed from the Atlantic. Five weeks before he finally found the ships that had stolen the resources from his kingdom. As the monsoonal rain raged its wrath over the blazing fires of the splintering ships on a foreign sea he was not familiar with, Namor raised his spear and struck with no mercy. 

It all unraveled so fast. One moment he vanquished his enemies, and the next he was swallowed by flames.

He vaguely remembered the ocean welcoming him as he fell from the sky. In the dark stillness of the water, Namor could only watch a dark shadow pass above him. Three hundred years he served his people as their king. Three hundred years he fought, protected, and bled for his kingdom. Maybe just this once, he could overcome the trials in Metnal* and leave the crown behind.

But the gods had other plans for the King of Talokan. Behind the dark veil of his eyes, a soft voice called out to him. The voice was different from the songs of the Talokanil and sung in a language he did not recognize. Her voice was lower, deeper, but sweet and comforting. 

A siren song. 

With eyes as heavy as stone, Namor willed his body to move, his hands grasping at rough skin. It was a song that willed him to return to the land of the living, willing him to carry the crown and breathe. 

For a brief moment, he felt the ghost of her hands stroking his face and her lips on his skin. But when he opened his eyes, he found himself alone in a cove with the monsoon slowing into a whisper. 

Running a tired hand over his face, Namor sits up and breathes a deep sigh. His lungs ache from the sharp exhale as he takes in his surroundings. Straight ahead, the wide entrance of the cove welcomes the quiet low tides of the sea. Despite the storm clouds, the horizon brightened into hues of deep blues and violets with the distant call of songbirds singing in the distance. 

In the calmness of dawn, the King of Talokan could still hear the soft whispers of the siren song singing to him in the cove. Like a fog, his senses were enveloped by her, his skin prickling at the memory of her touch and his ears mistaking the sound of songbirds to the likeliness of her voice.

As he stands, his eyes flicker to the reflection of the rising sun in the water, a small burst of light catching his gaze. Ignoring the pain in his back, Namor rushes to where the edge of the rock meets the sea. 

His heart pounds and his head spins as he cradles the item in his hand, his breath halting in his throat.

In his hand was a golden necklace with its delicate chain torn in two, a pendant of a small flower resting in the center. 

The same flower he found on the Yucatán seashore. 

“Yaan in kaxtikech,” he breathes. “Ma importa u tojol.”

I will find you, no matter the cost.

Philippine Sea, December 1910

It had been sixteen years since Namor heard you last.

The skies disagreed with him when he returned to the sea where you rescued him. For several months, the monsoons raged throughout the region. Time to time, he encountered trade ships from the North, South, East, and West sailing through the merciless monsoons. Other times, he found war on the sea with different flags flying through the wind and crimson being spilt on the waters. Echoes of gunshots, fire cannons, and war cries sounded throughout the night with the tumultuous tidal waves consuming everything in its path. 

With each passing ship, Namor heard the distant sound of the siren songs calling to the unsuspecting sailors and soldiers. With their heads barely above water, he watched the sirens bewitch their prey, their eyes glassy and unseeing before falling to their death. More than once, he found himself entranced by their voices. But each time his ears registered their harmonies, he turned away. 

Their voices were beautiful, but they were not you. They were not his sirena. 

Only you were the one to enchant the feathered serpent king. 

Tonight was different from that summer night, for it was the start of the dry season. Up above, the moon glowed brightly in the night sky without a single cloud in sight. The luminous glow of the moon reflected on the surface of the water, but its reflection was distorted by the growing ripples and the quiet tide of the sea. 

The air cooled his skin as Namor reached the surface, his back turned to the full moon. It was almost as if no time had passed since the last time he was in the cove. Although the tides were lower, Namor could still hear the distant melody of your song echoing throughout the cove. It was as if he were drowning in you all over again. 

Sixteen years ago, he first heard your siren song. But it had been fifty-two years since he first met you. 

A deep ache ate at his chest that particular night. After distracting his generals and evading their watchful eyes, Namor sought refuge on the sand. For three hundred years, he reigned as the King of Talokan. When the crown became heavy to bear, he would slip away from his advisors and find solace in visiting his mother on the surface. He carried the souls of the departed in his heart and their memories in his mind, but sometimes the water suffocated him. Nearly two centuries have passed since he last laid his mother to rest and cleaned her bones, but her memory was clear as day in his mind. He may have been born in the water, but his mother had walked on land - it was all in his blood.

“The Talokanil look to me as their King, their God. I would do anything for them,” K’uk’ulkan whispered as he gently placed the water lilies on her grave. “Just as you did everything to protect me.”

He loved his people just as they loved him. He did not regret taking the throne at a young age and the responsibility of leading and protecting them, but there was a heaviness growing deep inside his chest. An emptiness that he often ignored, but was constantly consumed by its hand.

He remembered watching her hair turn silver and the fine lines settling on her skin as he remained young. In the eyes of many, he was still a child. Yet, he carried the years inside him as centuries passed, watching the people he loved age before they breathed their last breath.

“Every day I see our people grow old, but I remain young and know one day I will mourn and miss them as much as I miss you, na’*.”

The only memories K’uk’ulkan had of his father were the stories recounted to him by his mother. When he sat on her knee, he remembered the smile on her face as she showed him the bracelet she wore on her wrist. Tracing the pearls with his fingers, he could feel his father’s love radiating from each bead. Despite their circumstances, he admired the love his father had for his mother, the same love that he carried in his veins. 

“I may be King, but I stand at the throne with no one to share it with, and sleep with no one to hold at my side,” K’uk’ulkan whispered. “I am lonely, na’. So incredibly lonely.”

He wondered what it would be like to love just as his parents did. To have someone to wake up next to, and to fall asleep with every night. To hold and be held by the arms of someone who loves you.

The King of Talokan did not expect an answer, nor did he expect to see white jasmine flowers drifting towards him on the seashore.

The very same flower that rests in his hands now.

The petals are soft in his hands as he places it on the quiet whispers of water. In the beginning, Namor thought of the flowers as a strange coincidence. He knew that such flowers were native to the lands in the East, but he had seen trade ships sail across oceans and between continents. It was possible that cargo could have fallen through the cracks. 

Initially, Namor tried to ignore it and stop himself from jumping to conclusions, but something foreign gripped his heart. A small glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, there was someone out there meant for him to love and be loved.

It had all come together when he found your necklace on the rocks. 

For sixteen years, your siren song haunted Namor. He had met sirens and other merfolk throughout his lifetime, but there was something different about your song that called to him. Other siren songs were meant to hypnotize their prey before they drowned or were sacrificed to water deities. Their songs meant destruction to anyone who heard their voice, but your song was sweeter, more gentle. Rather than death, your song brought him back to life. 

That was something he still did not understand. Why would you save him? 

With the jasmine flowers as an offering, the King of Talokan begins to sing.

“X ciih x ciichpan u tz’ u likil yook kaax; tu bin u hopbal tu chumuc can caan tux cu ch’uuytal u zazicunz yookol cab tu lacal kaax chen cici u tal iik u utz’ben booc.”

As he sings, the tidal waves begin to slow into a lull. The ocean did not dare to drown his melody. 

“Pitah nookeex luuz u kaxil a holex ba teneex hee cohiceex uay yokol cabile x zuhuyex x chupalelex hel u.”

The water stills on his last note, but the ocean breeze carries his lullaby throughout the cove. His heart beats heavily, his grip tightening on the necklace as he turns. Dark brown eyes flicker to every corner and crevice of the cove and his ears strain to hear any sudden sounds that could indicate your presence. 

It is not often that the feathered serpent god sings. Rare and far in between, the only times he ever sang with his heart was with his mother. She taught him the songs she learned when she was a child on the surface, especially this song. 

“When I was young, my friends and I would gather and sing this song to keep and bring back a lover.”

“Did it work?”

His mother smiled sweetly at him and playfully poked the tip of his nose. She could not help but laugh when he scrunched his face. “It did. This song was how I met your father. It is the reason you are here.”

He holds his breath as he waits for your arrival in the cove. With each heartbeat echoing in his ears, a heaviness begins to settle in chest. Hope turns to fear, its icy hands crawling at his skin as the waves rise with the tide. 

Shadows of the waves dance across the dimly lit walls. Above, the stars whisper to the moon as the celestial beings await your arrival.

Swallowing the growing ache in his heart, Namor turns his back to the moon and starts his way towards the darkness of the cove. 

A small splash disturbs the silence.

“Maryu ka man kabug ning salu mu, saingsing mu panamdaman ku.”

The King stops in his tracks.

“Balu ku, atindian ku.”

It is you. His sirena.

“Akit me ing bulan a masala, karin mikit kata.”

Like ivy growing around a stone, your song ensnares him. 

“E na ka tumakut, e na ku naman migaganaka.”

Slowly, he turns around. Underneath the silver halo of the bright moon, you rise to the surface. 

“Uling balu ku balang bengi mikikit kata king lalam ning bulan a masala.”

Hanging onto each word, Namor walks towards the edge, his senses enveloped by you. Your voice is soft and deep, comforting and captivating as you swim closer to meet him.

“Parati mu sa’ng tandanan, muran man atiu ya ing bulan.”

Your dark eyes meet his gaze as you look up at him. His eyes never leave yours as you sing the final note with a small smile gracing your lips. Time seems to still, his heart skipping a beat as you finally meet where the land meets the sea.

You are more beautiful than he could have imagined. White jasmine flowers adorn your dark hair like little stars shining in the night sky. In the moonlight, he catches a glimpse of your dark green tail, its scales reflecting the glow of the moon beneath the surface of the water. 

His sirena, his lool.*

He finally found you.

The feathered serpent god slowly falls to his knees right in front of you, his head bowed in respect.

“Because of you, my people still have a King,” his voice is gentle as he speaks. “You saved my life, and I will forever thank you.” 

He still remembers that morning when he returned to his kingdom. For almost a week, Namor had left Talokan in search of the Spanish ships across the Pacific and placed his leadership into his advisors and top generals. This was not the first time he left to protect the borders and identity of Talokan, but it was the first time he did not come back on the day he promised.

Fear flooded his mind when he fell through the sky. He was always strong enough to destroy his enemies, but he was never this defenseless when his unconscious body hit the water. Any remaining survivors could have exploited his lack of defenses, but he was stunned to wake up in a sea cove with his wounds nearly healed. 

You reach for him, your gentle hands cradling his face as you silently plead for him to look at you. Almost hesitantly, he follows your command.

“Who are you?”

He has many names, but he wishes for you to call him only by one name. 

“My people call me K’uk’ulkan.”

K’uk’ulkan closes his eyes and leans into your touch as your fingers delicately trace his face, your voice enchanting him once more as you repeat his name. 

He remembered your palm caressing his cheek and your lips on his skin. As King of Talokan, he often hid this soft side of himself away from his people. But with you, his walls crumbled like tidal waves dissolving castles in the sand. 

Pulling himself out of his trance, he opens his eyes and covers your hand with his own, his thumb lightly tracing over your knuckles. 

“What is your name?”

Your voice is quiet as you speak, almost as if you are hesitant to reveal yourself. 

“Y/N.”

A beautiful name for a beautiful soul.

K’uk’ulkan repeats your name as he grasps your hand and gently raises it to his lips. 

For a brief moment, the King catches a flicker of sadness in your eyes, but it vanishes as you conceal it with a small smile. 

Little did he know that he is the first person to call you by your real name and touch you with such care in two hundred years.

Not wanting to frighten you, K’uk’ulkan softens his voice as he speaks. “I believe I have something that belongs to you.”

Confusion passes over your face, your brows furrowed and your lips parted in a silent question. 

Although he did not know the importance of your necklace, he noticed the rust and scratches that eroded at the delicate metals. The necklace was worn with love, but it was crafted by human hands and not intended to withstand the cruelty of the ocean. With care, he brought the necklace to his jewelers to restore it to its former glory with the addition of two pearls and the revived jasmine pendant in the center. 

A sharp gasp escapes your lips as he presents your necklace to you, your eyes wide as they brim with tears. 

“May I?” He asks quietly.

You nod and bow your head.

With soft hands, the feathered serpent god leans forward and places it over your head. Once it settles over you, you cradle the pendant and pearls in your palms in awe. 

“I thought that this was gone forever,” you whisper as you look up at him, a stray tear streaming down your cheek. “Thank you for bringing it back to me.”

“Nothing is gone forever, only lost until it is found.” K’uk’ulkan cups your face gently, his warm hand brushing away the tears that had fallen down your cheeks. 

His heart warms at the sound of your soft laughter and the sight of your smile. How true his words were. In the fifty-two years he had met you, he thought you were a dream, a possible figment of his imagination that his mind created to cope with the growing emptiness in his bones. But you were real. You were the one watching over him when he found the flowers on the seashore and rescued him from the scorching fires that raged across the sea. He vowed to find you, but he had gotten it wrong. 

Each time, you were the one to find him. 

Looking into your eyes now, he finds himself drowning in them. Dark, deep, and inviting, a silent storm brewing inside of them. The King of Talokan had seen eyes like yours before– eyes that look young, but have seen years of pain, heartbreak, loss, and grief– yet, there was a vulnerability to them. Despite the centuries you carried in your heart, he knew and understood the violence you endured to be this kind. 

You thread your fingers with his, your hands locked in a delicate embrace as you begin to pull yourself away from the rocks and swim closer to the waves. 

You call his name tenderly, your voice a soft plea. “K’uk’ulkan.”

With a gentle tug on his hand, the feathered serpent god descends into the water. 

Come with me. 

There is no song to entice him. It is only you.

Long ago, K’uk’ulkan heard tales of a red string of fate that tied two soulmates together from the Far East. Perhaps it is the red string that pulls him closer to you now as you guide him deeper into the water, your hands entwined together, your lips whispering against his and your tail curling around his legs. With your dark eyes and gentle voice, he has no choice but to follow. 

Only the bright full moon bears witness to the reunion of the sirena and her feathered serpent king disappearing into the sea.

Translations

Alang cuenta (Kapampangan) - Useless, no meaning

Aswang (Tagalog) - Monster

Potang paintunan mu ku, lumwal ka, talanga ka (Kapampangan) - When you look for me, go outside, look up

Akit me ing bulan a masala karin mikit kata (Kapampangan) - We will see each other when there is a bright moon.

E na ka matakut, e na ku naman migaganaka (Kapampangan) - Do not be afraid, do not worry.

Uling balu ku balang beni mikikit ka king laman ning bulan a masala (Kapampangan) - I know one night we will meet underneath a bright moon.

Na’ (Yucatec Mayan) - Mother

Metnal (Yucatec Mayan) - The Yucatec Mayan term for the Underworld. Not to be confused with Xibalba, “the Place of Fright.”

The Flower Song (Yucatec Mayan) - 1, 2

The Flower Song is originally ancient Maya lyrical poetry from the Songs of Dzitbalche. According to John Curl, the Flower Song was a “rite” to keep a lover that was traditionally sung by a group of women–typically under the supervision of an older woman– and performed under the moonlight. Later parts of the poem mention offering plumeria flowers to create a love potion. 

For the purpose of this fic, K’uk’ulkan learned the song from his mother. 

X ciih x ciichpan u tz’ u likil yook kaax; tu bin u hopbal tu chumuc can caan tux cu ch’uuytal u zazicunz yookol cab tu lacal kaax chen cici u tal iik u utz’ben booc - The most alluring moon has risen over the forest; it is going to burn suspended in the center of the sky to lighten all the earth, all the woods, all the lights shining on it all. 

Pitah nookeex luuz u kaxil a holex ba teneex hee cohiceex uay yokol cabile x zuhuyex x chupalelex hel u - Take off your clothes, let down your hair, become as you were when you arrived here on Earth. 

Maryu ka man kabug ning salu mu, saingsing mu panamdaman ku (Kapampangan) - Your chest/heart will feel heavy when we are apart

Parati mu sa’ng tandanan, muran man atiu ya ing bulan (Kapampangan) - Do not forget that the moon will be there when it rains.

For the complete lyrics and song, please refer to the YouTube link here. 

[bellonalabelle]

You're Just a Man || Namor X Goddess!Filipino!Reader

Note: Reader shall be referred as “Purigadang pada sinaklang Bulawan” or “Bulawan” in short. SPOILER AHEAD!

Summary: The feathered serpent god faced The Goddess of Wealth and Greed's Disapproval of his way of attempting to create an alliance and declaration of war.

Warnings: Angst, Hurtful words will be exchanged, Ego and pride will be stepped on.

Below the belt comebacks.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Revered with beauty and a face of perfection, Namor cannot help but admire how his goddess of a wife’s brows furrow as he continues to paint on the walls.

“Yet again, you are not listening to me.”

The brush halted from gliding on the smooth surface as She turned her back at him with her arms crossed.

The golden ornaments that adored her hair created a gentle sound as it followed her movements.

"In k'iino', Just this once can you not see this the way i do?”

Namor asked as he placed his paintbrush down to face his wife and Queen. He did not mean any disrespect to his wife’s opinion on capturing the princess of wakanda and the scientist.

If it be any other argument They would usually come into a compromise that leaves both parties happy.

However the safety of their underwater kingdom is at stake and he could not afford to waste time.

“You are being reckless, seeking alliance yet you sanctioned death on the scientist.”

she turned to face him

“And now you captured the crown princess, the only remaining heir of Wakanda. Do you have any idea what you just brought upon us? Our people?”

She questions as she steps closer to him, chin up as she looks at him eye to eye through her thick lashes. If he had not made her his wife, she would’ve been his greatest nemesis.

For she is the only one who dares challenge him and will win.

“I do not plan on harming the princess unless necessary. She must see what I must protect in order to form this alliance. "

he brings up his arms to cup her cheeks,

"She must see that annihilating that scientist will keep Talokan safe from the surface dwellers”

He Caressed the warm soft flesh as if speaking an unspoken apology, The Deity allows this as her piercing gaze looks up at him.

“And what if she disagrees? There is no guarantee that she will see it your way.”

Namor replied with ice in his words

“Then wakanda will be the first to fall against our war with the surface world”

Bulawan looks at him exasperated as she removes herself away from his grasp.

“You underestimate your foes, I have forgotten that you are still mortal after all."

Her words felt heavy on his heart as his expression turned cold and stoic.

“I have told you many times that your callous ways will one day prove to be ineffective, maybe that day is upon us.”

She speaks from experience, she knows that there is no changing her stubborn husband’s mind. She has seen how this kind of situation played out too many times.

Namor took offense with her words as his own brows furrowed, growing frustrated.

“My Callous ways have proven to be effective through centuries and have kept my people safe.”

His gaze cold as he looks down at her in an attempt to intimidate yet she only met his gaze.

“Since you claim you’re so much wiser, Why is your life spent all alone before our alliance?”

Silence filled the air as his words hung over them, he only realized the weight of his words when the deity's golden orbs showed hurt.

Being reminded of what she has lost Centuries ago left a bitter taste in her mouth, especially since it came from someone who she thought she could trust.

He attempted to take back his words yet it is far too late as the deity takes a step back from him.

" In yakunaj, i did not mea–"

They are interrupted by someone clearing their throat as they announce their arrival.

"K'uk'ulkan, In Reina, The princess is here"

They both face the direction of the entrance. Bulawan, no longer in the mood to argue, decided to cut the conversation short as she faced him.

"One day…you will know what I speak of, one day you might understand, One day…But that is not today because after all…"

Her gaze was stern as she spoke

"You're just a Man."

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

[voidgenesis]

I may or may not be writing a Namor x Filipina oc/reader who is revered as the reincarnation & avatar of the Tagalog-Visayan sea goddess Amansinaya because of her mutant water based abilities (basically how K'uk'ulkan is to the people of Talokan)

She's born during the early days of the Spanish colonization as a child of a babaylan who refused to abandoned their traditional faith & practices. Along with other surviving shamans they prayed to the heavens for salvation from the colonizers.

So when the reader's abilities as mutant came out in her puberty they saw her as a saviour sent by the gods.

👀 my filo namor enjoyers what do we think...

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water Extras I

Summary: After everything that had happened in Wakanda, and the man who stole your heart, you had decided not to return to New York in fear for your life as well as that of your unborn children. Instead living your life away by the beach with your twins and one stormy night you were visited by the man who had vowed to look for you and take you back home. One way or another. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. OC Children (Alon and Amor) Word Count: 6,622 (i needed a good angst and happy ending in my life.) Chapter Warnings: Angst. Mention of Kidnapping. Mention of Abandonment. Happy Ending (cuz Aquapapi desurvs the world). New beginnings. Second Chances.

Series Masterlist || Masterlist || Join the Library (no longer do taglist you can just turn on notif here)

Water Under the Bridge

“Mama!” The sobs that escaped your son and daughter broke your heart as you held them close to you, their arms holding onto you for dear life.

In the years you had stayed back in your hometown, the various storms had come and go, but since your twins were born it was the first time they get to experience hand the violence of what a thunderstorm could be. The first that even had you worried about your wellbeing as you were staying in the little home you shared for the next twenty four hours.

The rising tides weren’t something you worried about as much, but the winds could become strong than the news would lead on at times. It was one of the many reasons why you still depended on Tony’s technology instead of the news’ weather forecast. You had several of your cousins sending you text to check on you three but you tried your best to assure each and every single one of them that you would be fine for the next few hours while the storm passes.

Everything you’ve endured in Wakanda was by far worse compared to this moment, this moment of chaos before peace and serenity. The life you had escaped from back in Wakanda—from Talokan.

“Did you know that light travels faster than sound?” You found yourself telling your twins, hoping it was good enough of a distraction from the thunder from outside.

“No it doesn’t!” It was your son, Alon that made the protest, eyes still watering from the unshed tears. He was at the stage in his childhood that he wants to always be right about something. But looking at him, you were greeted with glimpses of the man you loved—but had to escape from.

Alon was a spitting image of his father. Same brown eyes, sun-kissed tan skin, and the pointy ears. It scared you at times to look at him how more and more he was becoming the younger version of his father before your very eyes.

“Yes it does!” It was your daughter, Amor that contradicted her twin.

Your son might have your lover’s features, but Amor has her father’s personality through and through. From the way she talks to her Uncles and Aunts, to how she ensures that playtime with the younger member of the family would be fair for each and every single one involved. At a young age, it genuinely scared you the level of maturity she had without you even realizing.

“Then watch the skies, My Loves.”

As if on cue, the flash of light momentarily illuminated through the windows as the twins snuggled closer to you in the couch. You gently counted down to three before the thundering sound followed after. A smile on your face at the giggle and amazement from your twins, more so your daughter that was proven right.

“Will the thunder get to us?” You son asked, head looking up at you in wonder, ignoring his earlier statement as his curiosity was more of a priority.

“No it won’t.” You tried your best to reassure them both. “If the sound and the light go off at the same time, then yes, it might. But right now, there is a space between them both. So we’re safe here.” You kissed him on the forehead.

Proving your point even further, the flash of light appeared and with bated breath all three of you counted a few seconds before the sound echoed the weeping skies. The mix of cheers and wows from your children made the smile on your face bigger. It reminded you so much of your short stint in Wakanda, helping with teaching the young children about the beauty of science. Nothing truly beats being able to teach the young aspiring minds and helping them further with whatever path they may pave for themselves.

Peering towards the clock above the door it was past their bedtime. Without much of a hitch, you had lifted them both into your arms—a feat that you never truly realize was a problem until you realize the true source of your strength.

“I think it’s time for bed.” You announced, carrying them to their bedroom, ignoring the howls of the winds that continued to echo the living room and the protest that came from your children that continue to insist that they weren’t sleepy.

The unison of protest was left in deaf ear as you had continued to carry the twins up into your arms and bringing them both to their shared bedroom, away from the noise of the storm and away from the fear and curiosity that might peak their interest.  Placing them in their beds one at a time, you kissed their foreheads, singing a lullaby to drown out their continuous protest of still not sleepy yet even when it was already past their bedtime.

“Can you tell us more about Papa?” It was Amor that now grow curious.

Even after all that you had endured in Wakanda, with your former lover, and of the truth of your heritage, you had been open to them about their father, at least the existence of him. You had told them stories of his people, of the hardship that his people and he has been placed in. You had taught them in the best of your abilities the foundation of what the Talokan people had fought for, hoping they would also have the same principle when they grow up.

"His enemies called him Namor, for he was called El niño sin amor by them."

“What does that mean?”

“The boy without love.” You answered, memories of him telling you about the origin of the name, of the last impact it had on him and of the fight he continued to have for the sake of his people.

“But you love him right, Mama?”

Such question still had this impact on you and your sanity. You did love him, more than you would have ever believed yourself to be capable of giving. You loved him and when you realized the effect of your heritage had on him and his people, you chose to leave before he does anything that either of you would regret.

“I do.” You confirmed. “His people did, everyone that finally had come to understood all that hardship he had to endure to be where he was. His sacrifice means more to his people than he thinks it does.” You continued.

It took you awhile of pushing and pulling away from him to realize where he was coming from. The life and the reign he had on his people, the war he was willing to wage for the sake of his people. It made him no less of a man for you, it made you love him more and more each day because of it. It breaks your heart even as years has passed since you've last stepped foot in Wakanda or in New York for the matter, to not be with him, to not be by his side, and for him not to see the children you have both created together grow to be the very child you both so wished to be growing up.

“Will we ever see him, Mama?” It was now Alon that inquired, the octopus covered blanket covering him up to his neck now.

"I don't know." You spoke honestly, you did not have the power to know if he would be welcoming of you and of your children should he find out about them. The best thing that you could do now is to protect them from him and the underlying but still understandable hatred for the surface dwellers. You, as much as the truth came about, were still part of said surface dwellers. "But what is important to me right now is you and your sister are both safe and sound. You both are loved by your many family that are here. They might not be like your Papa, but we are trying our best to give you both the life you deserve."

"Okay, Mama." They both said in unison, eyes slowly growing heavy and it was all the sign you needed to let them sleep.

“Get some sleep, if the storm ends in the morning we can walk around the beach.” You promised to which they cheered more tired at this point. “I love you, My Babies.” You whispered, kissing them both in their foreheads, opening the nightlight, and closing the door behind you.

In the stillness of the little home you had created for yourself, you had allowed yourself a moment to sob. The raging storm that continued had masked the pain you had bubbled up every single time your children ask about their father. The tears of what could have been between you and the man, of the life he had promised you and of the life you were more than willing to give him. It was all ruined because of one simple truth about your life and about your heritage that you knew nothing about.

In the howls of the winds, something else had caught your ears. A hum, soothing the momentary pain in your chest the more to listened. The sobs halted as you held comfort in the rare calmness in your mind and in your soul. As if having an out of body experience, you watched your feet move in their own accords. The memories of your visit in Talokan with the man who had vowed to make you his Queen filled your head, lingering in the furthest parts of your memory—a memory you had tried so hard to suppress.

As your hand slowly turned the knob of the front door, you felt the sudden race of your heartbeat as you were welcomed with a gust of the thunderous winds. The rains splattering your skin as you could barely see anything in the beach, the rain making it close to impossible. But in the heaviness of the rain, it was the thunder that had showcased the danger behind the rain. The light had momentarily showed three individuals standing under the pouring rain.

All the color had drained from your face at the recognition of who they were. The siren no longer controlling you but the sight had led you to remain where you stood.

“Namor.” You spoke, firmly as you could in the moment of terror. How did he find you? How did he realize that you were hear when you did your best to hide from him.

You had always believed nothing could be darker than the clear night skies, but you were left to be wrong as you looked into his eyes. How the darkness of his eyes the moment you had refused to call him by his name and of the other names you had once fondly called him during your time together. Ku'uk'ulkan. In Ajawo. In Amado.

"It's time to come home, In Reina."

You felt your heart drop at his intentions then and there. You shook your head, refusing to believe that it would come to this. No, not like this. Not when you children were too young. You took a measured step back, hoping to plan something on the fly, hoping to give yourself enough space away from the man. But you plan was foiled as Namora swiftly had her spear pointed at your neck, challenging you with her eyes to take another step. Standing still, you felt your hands shaking and knowing there was no other way around this. He has found you and he will not leave without you—and your children.

"Talokan ma' K'abéet jump'éel reina fugitiva."

You winced at the venom of Namora's words, the pain that you had caused her was far too evident. In your time in Wakanda and Talokan, you had become closer to her, a friendship that you wouldn’t believe would bloom between you and her. But you had left and never turned back. She was hurt beyond repair by your decision not to comeback, more so without any explanation to her or to her cousin about the matter. You deserved it, but it was merely life and death for you that you chose to be selfish in the moment and it had saved your life.

"Namora." Your lover's words held finality and Namora had no other choice but to pull her spear away from you. The frown still marring her features.

K'uk'ulkan whose eyes were still on you held you in an emptiness you were uncertain if he always has or if you were the root cause of it. Years had passed, you had seen the changes of the world around you but looking at him, looking at the lack of change in his features woke you of the reality of who you had fallen so madly in love with.

"I'm not going with you. There is a reason why I left Wakanda, why I didn't return to New York just like what I have once told you." You spoke, you tried you best to not look into his eyes, but you failed immeasurably so.  "I have a life here, far from the threats and tribulation you continue to make toward me and the people that I love and you continue to call as savages."

"What life?" He inquired, insulting humor lacing his tone. "A life where your family stop by each and every single day trying their best to check up on you. A life where all you do is stare into the waters that you once had feared like the plague? The waters I had once helped you to overcome?"

“A life without you!”

Your words held finality and the thunders grew louder from the background. You could not risk your life, nor the life of your children. You had seen the bloodshed that came with his people and the wars they were more than willing to start for the sake of their Kingdom. You had known of what he had once done to Wakanda for the sake of his war with the surface dwellers, it wasn’t beneath him to choose his people over you and over your children if it were to come to it.

"Four years, Mi Reina. I had given you four years to come back to me. But I am done waiting and you will come back to me one way or another."

The finality of his words made you want to run away, question him for what he planned on doing to you but it was Attuma that was quick to stop you as he lifted you up into his shoulders. You couldn’t hold it as you screamed and thrashed against the man’s shoulders, trying anything and everything to get away from his hold. The blood curdling screams even in the chaos of the thunderstorm was loud enough to wake your children. The sound of the bedroom door opening had you halting and watched the sheer horror of the scene that fell upon them. You in the shoulders of a being that wasn’t truly human.

"Mama?" It was Alon that looked the most fearful between the two as your daughter Amor screamed at Attuma to let you go, going as far as charging at him and hitting him the best as she could.

"Stay in your room!" You screamed but as you turned towards K'uk'ulkan, you could see the thunder in his eyes as realization of your reason for running has now becoming clearer than ever before.

“They have my eyes.” He spoke so quietly staring between your crying son and your fighting daughter that Attuma tried his best to avoid hurting. “You took my children away from me, Y/N!” He roared, it practically shook the ground and had even Amor in tears because of it.

"Please don't take them, In Amado. Spare them, they're just kids." You sobbed now. Your resolve to remain fearless crumbling at the danger that it might have towards your children.

"Take the children." K'uk'ulkan had ordered Attuma and Namora.

You were let go, throwing into the much harsher hands of your lover as you watched your children try their best to escape both Namora and Attuma. Pulling something out of their pouches, you had watched a far too familiar plant in their possession.

"They can breathe underwater!" You screamed, halting both Talokans from doing what they intended on doing to your children. "They got it from me." You whispered at the shame of your heritage was always and will forever be ingrained in your children just as much as it did to you.

"You have taken four years away from me, taken away my children from me, and you have lied to me over and over again and made me out to be a fool." He held onto your jaws, moving you until you were looking at him. The proximity even in the situation still brought a shiver down your spine. The pain of his grip brought tears to fall further from your eyes. "Tell me why I should not kill you for what you did to me?"

“My children will not live without their mother.” You struck a far too familiar nerve in him, but it was for your children’s sake.

“And now…they will not live without their father.”

It was in the middle of the night, as the storm grows louder that all five of you descended back down to the waters. How even in your tears, you had reassured your children as they tried their best to get away from Namora and Attuma’s grasp that everything was alright.

But never once did it escape your lips that this man, the very man that now held onto your arm tightly was the same man you told stories about. The father that they had always hoped to have in their life.

~

“Where are we, Mama?”

In the silence of what was now their chambers in Talokan, it was was Alon and his curiosity that broke the silence since your arrival. You could only look helplessly at the trauma your choice has done to your children. Both shaken still for being taken in the middle of the night to an unknown world that was far from what they have always known their whole life. Thrown into a room with guards posted to keep watch over you in the off chance you would escape—something you couldn’t do without compromising your children’s safety in the process.

This was not the life you would have hoped for your children, not the way you would have hoped they would meet their father. Never in a millions year would you have hoped it would be under this circumstance.

“Talokan, your father’s home.” You spoke honestly. In a perfect world, you would have love for them to see the beauty of the nation had, untouched by the people of the surface world.

“And your new home.” You winced as the familiar prickle that covered the back of your neck because of his voice. No matter the circumstance, he always had this power over you, the shiver that always runs down your spine from just his voice.

You felt his presence long before you felt his touch. The way his hand had slowly moved from your hand towards the column of your neck before finally settling onto your cheeks. It was as if still enchanted, you found yourself turning to look at him face to face, the gentle warmth that was far from the man that had dragged you and your twins away in the middle of the night.

“Don’t touch Mama!” Amor screamed, rushing in between the both of you, pushing the man as far away from you as possible. You had to pull your daughter into your arms as the guards had immediately pointed their weapons towards your daughter.

“Stand down.” K'uk'ulkan ordered the guards as your hold on your daughter slowly loosen at the reassurance as they finally did as they were told. “No one will raise their weapon at my children and the Queen.” He ordered to which the guards had accepted without an ounce of hesitation.

The guards were eventually ordered to give you the privacy that you genuinely craved in the moment but could never have. Taking a large step away from the man, you found yourself sitting on the bed, pulling even your son into your arms in fear of what else could have to the three of you if you do not play along with whatever the man wants. No matter how much you try to convince yourself that you should be brave for the sake of your children, fear was lingering through your very bone, of what the man could be capable of doing to your children just to get to you.

He walked towards you, slowly and measured in his steps. You had felt your children hold onto your even tighter still. It was like a predator stalking their prey with the man, his eyes boring holes through you but as they fell towards the kids, there was sadness. From the darkness that loomed it had transformed into a soft tender look that you had only witnessed from him in the rare interactions he would have with the children in Talokan and even in Wakanda that have grown to love him (though he refuse to admit as such).

“Do you know who I am?” He inquired, voice soft and gentle now, the softness that felt far too intimate for anyone else but you.

You had watched the twins shake their heads, their hold on you still firm as they refused to trust a man that brought them to an unfamiliar location. A location they were now to treat like their own home from now on.

“I go by many names, but my people know me as K'uk'ulkan.” He began smiling almost amused as you both watched your children test the name out in their own tongues. “But I am Yuum to you both from now on.” He continued.

"What does that mean?" Alon had asked, curiosity peaking at something he does not know.

"Father." He translated.

“You are not our father!” Amor spat, pulling away from your hold to stand in front of the man. The softness slowly disappearing from his features as despair was there to replace it—of the action of your own doing it seems. “Papa would have never hurt Mama like you did! Mama said Papa is a kind man! He is loved by everyone for his kindness, you are not kind!”

You had refused to meet his gaze now. You had ingrained his kindness and love into their minds only for him to ruin in a single moment and for once you are not to blame for his actions. It could have been any other way, but he chose to use violence and show the cruelty he was capable of unleashing if it doesn’t go his way.

“Amor, please. He is your Papa. There is just a misunderstanding.” You hoped that placating your daughter for now would be enough, it was in moments like this that you remember how much she was just like his father, every mannerism he would have—down to his temper especially in moments like this.

“Amor?” K'uk'ulkan’s voice held amusement at the momentary respite of you finally calling your daughter by her name.

“It was only fitting to name her for what we both had once.” You explained, eyes looking towards your daughter as her dangerously daggered glare was still fixated on her own father. The love you had hoped he would come to believe he was capable of having for himself and for the people around him to have for him when all was said and done, but it was no longer here or there for you to tell him as such.

“And nothing had changed, no matter what had transpired. I was more than willing to take you back whatever the circumstance.” He spoke, hand holding onto Amor’s own, but she was quick to snatch her hand away and make her way back towards you. “I had waited for you, hoped that you would come back like you had always promised you would.”

“And you best course of action when I didn’t come back was to force me here, to force my children here? All because I broke my promise?”

“Our children!” He spat voice raising. “The heirs to my throne, the hope of Talokan for a better future.”

"But your plan against my people, both from the land and of Atlantis is not a better future." You spat. "You plan to kill the family I have back home, my cousins, my uncle and aunts that had been there for me when I had no one else to help me. You would kill the sister and brother that I never thought I would have in Atlantis just because."

“For Talokan, I would do that and more.” The echo of his voice was the final straw as the sob escape from Alon’s lips. No matter what it was, he would always have this gentle heart and any argument, may it be between children or between adults, he fears arguments and raised voice like a plague— K'uk'ulkan did not make it any better at this point.

It was the weighted silence with only your son’s sobs that got you to finally look him straight in the eye, the regret that came in his eyes as he watched his son sob against your chest. This was not how it should have been—he knows it but it was far too late to take back his words.

"Now you have your answer for why I left." You spoke.

"And you and my children will stay here until you think otherwise."

~

It had been weeks now since your return to Talokan and the arrival of your twins to their new home. Slowly but surely you had watched your children integrate into the life of the people of Talokan. It had been hard language wise, but the teachers that knew English had been helpful in making sure they could communicate better with the people they interact with.

The twins have also slowly but surely soften in their hesitation of being in a place far from what they once known. They had garnered a lot of new friends in the nation, and the most daunting change had been towards their former captors, Namora and Attuma who they now affectionately call as Tita and Tito respectively, you could genuinely say the same could be said about the right hands of your lover, the softness and genuine fondness they now share for the twins and the overprotectiveness only an Uncle and Aunt would show. It was a relief to know there were someone like the two of them to be there for the twins when you could not.

The same could not be said towards their father, K'uk'ulkan. Any chance that the man had free time on his hand he would visit the twins, but they tried their best to avoid him, hiding behind you, or Attuma and Namora if the opportunity was given. But in the rare chance that they had no one to hide behind, they had been respectful out of your own request to them, but nothing more. No affections of any kind, and you know it breaks K'uk'ulkan every single time.

It took time for him to trust you on your own again, but in the weeks of your stay in Talokan he had finally granted your request to return to the surface. You had wanted to assure your family about you and your children’s whereabouts and to hopefully say goodbye as you come to accept your place in Talokan from now on. You’ve tried your best to keep them in the dark about your exact location—in fear of the nation being discovered and ruined by the surface dwellers but reassured them time and time again that you and your children were in good hand now with K'uk'ulkan. It took a lot of reform out of you to listen to them scold you for disappearing for weeks without any word but you understood that it was their worry for you above anything else. The fear of you following in your mother’s steps scared them more than anything.

By the waters you had known K'uk'ulkan was present, watching and listening. You had reassured every single member of your family that remained that you and your children were well taken care off by the man. Reassured them that this time everything will be alright. Your love for both the man and your children would be enough to make you stay with him just as much as his for all of you would make you want to stay now. It was enough to reassure them even as much as it didn't for you.

You had returned, keeping your promise. But the fear of what K'uk'ulkan would do to your children still in the back of your head as you descended back to the water in the middle of the night when no one was watching.

Since your return back to Talokan, you had been moved to the far too familiar bedroom, sharing it with the King and the implication it might have for everyone to see and often jest about. Sharing the same bed, the very same one long before you had left. Everything remained the same. The same murals etched the walls, the only difference was the images of you and of your children joining him in the stories painted in the walls. The love that K'uk'ulkan would rarely profess was out in the open for you to see.

It gave you the push to slowly try. Talking to him, even if it was with concerns to Talokan and if there were infrastructures that needed help in building, you tried your best to be useful and now more open to the man. You tried with your children as well, talking to them about the first time they had seen their father all those weeks ago was not how he truly was, you had tried your best to make them understand the situation and thankfully it was slowly working.

Slowly watching them no longer hiding behind Namora or Attuma at the instance of his arrival to them finally calling him Papa for the man to see and try his best to hide the emotions building up for the change.

“Yuum” You repeated to your twins as they had asked you to translate Papa for them. A smile on your face as you three had spent the day by the endless halls of his kingdom, exploring as much as you were trying to remember the memories you had with the man during your initial stay in the past.

"Yum!" The twins said in unison almost earning a giggle out of you. It takes them time to speak your lover's language but they were trying. Already knowing how to make basic conversations with the kids of Talokan.

"Yuum." You repeated again.

"Yuum!" The repeated again with giggle in their voices.

"Very good." You praised them both, kissing them on the top of their heads and halting in your steps as the man himself comes as if being called by your children's glee.

"In reina." He acknowledged eyes falling towards your children. "In orgullo yéetel ki'imak óolil."

His words made your heart flutter, the way he looks at your children it was as if you were looking at yourself. In the weeks even as he kept his distance, he always looked at them, with a love only a father could truly give to their children. But even with the distance and time, he treated them as such still. It was the same look you have seen in your stepfather even after knowing you were not his blood, he loved you still. Like a ten ton truck, you were struck with the reality of your guilt, of taking this opportunity away from him, pulling him away from the chance to this life, of the life of your twins in his own.

"Yuum..." You smiled kissing your kids on top of their heads again as they tested the words again in front of the man himself and the smile on his lips only made it all the more bittersweet.

It was the first time for them to call him as such.

"Tita Namora must be sparring around this time, do you want me to bring you to her while I talk to Papa?" You inquired to which had the twins agreeing, they had somehow grown a fond interest in watching Namora practicing and it was something she herself loved to show off (though she would never admit as much in front of you).

“I’ll take them.” K’uk’ulkan had volunteered to which brought hesitation on your children’s faces.

“Let Yuum take you to your tita, and I’m sure he will let you two watch the sharks swim by on your way.” You smiled winking towards K’uk’ulkan hoping he knows what to do. It was the first of many steps needed to be taken for everyone’s sake.

At the excitement in their voices, you had watched your twins now practically hold onto your lover already talking about the kinds of shark they hope to see on their way.

“We will talk in our chambers, In Reina.” He instructed to which you could only nod and watch a now overwhelmed K’uk’ulkan guide the twins to their destination.

"Be good to Papa and Tita for me, okay?" You called out to which had the twins nod before swimming alongside their father to where Namora was.

In the moment away from your children and away from the man, you had an opportunity to think. To think of the fours years that you had been away from K'uk'ulkan, of all the pain and suffering you had placed upon yourself because of the fear of your heritage, of the self-imposed hell you not only have placed upon yourself but towards your children that seemed so meaningless now as you've witness the longing the man had for your children, the love and veneration that the people had for them even after knowing of your bloodline. It all seemed so meaningless and uncalled for the more time you've spent back in Talokan with everyone.

It didn't take you long to return to your chambers you share with the man. In the weeks since you've returned, never once did he touch you. Not for the lack of trying in his part, but out of respect for you and that was what you had appreciated so much out of him. But days go by that you craved him, his warmth and the comfort that only his touch could give you. But he had made it clear from the start that it was only in your word, of your willingness to fully come back to him were you allowed to have his touch.

As time goes by, you were slowly destroying your own resolve.

"In Reina." The way he had called you his Queen long ago before you even knew of your heritage, of your love for the man, his certainty for your title, of what you were to him—it was so overwhelming when it comes to him.

You closed your eyes for a moment, savoring how even in your absence, you were still given such a privilege of the title. You savored how the waters moved and the man now stood in front of you as you opened your eyes and his hand resting on your shoulders, thumbs drawing small circles against your exposed collar bone.

“In Ajawo.” You acknowledged him finally having the strength to face him.

His eyes, smoldering browns stared right back at you and all you wanted to do was melt into a puddle before him. His effect on you still held strong just as much as the fear of what his power had over you.

"You wanted to talk, now you have me."

"Am I not interrupting you of any of your duties?"

"For you, nothing is too important that I couldn't postpone."

You had blushed at his confession, the humor of your memories of him being practically dragged by either Attuma or Namora away from you because of his duties all those years ago. It was never any different now in this very moment. The hidden power you still had over him.

"I wanted to know what will happen to my children now."

"Our children shall be taught of the way of Talokan, and when they get older they will perform the same duties as you and I in the council."

"Even if they are just like me? Bearing the blood of the lost people of Atlantis?" You questioned now, knowing of the last conversation you had with him in the past and what he had once planned on doing to them when the time comes.

"I had spoken with anger more than anything else." He admits, eyes refusing to meet your own for once. "I was angry at what your father had done to your mother, of the curse that it had fallen upon you because of it. But I've learned now, of talking with the people of your blood that they are not like your father but are much of a peaceful people like our own. I know it was because of my own words and of my own action that pushed you away. But I want to make up for it, for your sake as well as that of my children."

You shook your head at his words, it took some time but you understood where he had been coming from. His people came first before anything else. He was pushed into a corner that he was uncertain what the right choice could be.  He made a decision, it meant there would be consequences for it, just as much as you did with your own. It was now a matter of what either of you could do to make things right after all was said and done in the moment.

"And I had spoken with fear above all the emotions that I have felt at the time. My love for you wasn't as strong back then to make me stay."

"Is it now?"

"Yes." You spoke, the weight of the world lifted from your shoulders at your confession. "You helped me in facing my fears, you made me feel beautiful than what I truly am. But the most you have ever done for me that made me love you for all that had happened between us was our children, you gave me two angels that I would die to ensure that their lives are protected from any sorts of harm, you gave me a family I had never thought I would ever have in my life. You gave me all the love that I one day hope I could give back, even just a fraction."

"In Reina, all I want is for you to stay, for you and my children to finally stay that is what I could ever hope for. What I need from now on. I can forget about any disputes from other nations if it means making you three stay."

"Then we will stay." You spoke with finality before moving closer to the man and pulling him in for a kiss. "For as long as you would have me and my children, we will stay."

"Then you will all stay by my side, forever."

===

translation:

In Ajawo = My King

In Amado = My Beloved

In Reina = My Queen

Talokan ma' K'abéet jump'éel reina fugitiva. = Talokan Does not need a runaway Queen.

Yuum = Father

Tito = Uncle

Tita = Aunt

In orgullo yéetel ki'imak óolil = My Pride and Joy

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water XV

Summary: Things come to a head for everyone to see. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,317 Chapter Warnings: Mention of Alcohol Consumption. K'uk'ulkan is groveling! A/N: Not yet back, just thought I could post this just for the hell of it. Just gave birth and me and the baby are back home so there is that little reason for me still not being able to be back.

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Part XV

Somehow, the worse decision you have made was drinking. Catching up with your cousins meant sharing a good few beers and array of other alcohol that they could get in a short notice. You’ve consumed a beer too many from the likes of it and after everyone was asleep, you were sitting by the sand, watching the moon.

One hand held onto the remaining can of beer and the other held onto the conch shell K'uk'ulkan had given you before you left Wakanda. It still made you wonder how such an ordinary shell could communicate with the bastard. You had done your best to tinker with the damn shell without damaging it but all leads to the fact that it was an ordinary shell. The bastard must be fucking with you one last time.

“Fuck it.” You muttered downing the remaining beer before taking a deep breath and holding the shell against your lips.

It was midnight and you were certain that no one would be awake at this time so you did was you do best in times of drunken stupor, you cursed in your mother language right at the shell, over and over again, you called the man every choice words in your book for the shit he has placed on you. Making you like him, trusting him, and making you feel the very thing you tried your best to avoid all your life—love.

 “I fucking hate you for making me feel like this. For making feel like I deserve even a sprinkle of love then you all crush it down to hurt me.” You spat before you threw the shell onto the water with a resounding plop.

Wobbling back up, you tried to regain your balance in your drunken state and somehow you felt a little bit lighter for what you’ve done. Taking a deep lungful breath of the cold air, you exhaled and made your way back home. Praying you wouldn’t have to deal with the hangover that was always accompanies your drinking.

Stumbling your way back home, the familiar sensation of someone watching you was ignored as you shut the door behind you and went to bed, the dream of the man with dangerous brown eyes was there to keep you company for the next morning.

It was the fluttering warmth of the morning sun that brought you back to consciousness the following day. Making your way down to the kitchen, you caught sight of your parents in the dinner table. A hearty breakfast and strong coffee freshly brewed was there to welcome you for the morning.

“Morning,” You greeted plopping down besides your father, head resting on his shoulder while you tried to recover from the antics of last night.

“Unang gabi mo sa bahay alak agad inatupag mo kasama mga pinsan mo. (It’s your first night back and the first thing you do is drink with your cousin).” Your father playfully scolded. Hand already going right at work with rubbing your aching forehead. “Uminom ka ng kape para mahimasmasan ka. (Drink your coffee so you could recover).” He continued on.

You did just that. Drinking the kapeng barako with gusto, never minding the scorching heat from it and it did help with the headache a little but it would take you the entire day to recover the rest of it out of your system.

“Ano mga gagawin mo habang nandito ka sa bahay? (What are you planning to do while you’re in the house?)” Your mother inquired, handing you a plate of fried rice, dried fish, and spam.

“Papahinga lang muna ako ngayon siguro. (Maybe I’ll just recover for today).” You pointed out.

“Oo nga pala, Anak. Dumaan pala yung isa mo pang kaibigan. Sinabi ko nagpapahinga ka. (That reminds me, Baby. Another one of your friends stopped by. I told them you were still sleeping).”

The hairs at the back of your head stood at your mother’s words. Looking at her she seemed unfazed by whoever stopped by, but after what had happened from last night—the recollection of your drunken spree, you somehow feared for the worst.

“Sino? (Who?)”

“Namora ata yung pangalan niya? Hindi ko rin matandaan. Basta babae sya na kulay blue. Okay lang bang sabihin ko yun? (I think Namora was her name? I don’t really remember. But she was a blue-colored girl. Is that okay for me to say?)”

They have actually found you.

~ ‘I fucking hate you for making me feel like this. For making feel like I deserve even a sprinkle of love then you all crush it down to hurt me.’

When he had first received your message, he was happy that you eventually did want to talk to him. But what followed was a shrilling scream that almost woke the entire Talokanil population. Then it was an array of foreign words that he didn’t know the full context but caught glimpses here and there that he was for certain were curse words directed at him.

The next thing he had picked up was the slight slur in your words that had worried him for a moment fearing you to be in danger but only realized you were drunk by the hiccups that followed. Then it had ended with a confession that he would have never thought would ever come out of your lips.

Over and over those words had haunted him. It had been a week now since you’ve left, a week of him trying to handle the damage caused by the people of Atlantis, the cleanup had been a nightmare and the worry of his people was something he constantly needed to reassure. He genuinely had his hands tied behind his back and he could not choose to go to you as he is needed by his people first and foremost.

He needed to figure out where the enemy resides before anything else. Before he could truly pursue you in a mission to gain your forgiveness and trust back.

“K'uk'ulkan,”

He didn’t need to look behind him to know who it was. Since that fateful day in his chambers, Namora had tried her best to keep him at arms-length, focusing more on helping with the search, as well as assisting with whatever the people of Talokan would need while they recover. It was the first time in days since they had even spoke to each other.

“Namora,” He turned to acknowledge her, the frown that was now constantly evident in her features shook him still. It was because of him that she felt like so.

Without another word, the familiar shell he had given you a week ago was thrown towards him. The frown that reach his face could not fully express the utter confusion of why Namora had it in her possession. It was supposed to be with you.

“Leti' u ma'alo'ob u u ts'ook le ken estuvo waye'. (She is doing better than the last time she was here).” Namora explained his confusion. “Bey u náachkunta'al Wakanda yéetel Talokan ti' betaji' ba'al ma'alob. (It seems getting away from Wakanda and Talokan had done her some good.).”

He found himself visibly flinch at her words. But he was still, at fault for what had happened to you even throughout the days that you were in his chambers. Try as he might to deny it there was the underlying truth of your captivity in his chambers and the effect it had on your psyche as a result.

“Yaan in meentik le ba'alo'ob ma'alob. K'abéet in meetej ma'alob. (I will make things right. I need to make things right).”

In this moment in time, he was uncertain who he was making such a promise to. If it was to Namora, to you, or to himself. But one way or another, he needed to keep his word even if it means compromising everything else just to make it so.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water X

Summary: You finally dive right in. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 2,147 Chapter Warnings: None.

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Part X

In and out of sleep, the one thing that somehow overwhelmed you was the burning pain in your chest. A part of you knew it was from inhaling a good amount of water in your attempt of saving Shuri. You refused to get out of bed, never remembering how one minute you were in K'uk'ulkan’s lap, another minute you had bandages around your wounds and one of the servants was asking if you want food.

You were slowly beginning to feel the burning in your chest spread, moving up towards your neck. You said nothing even as another one of the servants had come to check up on you. The tightening ache against your neck and air way and every breath you take was like breathing fire.

You closed your eyes hoping this was all in your mind and you were simply living in the consequence of your actions but it didn’t feel like it even for a second. It felt too real. Even with the shivers running through your entire body, the sweat now painted your entire body, sweat beading through your forehead and the clammy sensation that just would let up no matter how much you tried to wipe away the droplets.

“Eat.”

Turning towards the owner of the voice, the sight of Namora was the last person you genuinely wanted to see right now in your state. You couldn’t say no to her. Back when you were in the lab, if it wasn’t Shuri, it was her that constantly badgered you to eat something before you continued on with work.

Looking towards the tray she was holding, you had noticed a few array of fishes, grilled from the scent of charcoal wafted with the dish. Your stomach betrayed you long before you could refuse the meal yet again. Namora had sat herself besides you on the bed, tray now expectedly waiting on her lap for you to take.

“I’m not leaving until you are fed, the King’s orders.”

You nodded embarrassed to be once again attended by the King like the first time. You sat up and a ghost of a smile now played on the Talokanil’s face because of it. Taking one of the fishes, you took a small bit to satisfy your stomach and the expectant woman watching you like a hawk.

“Who attacked you back then?” You inquired wanting to fill the room with anything else but silence.

“We are still learning of their identities.” She spoke not truly giving you a proper answer. “But they are not from Talokan as we have once feared.”

You nodded, at least it wasn’t someone from his own people, it was harder to find a traitor than deal with an enemy out in the open. You had your own fair share of betrayal some even out in the open and it was a much bitter pill to swallow than anything else.

“I thought you were the only race of humans to breathe underwater.”

“We have thought the same until now.” She continued urging you to eat the second fish. “What you have done to save the Princess was utterly idiotic.” She pointed out making you choke on the fish mid-swallow.

She was right, you were idiotic but you would not change anything about that decision of yours if you had the opportunity to turn back time. Every single day of your life you would do the same thing if it means saving someone whose life could have a bigger impact on the world compared to you.

“I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”

“You are the most idiotic genius of the surface that I know off.” She scoffed.

You could only smile and somewhat agreeing her in the statement, not truly being offended by it the slightest.

“I’m sure you would do the same for the people that mean so much to you.”

“I would—in a heartbeat too.” She agreed.

“Are there any damages to the structures?” You continued on with your line of question now. Already on your third fish, the conversation somehow fueling you to continue on with eating now.

“Surprisingly, your machine is in one piece still and the structure is stronger than ever.” She continued.

You nodded.

“I think if there are any other damages, we can do a quick fix with the machine once I get back to the lab.” You explained already thinking of all the necessary resources you would need to make for the fixes to be done.

“Even in your state you are still thinking about work, just idiotic.” She snorts and you couldn’t help but pout but continue on with the remaining fish.

“A stubborn idiot that likes to get things done even if it means getting myself killed in the process.” You pointed out before your thoughts brought you back to your time in the water how it was Namora that had saved you from your impending death and the aftermath of you being here—wherever this place was. “Thank you for saving me, and for dealing with me since I got here.”

“I’ve dealt with more stubborn people in my lifetime.” She pointed out finally standing back up with your now empty tray. “We all pick and choose the people we want to mean something in our life.”

You smiled at her words. Who would have ever thought you’d get this side of the Talokanil.

“Now rest. You need all the rest you could get if you plan on getting back to the surface.”

You blinked before coming to realize the reality of your situation.

~

“How long have I been here?”

K'uk'ulkan couldn’t help but smile at such the innocent question that escaped your lips the moment he had stepped into the room to where you were now standing and walking around. Bored out of your mind from the looks of it.

“Do you want the honest answer?” He inquired.

“Yes, please.” You nodded now walking towards the bed, plopping down with a gentle bounce.

“Five days.” He answered.

Five days of having his people keeping an eye on you as you were in and out of your nightmare state.

It has only been a few hours and the progress that Namora had caused was enough to reassure him that you were in the steady rise of finally getting better before he has to deal with bringing you back into the surface and back to the hands of Wakanda—much to his honest dismay.

“When can I go back?” You inquired patting the space on bed for him.

K’uk’ulkan couldn’t help but smile, your curiosity somehow always gets the better of you and here you removing the shyness he had somehow been so found of since meeting you. Without another word, he sat beside you, hand urging your head to rest onto his shoulder.

“It is up to you, In Yakunaj.” He answered.

“How will I go back to the surface—without the suit?” You asked again.

“We have suits to your disposal, it is up to you when you would go up to the surface world.”

He heard you sigh and move a little closer to him now. Your smaller frame and warmth sent a momentary shiver through his spine. It also brought the urge for him to protect you, you couldn’t do it to yourself as you’ve thrown yourself at the hands of death without hesitation once.

“I don’t think I can.” You whispered.

“Then you will stay here in my chambers until then. Is that what you want?” He inquired.

“No. I need to go back to the surface, Shuri promised me that she’ll help me fly back home to my mother after this was done.” You answered turning to look at him now, cheek still resting on his shoulder. “It’s so hard for me to even look at the waters again after what happened. But I want to see my Mama too.”

“Then face your fears.”

He could see you physically flinch at his words as you pulled away. A frown now resting on his lips at the sight of it. The guilt of his insensitive words now washing against his chest—but he was just being practical with his statement now.

“What is your family and life like in the surface world?” He finds himself asking instead hoping to bring you back.

“It’s just me and my Mama and my Papa—my step-father. I never met my real father, but they made me understand early on that Papa isn’t my real father. They thought early on that it was better for the truth to come from them than from someone else. But they loved me so much even with the fact, they worked hard to let me be what I am today. Mama was a Market vendor and Papa was a fisherman, every morning I would watch Papa come back to the shores with an array of different fishes, he would always make me choose one fish for us and the rest would be given to my Mama to sell.” You smiled telling your story. “Mama and Papa loved the waters, I once did too. After I drowned as a kid, I had wanted to make it my mission to never stay in by the waters again to avoid the same thing from happening again.”

He had watched you as you felt into a momentary silence before you continued on.

“I know I broke my parents’ heart when I said I was moving to the city for college, they made it work. They made sure that I’ve got everything I could ever need to make sure I excel. They even forbid me from working part time while I was studying.” You chuckled.

“I still did without telling them, I worked my way through college, monetizing the help I’d give my classmates so I have the allowance to keep me through the god-awful expenses of the city. All the materials I constantly needed for were paid by my classmates and I never told them about those expenses since I know they’d work twice as hard just to afford it.”

“I promised myself the moment I graduated and gotten my first job as a teaching assistant at the same college I studied at, I’ll give my salary to my parents. I don’t want them to work as hard as they did when I was growing up. Every week I would have my friend drive my parents out to the city to buy them anything they might want even if it means I get to eat noodles for the rest of the week, it was all so worth it for them.”

“Then I did something stupid when I got promoted as a Professor. I reversed engineered one of Tony Stark’s suits and showed my class how they could make their own suit with materials they could get from a junkshop. That was how my now-boss discovered me. Gave me an offer that I know would give my parents the life they deserved. One minute I was slaving away grading papers then another I was flying on a private jet to New York with a salary that I know damn well would finally allow my parents to retire on a more permanent basis.”

You stared at him now, head resting back onto his shoulder and his hand now wrapped around you in hope of making you stay in your place. Close to him.

“A few years later, a few bumps in the road, and a whole lot of hearings than I could even count, Shuri had asked my boss if I could come for a visit, and here I am.”

Maybe it was fate, maybe it was cruel world that they all lived in but still here you were. A woman that feared the waters and did everything in your power to avoid it was now in this cove. With the only passage to bring you back to the surface world being the only hindrance stopping you from leaving.

“Use your family as your strength.” He cupped your cheeks. It shakes him to the core the way your eyes twinkled in the darken chambers he found solace in. “Whatever it takes, if you want to see them, you need to face your fears if you want to swim back to the surface.”

It genuinely breaks his heart to see the tears forming your eyes. How he wiped them away before they could even fall. A part of him wanted to kiss the tears away, but he was scared you would pull away if he did so.

“I don’t know how to.”

“I am here to help you. Just as you have helped my people.”

It took you a moment of staring at him, how your hand now held onto his own against your cheeks before you finally nodded.

“Okay.”

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water XII

Summary: When he doesn't even know who he could trust anymore. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,915 Chapter Warnings: Drowning. Mention of Vomiting. Namor is an asshole here.

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Part XII

“At least the bandage are coming off.” You couldn’t help but smile as Namora was kind enough to help you out with removing said bandages. “But that means I have to show more skin now.” You joked earning a chuckle from the warrior at your expense.

“Your clothes—or what is left of it is ready for you to use should you decide to use it.” She points out, gently cutting through the bandages on your side. “But I think it is best for you to remain in this attire for the time being.”

In the silence, the sound of the blade tearing through the bandage was the only thing you could hear through the sound of splashing waters, your eyes looking anywhere else but Namora’s handy work. Instead your eyes fell back towards the murals on the wall. Memories of the instances where you would watch K'uk'ulkan paint and how you would playful ask if he would want to be a painter in his next life to which he would simply shrug and present a coy smile without confirming.

“I have heard from K'uk'ulkan that you plan to stay?” She inquired breaking you from your thoughts.

“Not on a permanent basis.” You confirmed. “I still have my obligations with Princess Shuri, but if he would need me here in Talokan for anything your people would need my expertise with.”

“Have you faced your fears of the water then?” She inquired.

“I can manage now.” You admit almost too proudly by something so simple.

But it had meant so much to you in the moment. How K'uk'ulkan had helped you in facing the fear you had dealt with for your entire life at this point. If any other circumstance you would have refused his offer of help, of even staying here in Talokan, but he helped you more than you could ever thank him for.

“You are special to him…” Namora pointed out and the proverbial blush was immediately painting your cheeks at such insight from the woman. “Broke his own rules for you.”

“I’m no one special.” You brushed off turning upon realizing the last of the bandage was removed and the biggest smile was on your face seeing now visible scarring from your wounds. “Thank you for patching me up so well, Namora.”

“It is nothing.” She brushed off standing up from the bed. “Now, the suit you have requested will be brought in the morning, before you return back to Wakanda, it would make me happy if you would visit Talokan and see everything that I pride my land has to offer.”

You smiled nodding almost ecstatic of the possibility. Initially, you had been hesitant about seeing their kingdom out of your own fear of the water, but now that it was no longer a hindrance, the curiosity now settled through you and you would want nothing more than to go and see Talokan for all of its beauty as Namora and K'uk'ulkan would constantly tell you.

Before long, the familiar sound of the disturbed waters had sounded and you turned to see the man himself in his full glory. K'uk'ulkan. But in this very moment, you were not welcomed with the familiar smile nor the familiar warmth as he held you by the arm—more painful than you would believe he would hold you so.

“What are you doing?” You questioned pulling away from his hold but he was too strong for you.

“Do. Not. Lie. To. Me!” He spat pulling you towards the water and the panic set before you could understand what was going on.

The question that escaped Namora’s lips were left in deaf ears as you were dragged to the waters—the deeper parts of it. All the panic was now settling in your system at what the man was about to do.

“K'uk'ulkan what are you doing?” You questioned trying your best to get away from his hold.

“You will answer my question and if you lie, I will be the one to drown you myself.” He threatened, ice cold was his gaze at you.

“I will, just please let go. You’re hurting me.” You attempted to escape his hold but it was inevitable. “Please, stop.” You continue to plead as he now stood you by the edge of the water.

“Who are you?” He questioned.

“What are you talking about?” You screamed at him, fear no longer giving you any rational thought but to escape from his hold.

“Are you one of them? Are you the one who attacked my people?” He screamed into your face.

“No! Why would I even do that?” You spat at him.

Before you could hear a proper answer from the man, in the blink of an eye you were thrown into the water and everything you have learned from the man had faded away as the panic and fear had consumed your entire being. You struggled to swim up, to find the control to swim, to even float. The air was replaced with water and you felt the all too familiar sting in your lungs.

The scream escaped and you struggled for your life and the man you had trusted to help you in facing your fears stood by the edge, watching you unmoved and unfazed by the sight of you drowning all over again.

This was it, this was how you would die. At the hands of the man you were not supposed to trust. By all the warnings Shuri had once given you of the man, of all the cruel things he had done for the sake of his goal. You will die at the hands of a man you had slowly but pathetically fallen in love with.

“Mama, I don’t want to die.” You found yourself sobbing. “Please Mama, I don’t want to die like this.”

At the change of his expression, it was Namora that quickly dived into the water to save you. Holding you up and back up onto the dry floor. You shivered, taking as much air as your lungs could consume before the vomit began. Everything you have eaten and of the water you had breathed and consumed was expelled for both of them to see.

A pathetic sight to see.

You struggled to stand, to get as far away from the man as possible, but your legs were giving out and it was your arms holding you up from face planting the floor as you continued to puke out the water. The cough began burning your chest so painfully you felt you were truly dying in this moment.

You heard the screams between Namora and the man, but you ignored them, trying your best to regain your breathing and your own sanity at this point. When you felt everything clear up, the sobs continue and the shivering was what came after, the betrayal and the realization that you needed to leave this place once and for all. To get away from the man for what he has put you through.

Blurry eyes finally rose to see Namora shoving K'uk'ulkan away, her spear was now pointed at the man. You know the punishment that would come for Namora for her actions but you could do nothing at this point, out of fear of being placed upon the same predicament all over again.

K'uk'ulkan simply stared at you at this point and the single tear had fallen from his eyes before he had retreated back to the waters.

“I’m sorry.” Namora had slowly approached you, you accepted her hug as it was something you needed right now. “I don’t know what had gotten into him.”

“Please…” You whispered. “Please bring the suit as soon as possible and help me go back to Wakanda before he comes back.” You pleaded.

You no longer felt safe within his chambers. What would stop him from doing the same thing when you were all on your own? The thought only brought the fear to consume you even further at such a possibility.

~

He should have felt nothing. He was simply doing what was best for his people. If it meant killing anyone along the way he should never hesitate. But he did, as he sat on his throne after his own blood had pointed her weapon at him, the doubt slowly washed over him. The guilt come following after like a hit to the stomach.

He would never be able to sleep at night seeing the heartbreak so evident in your features for what he has done. It had been hours now since he had thrown you onto the very same water he had once warned you not to go with how deep the waters were at that area. But still it felt like he was still in the moment, of his body and his heart fighting to come for you and to save you from the predicament he had placed upon you.

‘Mama, I don’t want to die.’

Those words would haunt him forever. Like a dagger repeatedly stabbing against his heart. It was the same, to place someone he was slowly but surely placing up on a pedestal for.

“In ajawo',”

He broke from his despair at the sight of Namora. He was prepared for what she was about to say. Prepared to forgive her for her actions against him as they were without malice on her part.

"Bix u beel leti'? (How is she?)" He could not help but ask. His heart winning over anything else at this point.

"Leti' ts'o'ok partido suut le superficie (She has departed back to the surface world)." She announced.

His heart dropped.

"Ma' a ordené ti' le dejaras bin (I did not order you to let her leave)." He growled.

“Ka ma' in ordenaste le xu'ulbes je'elel (And you did not order for me to let her stay)." She quipped unfazed by the anger slowly coming.

He was left silent. His people, they were not ordered to do anything rash as he had done and you were free to leave if you so choose to, if you were to be ready to leave. So you did, but at the cause of his actions against you. He was too late, too late to even try to fix things.

"Leti' ts'o'ok confiado ti' teech, ba'ale' elegiste jaatik le ka' tuláakal le progreso u ts'o'ok u meentik tak u llegada. (She has trusted you, but you chose to break her after all the progress she has made since her arrival)."

She was right. No one else was to blame but him.

"Yéetel máax yaan leti'? (Who is she with?)" He slowly resigned to the choices he has made.

"Ma' u confiar ti' mixmáak asab u tu Attuma utia'al u taasik le u paache' ti' le yóok'ol kaaba' le superficie u kin tuukul segura. (I could trust no one else but Attuma to bring her back to the surface world safetly)."

All he could do was nod. Accepting that this would be the last time that he would ever see you again. He no longer had the galls to face you for what he had done. But it was the guilt that now rests upon his shoulders for as long as he was alive.

"Bejla'e', wáaj in dirás Ba'axten ta meentaj ti' le ba'ala'? (Now, will you tell me why you had done this to her?)" She had demanded and he knew he had no other choice but to do so.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water IX

Summary: You face the aftermath of everything that transpired. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,494 Chapter Warnings: Mention of Injuries. Mention of Mental Breakdown. Mention of Tending to Injuries. Inaccurate Portrayal of Anatomy of someone capable of breathing underwater. Mention of Blood.

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Part IX

There it was again, the burning ache in your chest. The memory of your life in your home, the screams of your cousins and the grasp of someone holding you the memory slowly becoming clearer. Blue skin, mouth piece, and armor made of Vibranium and Jade.

You screamed. You screamed bloody murder until the familiar voice had come to wake you from your nightmare. Opening your eyes you come face to face with Namora. Concern laced on her features but the pain in your chest and the memory of diving into the waters brought you into a shivering mess as you pushed her away with all your strength.

Crawling away from her, slamming face first into the floor didn’t deter you from your mission to get away from her or from anyone else.

“Umalis ka! (Get out!).” You screamed pulling crawling away until your back met the wall. The uncontrollable shaking from fear and the cold had you wrapping your thigh against your chest in a fetal position. Your teary eyes never once leaving Namora that looked panic at your state.

“I am here to help.”

“Get away from me! Do not touch me!” You screamed yet again.

You wanted to be left alone in your state. A state you had once thought would never return after everything you have tried to do in your life. Distracting yourself with work, with responsibilities, and with every little thing you could think about, it worked only for it to crash and bring you back to the little girl that never gotten over her fear of the water.

“Please let me tend to your wounds.” Namora requested as she tried to approach but you shook your head once again.

“Leave me alone!” You sobbed now. “I want to be alone!” You screamed. “Please, just leave me alone.” You pleaded now as the tears have now fully come to consume you.

“As you wish.” She nodded leaving you on your own.

The dark and cold room that you now found yourself in brought the heavier pit in your stomach. The sobs begin to flow freely from your lips. You begged and pleaded through the echoing walls for your mother, for your family, for your childhood back but it was all left in deaf ears for God knows how long.

Slowly, the sobs died and you found yourself now laying down, hugging your legs still and your eyes emptily staring at the painted walls. The ache on your torso now grow unbearable but you couldn’t move. You couldn’t move in your shaking state.

“In Yakunaj, allow Namora to tend to your wounds.”

The shiver that washed through your spine was ignored as you closed your eyes. The tears once again coming to haunt you. You held onto your legs even tighter craning your face against your knees in hopes of hiding your face from the King.

“Y/N, we are not here to harm you. Please.”

“No.” You spoke, wincing as you heard your voice shaking even in your ears.

You felt someone hold onto your shoulders to which you immediately slapped away.

“I said want to be left alone!” You sobbed never once trying to turn to face anyone also in the room.

You heard K'uk'ulkan speak to Namora but you were too deep into your own sanity to try to understand what was being said between the both of them. Eventually, silence had once again covered the room and you were left to let out the sobs all over again, but the tears no longer falling, dried down from crying previously.

A squeal had escaped from you lips as you found yourself lifted into the air and into the arms of K'uk'ulkan. Chest to chest with the man only now did you see his own battle wounds from the unknown attack.

“You’re hurt…” You whispered.

“Not as bad as you.” He points out now carrying you onto the bed.

“I’m fine.” You lied through your teeth even as you winced at the gentle hand that was placed on your side.

“But the shiver and tears say otherwise.” He points out, smiling even in the situation that you were both in.

“I—I don’t…this is the first time in a long while that I’ve even been in the waters.” You tried your best to explain.

“Is it why you do not want to go to Talokan?”

You could only nod, finding yourself resting your forehead against his shoulders now. Hands wrapped around his waist as the memories of your actions coming to you in full force. You had to save Princess Shuri, knowing who was waiting for her back in the surface. But like anything else in your life, it has its consequence and now you were living with another nightmare that would come to haunt you for a long time.

“I drowned when I was kid, and I promised myself I would never go into the water ever again.” You explained.

“And yet you chose to go into the waters to save the Princess?”

You pulled away to look at the man. Brown eyes peering down at you, his hand rested on your waist now. Supporting you as you were now fully resting on his lap.

“I know that Princess Shuri would do the same for me if the roles were reversed.” You answered without an ounce of hesitation from you. “She had someone waiting for her in Wakanda, her mother, her people. Everyone was waiting for her to come back in one piece.”

“And you did not have anyone?”

You looked away now. How easy was it for you to risk your life and the fears you have for the sake of someone else.

“I don’t want another death to be placed under my name if I could help it.” You whispered head falling back against his shoulders. “I promised myself that if I could repay for the sins of my past, I would—even if it means my life would be the price.”

In the silence of the room, the warmth of the man’s body against your own, and the gentle but rhythmic sound of your heartbeats, you slowly faded again into slumber, but now under the man’s protection pulling you away from the nightmare constantly haunting your mind. But now your mind now consumed with his eyes, eyes that held you in a place you knew should not be placed upon you.

~

He slowly noticed your shaking has ceases and your breathing slowing down. Peering down at you, he realized you had once again fallen back to sleep. His hands slowly moved towards your cheeks, how quickly in your sleep you had nuzzled yourself against his hold.

It was refreshing and daunting for him to see. To realize that something so simple as someone else’s touch would mean so much to you in your sleeping state.

“Ba'ax yaan dormida? (Is she asleep?)”

He turned to see Namora once again returning. Unfazed by the position either of you were in. He instead decided to gently lift you back up and into the bed as she began to tend to your wounds.

“Ba'ax ten Chúuns sangrando tseem. Leti'e' ma' j-atacada. (Why is her chest still bleeding? She wasn't attacked).” He found himself pointing out as Namora was quick to tear the wet shirt you had on.

K'uk'ulkan turned his eyes away from you, not wanting to see you naked, out of respect for your decency and the fact that he might not be able to stop himself if he does. He looked at the mess that you had done to his chambers, the discarded blanket haphazardly on the floor, the few artifacts fallen from your escape away from Namora, and the most daunting sight was the blood that painted his painted walls in the fuss.

He heard the gasp that escaped from Namora’s lips and he returned his gaze back towards you and the sight that fell before him was the bleeding wasn’t from any wounds—but rather unopened gills that were slowly opening up, the mixture of blood and water oozing out.

“Ba'ax le je'ela'? (What is this?)” He found himself questioning in panic. He tried his best to remember the battle, he was certain no one was able to get to you.

“Leti'e' ma' u vomitado le ja'o'. Bejla'e' k ojel Ba'axten. (She has not vomited the water out. Now we know why).”

He found himself drawing nearer, his hand falling towards your torso, towards the gills that now moved in sync with your breathing. The blood no longer oozing out, but the salt water that he was certain you had breathed through during your attempt of saving the Princess.

“Ba'ax le leti'? (What is she?)”

His mind now left in shambles with the revelation, but the more he tried to think of the possibility, the more he is drawn into his initial doubts about you in the past.

You were no ordinary human.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water XI

Summary: Practice makes perfect, but nothing beat having a submariner for a teacher. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,804 Chapter Warnings: Mention of a Dead Body.

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Part XI

"Am I not interrupting you from any of your duties?"

"For you, nothing is too important that I couldn't postpone."

You tried your best to not blush at K'uk'ulkan’s answer. Trying your best to act unfazed by his words you looked down at yourself and the new change of clothes that Namora had provided you a few hours ago. With the blood and sweat that clung to your clothes, it was best for you to change into something different—thought it was more skin you would generally be comfortable showing on a daily basis—especially with the King’s gaze down at you.

“Now, how would you like to start?” He inquired one brow raised with a playful smile on his face.

“I—I genuinely don’t know where to start.” You admit.

“Come.” He requested one hand out for you to take.

With slight hesitation, you took his hand blushing at the way his hand completely swallowed your own as you both made your way towards the water entrance of his cove. The closer you were to the waters, you found your chest tightening and your breathe growing more rapid.

“Deep breathes, In Yakunaj.” He instructed moving closer until he was in the waters now. “Just your feet.” He continued and you did just that. Letting go of his hand, you held onto his shoulder as you felt the cold water now flooding your feet.

Looking up at the man, he was smiling bigger. Proud of the little feat that you have done now. It was—progress, after all.

“Good.” He spoke holding onto your waist now. Allowing your shaky legs to walk deeper until the water now reached below your knees. “How are you?” He inquired.

“I’m cold.” You observed.

“The water is cold after all.” He spoke as a matter of factly bringing a smile on your face at the sarcasm he was capable of dishing out.

“I’d be more surprised if the water is boiling hot at this point.” You muttered earning a hearty chuckle from the man as he continued to pull you towards the deeper parts of the water.

“Can you still do it?” He urged you on as you moved deeper into the waters.

Now as the water was touching your thighs you felt your knees lock up and your hold on the man’s shoulder now tightening at this point. The shiver was more than just from the cold waters. It was the fear that once again tried their best to consume you.

“Do not think of the fear. Think of what needs to be done.” He instructs you as he now stood still with the water now resting around your waist. “Look at me, In Yakunaj. You are doing well on your first try.”

“I want to go back now.” You requested as you now felt the familiar burn against your chest.

“Okay.”

With his arms wrapped around your waist, he lifted you back up to the dry floor of his chambers. You gaze down at him as he never broke eye contact with you. Every single time he does this, it always brings this unfamiliar spark right down to your toes.

“You did good on your first try.” He praised further making this situation more embarrassing than it already was.

“Thank you.”

“Now dry yourself up and rest. This will be a long road for you and our mission is to ensure you can safely return back to the surface so you can see your mother again.”

And his words rang a truth that you never thought would be something you had to deal with for your duration in his chambers. In what felt like a week, your time consisted of the man helping you face your fears of the waters, to him spending what little free time he has with talking to you of his life, of his heritage, of what was taken from his people and the reason for his hatred for the surface world because of what they represent.

“This world does not deserve people like you, people like the Princess. I still believe it doesn’t.”

“Maybe they don’t.” You agreed as you sat beside the man by the water, your feet now slowly getting used to the cold sensation against your skin. “But sometimes, you wouldn’t know what we had to do in our lives to pay the price to be in this world to begin with.”

Memories of the lives you’ve taken just by association continue to haunt you. You never want to be painted in a picture of perfection or innocence—especially not by this man before you. The names, you’ve read through each and every single names every single time, look through their lives, families you have taken away from them, and the life that they were supposed to live to the fullest.

It was a constant guilt you wish to rid yourself from but you know would never happen. Instead you chose to move forward, pay your dues in whatever you could for the sake of the little few still here to accept it in their need.

“No price is worth it to begin with.” He spoke, cupping your cheek and making you turn your head to face him. “I still want you to stay in Talokan, I want you to learn more about my people. Help in ways only you would know how.”

“I can’t.” You whispered, out of fear or out of apprehension of how it would be like for you if you did. Living in his chambers and by water suits is not ideal in whatever universe you could think of.

You were a woman of science and you already thought of such possibility and it would only be a waste on both of your time and effort in the long run.

“You could make it work. You made it work in Wakanda, you who was placed in such a predicament because of my people had made it work.”

You shook your head, but your body froze as you stared into his eyes.

“Why would you want someone like me here? Am I not part of the surface dwellers you loathe?” You questioned, more for the sake of your sanity.

“An exception.” He admits gently moving his head, you know what he was about to do and for whatever reason you didn’t pull away.

Instead, you found yourself closing your eyes and leaning towards him more. Every other senses become more heightened; your skin felt warm even with the cold air of the chambers and of the water your feet were still submerged in, the warmth of his callous but gentle hand against your cheeks, the loud beating of your heart echoed through your ear, the subtle splash of the water, the smell of his musk against your nostril, and the taste of his lips as they finally met your own.

It was gentle, sweet, and supple. Not something you would have ever thought would come out of the King of Talokan’s lips—but it did. He kissed you so gently, as if he feared he could break you with his touch. His opened his mouth, swallowing you so. How his tongue was as gentle as the hands that cupped your cheeks. He savored you as gently as you tried to take more from him.

You opened your eyes in a daze as he finally pulls away from you. Eyes glimmering brown stared right back at you. A smile played on his face, it was perfect. Perfect in such a dysfunctional situation you were in at the moment and even in your shyness found yourself smiling too.

“In Yakunaj.” He whispered, thumb caressing your bottom lip. “Make me your exception too.”

“Okay.”

~

Something has changed in K'uk'ulkan at his first taste. It was sweet, warm, and bright. It was you. In the days you were in his chambers, his time away from you was spent smiling and anticipating his return. His people could see the change, Attuma and Namora could see it just as much.

The coldness that he had presented after his lost against Wakanda was replaced in a warmth that he never realized he still possessed throughout the centuries. All because of the outsider, of the woman who had helped his people make safe passage to the surface world.

“In ajawo', k'abéet a wilik le ba'ala'. (My King, you need to see this).”

It was rare for him to see Attuma in such a frightened state, more rare than Namora at times. Of all the gore and death that he had painted his hands in his lifetime, nothing truly fazed him until now. It was something that needed his full attention.

Without another word, he had followed one of his most trusted advisor the grave site they had created to dispose of the corpses of any of the surface dweller who would even attempt in locating the Vibranium. They were not savages, they were given a proper burial each and every single time and among the corpses were that of the warrior that had made an attempt at his kingdom.

With nothing but loin clothes to protect their modesty, one of the few things that stuck out were the gills. It rocked him to the very core for how similar they were from your own. How anatomically similar it was to the ‘wounds’ you have developed when you drowned.

“Ba'ax ku? (What are they?)” He questioned, he couldn’t help but inspect the corpse, how the gills were compared to his people’s own. Larger and far closer to their lungs compared to that of the people of Talokanil.

“Atlantean,” was the only answer Attuma gave him and it was all he needed to know what he was truly up against. So they have persisted now.

"Máax asab u yojel yóok'ol le ba'ala'? (Who else knows about this?)"

"Le j-meno'obo' ba'ax tu beetajo'ob ya'abkach le wíinklil. (The healers that have prepared the bodies)."

He could only nod, mind swimming with all of the scenarios but one thing comes to mind. The betrayal that he could not truly swallow or accept in the moment. You, it all lines up. How the people of Atlantis have come the very same day that he and the rest of his warriors were distracted.

Without another word, he swam away on a mission. He will have his answer, one way or another. What else were you hiding from him? What else where you planning on him and his people?

At the thought of you, the woman that was scared of water, the fury slowly burned to his very core. He was stupid to believe it. It was another ploy that he does not know if there was an end goal on your end.

One way or another, he will find out.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water VIII

Summary: Things go as planned but not in the way anyone expected. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 2,195 Chapter Warnings: Mention of Ambush and Bloodshed. Mention of drowning.

Series Masterlist || Masterlist || Join the Library (no longer do taglist you can just turn on notif here)

Part VIII

“I’m surprise you’re here.” You couldn’t help but smile at Agent Ross as you and a few of the Dora Milaje had gathered by the shores as you were ready to turn this device on.

In your hand was a laptop that would allow you and anyone that wanted to watch from the camera you have installed into the machine as well as the one also attached to Shuri’s wetsuit for the duration of the repairs to be made. With the extensive damages, you had estimated the repairs to take well over three hours, but you wanted to make sure the machine as well as Shuri’s suit could withstand a longer duration just in case anything goes wrong. Multiple suits already on standby for the Dora Milaje to use.

“It’s not every day that something like this happens in Wakanda.” Ross pointed out with a gentle smile. “A little action here and there wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

You could only nod and continue on with watching Shuri set herself up in the suit. A reassuring smile on her face as she continued on with talking to her mother—letting her know that this was a safe project and if it was not she was allowed to behead her. A joke that truly had you lost for words. You know she was joking but somehow the anxiety was getting to you more than you would even admit.

“All set?” You asked instead after a moment. Queen Ramonda even in her pristine and blank look held the worry you were all too familiar with. It was the same look you had seen from your mother when you had told her you were flying to New York for a job opportunity.

It was a worry you wanted to make sure would not be warranted for what was about to happen. Your eyes turned to where numerous Talokanil warriors were also gathered, weapons in their grasped and behind them were the King and his two generals, the expectations of what was to come for today rested heavily on your shoulders.

"I'm ready when you are, Doctor." Shuri beamed, hands now holding onto your own. "And again, I know I do not say this enough, thank you for the help you had given to us. Even after knowing the real reason for your arrival here in Wakanda."

"I've learned so much too. And if you would have me, once I return from my visit back home. You would have space for me still." You spoke.

Now, you do not truly have anything else to do with Stark Industries or with the Avengers Compound. You found your place here, it would be different, but the more you spend your time here without the constant panic that came with working for Tony, the more you felt this was the place for you. Where you knew you would grow in a way that never truly happened under Tony.

"Perfect. I'll have everything ready once this is dealt with." She winked finally wearing the headpiece.

You tugged unto the mask to ensure that the seal was perfect before allowing her to make her way to the waters. The twelve by twelve machine was small compared to what you would usually make for this kinds of excavations, but a more compact device would be better for easier access should the need arise.

"The machine will follow you into the specific tunnel and all you have to do is lift it to the specific area it needs to make the fixes and it will do the rest." You repeated again.

"Got it, Doctor."

You smiled watching as the Princess has nodded towards the King that had now dove towards the waters, followed by his generals and the warriors that came before him.

"Good Luck, Princess." You hoped before finally turning the machine on through the laptop.

Backing away, you had watched Shuri hold onto the machine before heading down into the waters. You were quick to turn the camera and watched firsthand the waters as she swam deeper. You had ignored the familiar tightening on your chest at the sight of the waters as she went deeper. Counting ten backwards, you watched and fine-tuned the machine and checking the vitals as they gotten deeper in.

'You alright, Doctor?' Shuri had inquired through the communication line.

"As alright as I could be." You reassured not wanting her to worry about you at the moment but the task at hand.

You barely watched as the crystal waters slowly darken as they gotten into the depths of the waters. You found your hands were visibly shaken and even the Queen herself has taken notice, inquiring if you would want any assistance. You reassured her you were fine and instead inquired Shuri if they were close to the damages.

'Right in the center of it.'

Through the screen, you frowned realizing the severity of the damages that neither you nor Shuri truly realized until seeing it firsthand yourselves.

"Nudge the machine into the damages and I'll do the rest." You requested and through her camera, you had watched the device slowly make its way to the crevice of the damages and begin to work.

Sitting on the sandy shores, you placed the laptop on your thighs as you began to work. Maneuvering the machine as you watched the arms extend out from either sides, beginning to work it's magic on the repairs.

'You never cease to amaze me, Doctor.' Shuri began, idly watching you hard at work with the repairs.

You have learned early on that the pathway was made of corals and stone and you did you best to assure it stayed the same still. It was like playing puzzle for you now at this point, seeing what rock or coral would fit without damaging the paths further. With further help from the Talokanil Warriors you were able to ensure a perfect seal just within an hour and a half.

"Princess, please make sure everyone is out of the way when I spray the seal onto the rocks." You requested.

You heard a few orders being thrown out by Attuma and Namora before you were given the go-signal to begin the seal. A nozzle had extended out from the machine and you had watched the spurt of the sand mixture into the new repairs.

“What is that?” It was Queen Ramonda that had first made the inquiry.

“It’s a kind of sand and cement mixture. It hardens immediately when in contact with rocks, and is nearly indestructible. The only catch is it crumbles on dry land.” You explained.

Just like you’ve expected, you watched the mixture slowly solidify before your very eyes and you had even asked Attuma to test the integrity of the new structure. Watching him strike the walls with his spear only for his spear to bend in the process.

‘Good job, Doctor.’

“I had my doubts about this, bringing you along into this mess. But it seems you and my daughter have proven me wrong.” Queen Ramonda spoke looking down at you, a faint smile playing on her face now.

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Now, please tell my daughter to come back to the surface.” She ordered, somewhat playfully now.

“You heard your mother, Princess.”

You could faintly hear Shuri talking amongst the people in Talokan. Each and every single one of them now coming to test the new path you had helped rebuilding. You smiled knowing it would take a while before she would come out to the surface, only now given the opportunity to return after everything that had happened between Wakanda and Talokan.

You once again checked the vital of both the machine and Shuri’s suit and you have noticed everything was still in stable condition. Queen Ramonda eventually allowed Shuri to explore around, with her seeing the beauty of Talokan through the screen, even she was amazed by the sheer beauty of the kingdom and the alarming number of people that lived under the depths of the water—more people that even you could have ever imagined.

‘The offer still stands, Doctor. You will learn so much from Talokan.’

A blush had lingered on your cheeks at the voice of the King through the communications. You now refused to meet the Queen’s eyes, fearing she might think you were conspiring against her and her people.

“I simply can’t.” You answered instead not wanting to linger so much into the topic.

But the tour was interrupted by the sound of something crashing and your eyes lingered right back to the machine fearing it had malfunctions, but seeing the vitals still normal, your next instinct was to check Shuri and the sight of utter chaos among Talokan as several beast had come to attack the Talokanil warriors was the last thing you would have expected to see.

“Shuri get out now!” You screamed and the utter chaos had the Dora Milaje up to attention, slipping on the wetsuits and diving down without hesitation to save the Princess.

You tried to reprogram the machine to assist Shuri in navigating out of the passage but you cursed at the sight of one of the beast go straight for Shuri and the machine. You rapidly continued on typing hoping to use the locator in hopes of seeing them.

“What is happening?”

Your mind was moving faster than your own fingers did and for some God damn reason, you found yourself throwing the laptop onto the flood and immediately suiting yourself into the last remaining wetsuit available. Your mind and body working in sync as you made the last adjustments—ignoring the panicked words of the people around you before you found yourself allowing the adrenaline to take over your body as you dived head first under the water.

~

They were being attacked. The last thing K'uk'ulkan would have ever believed to happen was an armored whale shark begin their attack on his people. His attention was torn between the bloodshed that was happening before him and the sight of now unconscious Princess Shuri among the chaos of it all.

He could not make his way towards her in time as numerous unknown assailants had now slipped out of the beast. Armed in linen robes and Obsidian they were no warriors of Talokan. Weapons ranged from mace and axes, to bow and arrows and even boomerangs. This were no people of his and that simply scared him the most—for he truly did not know if there were people like them in this world.

All of the warriors had stark white hair and eyes glowing bluer than the clear water. They were not equipped with any form of breathers Talokanil uses to breath in the surface. They were simply just like him—but far more dangerous.

Before long, he had watched the Dora Milaje come to defend them in this fight. The water was no obstacle for them, but they truly had one goal that was different from his own—save the Princess, nothing more and nothing less. But even the warriors of Wakanda were not immune to the attacks that came after them.

K'uk'ulkan had found himself battling numerous of the warriors that had now focused on him. His mind panicked, for this was an attack he had once fear would happened. Someone had found them and he was not sure who was truly to blame for it.

Then he saw it, the small glimmer of hope for Wakanda, you. You struggled to swim further down, but you were on a mission and K'uk'ulkan did his best to waver as much of the warriors away from your direction as you made your way to Shuri that has now slowly gained consciousness and only then did he come to realize that the suit that she had on was damaged and water was slowly seeping in.

Without an ounce of hesitation as he continued on with attacking anyone who would come his way, he had watched from his peripherals how you did not hesitate to let Shuri were your head gear and urged her up to safety in the surface. The Dora Milaje retreating now as they had extracted the Princess away from the dangers of the battle.

But now he has something else he needed to worry about. You. You, who even in the face of the death of your life had tried your best to take the machine without any form of breathing gear and how the wide eyes and the sudden grasp onto your throat meant reality was finally slamming through you in your predicament as you opened your mouth and tried to breath in the waters.

“Take her to my cove!” He orders Namora to which she did without an ounce of hesitation and in the panic that laced his voice he realized there was truly something about this woman that he was still uncertain about but it was a kinship that he was not so sure if he truly wanted to address after all was said and done. But for now, all that he could hope was for your safety above everything else.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water VII

Summary: When he sees a different side of you. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,861 Chapter Warnings: None

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Part VII:

It was the vicious words in the dead of night that had him peak from the waters.

He had saw you with the Princess earlier in the night, but as the nights grew later and the bonfire that had long died down, so did your mood. Your temper that he was uncertain you could have it in you to have in your state. In the pitch darkness, he had listened to your words. You were speaking with your boss. A conversation that wasn’t a good one. Words that were not supposed to be said, hurtful at times. K'uk'ulkan had come to learn you were capable of being so—venomous. The prim and always professional Doctor was dishing out one curse word after another.

It left with you finally ending the call and slamming the phone onto the sanded ground in front of you. A frustrated scream escaped your lips as you finally settled yourself onto the tree stump he had slowly learned you favored when you visit the beach.

“You can stop looking like a pervert by the waters.”

It took him by surprise just how angry you were. Since the beginning, when he had first started to watch you at night as you spent the rest of the night off in the beach, you would never acknowledge him—not even when you had known he was there. Whatever anger you might have had overtaken any hesitation or precaution you might have in your body.

“It seems like I have caught you in a bad time?” He began, walking further back into the surface.

The cool air doing wanders towards his warming skin after being caught and called out.

“You tell me.” You muttered eyes glaring daggers at the discarded phone.

K'uk'ulkan could only nod and take the device and hand it back to you. He felt a far too dangerous spark as he touched your skin. He said nothing, instead choosing to look at you, how your eyes stared blankly at the device now back in your possession.

The frown growing deeper on your face the more you looked at the device.

“Sometimes I just want to run away from my responsibilities and never look back.” You began, moving to give him space to sit.

K'uk'ulkan’s head was telling him not to, but his body said otherwise as he found himself sitting beside you on the stump, your dry thigh touching his own damp ones but chose not to acknowledge. Even in the cold airs, your warmth already consumed him.

“Why don’t you?” He inquired now his eyes gazing up towards the stars.

“It’s not that simple.”

“If you desire something, you would not speak of it out loud unless you want to do it—much less let a stranger know about it.”

Even in the darkness, the glow of the moon allowed him to see the way you rolled your eyes at this words. Had it been any other individual, his weapon would already be stained with their blood. But he knew better, he knew you were different from what he was, what the people of Wakanda know of as rankings.

“I have responsibilities.” You pointed out plopping the device onto the sands between your feet. “It’s not as big or as grand as you and Princess Shuri’s, but I still got mouths to feed.”

“A husband and children waiting for you?”

“God No.” You giggled then, almost finding humor in his line of question. “I wouldn’t subject a husband or children to the line of work that I have right now. I don’t think I’m even cut out to be a wife or a mother in my state.”

“Then who?”

“My parents.” You answered, smiling as you looked at him and he couldn’t help himself from looking right back. “I’ve got so much I want to do to make them proud. They made ends meet while putting me through college, being here earning a shit load of money while also doing the things that I lovem, I’m doing all of it for them—I want to make them realize they didn’t bet on losing dogs.”

“I’m sure they know that.” He tried to reassure you, knowing the same experience from his own mother long ago. The promise he had to keep even if it meant bloodshed. He kept his promise to his mother even after her death.

“They always say they do. But I know it’s not enough, they’re just being—my parents.” You shrugged.

He blinked not knowing what else was there to say. You were right, some parents are just like that, they constantly see the best in their children but not all would mend those that could see their worst.

“What would you do—if all was said and done and you do not burden yourself with your responsibilities?” He asked instead, genuinely wanting to pick up their conversation still.

“I might want to stay here in Wakanda, I want to learn more than I already know. I want to help the people that are less fortunate or lacked the equipment for everyday things that we have right now.”

More and more, he is fascinated with you and how you speak. Viciousness, meekness, and now passion that he had never seen in his lifetime. You had everything you could ever have as a surface dweller and instead of trying to capitalize in what you have—you chose to give it away.

“Talokan has learning you might be interested in.” He points out. “You are already versed in our tongue, learning our ways wouldn’t be much of a problem for you.” He smiled remembering in the short amount of your stay you had been able to learn his language in a way that took the people of Wakanda weeks or even months to do.

The offer was once made by Princess Shuri to stay for the sake of the scientist. But when all was said and done, she held a bigger responsibility that he could not take from her—but you, you held something so fragile that any minute it could fade away. He should not welcome another surface dweller—let alone an outsider in his home, but in the conversation you had both with your boss and your own mother, you have never once spoke about his people nor anything about Wakanda. He trusted you, more than he ever should for someone he had only known for less than a month.

“Good luck with placing me anywhere near the water.” You snort. “That Attuma guy would need to drag me to hell and back before I would even agree to be anywhere near the water—no offense.”

“For someone that is well equipped with anything related to waters, you have fears?”

“It’s stupid.” You brushed off. “I almost drowned when I was a kid and now I just have this unreasonable fear of being in the waters.”

“But the waters are calm?” He craned his head in confusion. But then again, one of the many ways they would discard intruders were by drowning.

“The scariest part of the waters are what is at the bottom of the waters, what we have yet to discover for ourselves.”

“I can tell you now and it’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“And I genuinely don’t doubt you on your words, but there are just some things I would rather die than to do.” You assured picking up your phone and standing back up. “It’s getting late and I still have to make some finishing touches to your machine I should head back. Thank you for accompanying me K'uk'ulkan.”

He could only nod, swallowing the disappointment of you leaving him now. He watched you slowly make your way back to the palace, using your phone as a torch to guide you back. In the distance, as he had watched your figure disappear he turned his attention back to the waters—Namora and Attuma already watching him, disapproval written on their features.

~

It took you just two hours of sleep before you found yourself back up on your feet, bathed, dressed in the most comfortable shirt you own and a pair of Levi’s jeans as you made your way back to the lab to make the finishing touches to the machine.

A beaming smile was now on your face as you began your work. There was this cathartic feeling of speaking your mind to Tony last night, how he had once again ignored your warning of not using your project yet and once again you find yourself being invited by the senate to speak for your involvement. It was so freeing to just cuss him out and warn him that you will not place yourself in any blame anymore.

It was also a little reliving to have someone to talk to—K'uk'ulkan. Even to this very hour as you were deep in your own work, you still wondered where the balls have come from to call him out as he watched you by the waters yet again. Forcing him to keep you company while you wonder what to do with your life now if you do eventually decide to leave Stark Industries for good.

“You’re up bright and early.” It was Shuri that had greeted you and making you look up from your thoughts. Besides her was Namora that already looked like she was in a bad mood—far from what was usually on her face.

“We’re throwing this into the water today so I want to make sure I don’t miss anything beforehand.”

“Today?” It was Namora that now sounded surprise, brows furrowed and her hand had held onto your spear far too cautiously for your own liking in the moment.

“We’re not gonna fix the tunnels today.” You reassured her. “I want to make sure that the water doesn’t leak through before we dive further down the waters.” You explained.

“And who will be heading down with this machine?”

You looked at Shuri and it was all the answer you needed to give as she already knew her way around the tunnels and any obstacles that might happen could be handled by anyone of the people of Talokanil that would also be joining in fixing the problem.

“What about you? This is your creation should you not be the one to lead in the operation.” She spoke further which genuinely made you unnerved by her sudden change in attitude—towards you.

“I can’t. It’s for personal reasons and I trust the Princess to be able to handle this on my behalf.”

You heard grumbling in her mother tongue, some of which was hurtful towards you but you chose to ignore not wanting to further her already growing temper. You instead focused on continuing on with your work. Fingers tapping away at the computer and humming to yourself as you tried to distract yourself from the ever growing tension that suddenly fell in the laboratory.

You know you will succeed in your machine, but it doesn’t mean you weren’t worried for the outcome should it fail. Was it death or failure and disappointment that made you more scared?

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water V

Summary: He puts you through a test. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,149 Chapter Warnings: Mention of deliberate poisoning. Namor being...Namor(?)

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Part V:

Your nightmares of drowning were replaced by the handsome submariner in the middle of the sea. Those piercing brown eyes now burned to your skull even as you woke up the following morning. You refused to acknowledge the small little fact that the man was the very same man that you had been seeing by the waters during the late night stay by the beach.

“You are ill.” Namora was not one to ask question, more in line with stating facts it seems.

“I didn’t have enough sleep. But I’ll be fine.” You reassured her, if only she knew it was because of her cousin that you lacked sleep last night.

“Come.” She demanded to which you simply looked at her weirdly at this point. “You will eat with me and Attuma.” She states to which had you having no other choice but to follow her along, a part of you hoping Shuri’s AI would be informed about your whereabouts now that you were close to being held hostage by them.

Snatching your phone into your pocket you followed the Talokanil out of the lab and out of the palace. The both of you made your familiar way towards the beach and this time the fear was slowly coming into reality the closer you both walked towards the roaring waves.

And just like what Namora had pointed out, the hulk of a man was waiting by the sands of the beach—but he wasn’t alone. With him was the King himself, looking ever the majestic sea being you have ever seen in your life.

“You brought a guest—I see.” It was K'uk'ulkan that spoke first. A smile now resting on his face, whatever inside joke he and his cousin have was lost to you at this point.

“More like a hostage.” You joked dryly that no one truly acknowledged at this point as you were handed a weird looking fish which was far too hot for you to hold but you were too afraid to let go with your hand.

“Eat. It will help wake you up.” Namora demanded.

You could only nod and found yourself sitting in the familiar tree stump and now refusing to meet the King’s gaze, fearing that last night would become a topic of discussion. Taking a small bite out of the fish, the far too familiar flavor of home almost brought you to tears as you continued eating.

“Good?” You almost choked mid-chew at the questioned and the fact that the King was now standing right in front of you and looked right down at you.

“Yes. Taste like home.” You answered after momentarily handling yourself from embarrassment. You blinked at how close the man was now as he bent himself until he was practically sitting right in front of you—staring at you for a moment.

“You live by the waters I presume?” He inquired, now settling himself in front of you, sitting with his legs criss crossed right in front of you. You were now looking down at him compared to the other way around with the man.

“I used to live by the beach.” You answered.

“The beach, then I’m certain the waters will not be much of a problem to you once we test this machine you’re building.”

You felt your heart stop with his words. He wants you to come along and that was a hardline you were not willing to cross even if it means your life was on the line. He seemed to realize the hesitation as you refused to meet his eyes and your attention solely focused in finishing the fish being handed to you.

“The waters will be calm.”

“I had made an agreement with Shuri that I will create whatever machine you would need to fix your entry way, but I will not place myself under any bodies of water because of it.” You spoke firmly now having the courage to look at the man again. “Please respect the agreement I have made with the Princess in exchange for the help I’m giving.”

“Okay.” He finally relents standing back up once he was certain you had your fill.

Before you say anything else, the panicked voice of Shuri could be heard and she had appeared with a few members of the Dora Milaje hot on her tail.

You stood with a reassuring smile on your face as you made your way towards Shuri.

“Just got a quick bite with—them.” You explained lamely hoping it was enough to reassure her of your sudden whereabouts for the morning.

“Come, we have something we need to discuss.” Shuri urged you, holding to your arm and pulling you away without you having the opportunity to say goodbye to the Talokanil. ~ You were no ordinary human.

Those were the thoughts that run through K'uk'ulkan’s mind as he had watched you be dragged away by the Princess. His eyes lingered at the retreating Dora Milaje that followed closely behind, their eyes penetrating him with the constant distrust—they should after all that they had all been through.

“Táan a saboteando a leti'ob éejenil yéetel Wakanda. (You are sabotaging your own arrangement with Wakanda).” Namora’s word held so much truth, but the curiosity simply got the best of him since your arrival all those days ago.

"Kun yantalto'on yaax yaantal kíimil, ba'ale' seguía wa'atal, normal bey Mantats'. (She should have been dead but she still stood, normal as ever)." He did supply knowing the fish was poisonous for an ordinary human being—but not to them.

Yet, as he had spoken, you still remained as you once did. Not sign of poisoning—eating the fish with gusto even in the face of beings that was far too different that your own. A stupid surface dweller if he was to be honest with himself—but someone that intrigued him still.

“Ka leti' ma' táan yáanal le kúuchil tu'ux ti' Talokan wa Wakanda. Wa leti' le herida, le k'atun séeb seguiría. (And she is not under Talokan or Wakanda's jurisdiction. If she is harmed, war would soon follow).”

“But she is not.” K'uk'ulkan spoke with finality, not wanting more discussion about his choice of action.

He had watched Namora simply bow, frustration he was far too certain was evident in her features for the choices he had made for the past few months, before she had made her way back to the Palace to what she was assigned to do—watch over you.

“Ka' tuláakal, k encontraremos bo'otik tuméen le yo'osal. (We will find ourselves paying for the consequence after all over again).”

He knew as much. But he needed to take as much of his chance as he could. For Talokan, for his people, he was ready to make take any chance that he could get if it meant the safety of his people from the outside world.

[stuckybarton]

Heads Under Water VI

Summary: Slowly but surely everything goes as planned. Character: K'uk'ulkan/Namor x Atlantean Descendant! Filipino! Female Reader. Word Count: 1,508 Chapter Warnings: None

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Part VI:

It was the deafening music that welcomed K’uk’ulkan the moment he had made his now-weekly visit to the palace to check the progress of the machine the outsider was working on. With him was Attuma that was already feeling the effects of the echoes in the halls the closer they walked towards the laboratory.

It’s been a week since the fateful day at the beach, feeding you the fish and to this day you still stood as if nothing was the matter. Working non-stop still, ending your day by the beach making sure you were as inconspicuous as you always seemed to be. Always on the phone talking to two individuals he had later learned was your mother and your boss.

He found himself far too invested in your conversations. The tenderness of your words when you were talking to your mother even in such a foreign language that felt a strong familiarity to what he had fought against in the past. Then there was the evident hostility and distance when talking to the make-shift hologram of your boss. A complete 180 to what he already witness in the few instances he had watched you from a distance and up close in person.

“Namor,”

He turned his gaze towards Shuri, his eyes met her own in respect and general civility after everything they had fought for in the past.

“I apologize for the music, but Dr. Y/L/N is in the middle of finishing up.” Shuri explained and only they did he notice Namora waiting outside, the discomfort was far too evident in her own features from the music.

He could only nod and make his way inside, physically stepping back at the reverbs that echoed the inside was louder from the inside. The array of different machinery surprised even him the further he walked inside. The blinding light glowing from one part of the lab already had him knowing your whereabouts.

Making his way towards you, the first thing that caught his eye was the array of drawings pasted on the monitors, then next were the multiple unwashed dishes laying around on the table, before his eyes finally rested on you in nothing but a sleeveless turtleneck top and the shortest of shorts. Grease painted your glowing skin along with sweat and your full attention was still on welding the metals together.

Eventually the music died down and it left you to a complete stop in whatever you were doing, lifting your head to meet him and the rest of the party he had brought with him. A deer caught in the headlights you were in this moment. Frozen in place, he could only find all the more endearing of you—annoying for anyone else that wasted his time.

“I didn’t realize you were here.” You spoke finally letting go of the device in your grasp.

“So I’ve noticed.” He stated, trying his best to keep the smile away from his features at the sight of you.

Moving with an impossible ease through the complex and far too dangerous array of open live wires that were all around you as you made your way towards them all. He watched you try your best to wipe the dirt and debris that covered your hand with the shorts you wore.

He simply couldn’t help himself as his eyes followed your hands. A dangerous image has passed his mind before vanishing away just as soon. Inappropriate thoughts for someone like him to have for a surface dweller.

“Would you want to see the progress, Your Majesty?” You inquired finally breaking him from his own thoughts and he simply nodded.

He listened and was genuinely at lost for words with the machine you were building. You had insisted that you were not to use Vibranium, but you did used a sizable amount of Adamantium that was far more denser than Vibranium and a metal that was just as dangerous to be ever be possessed by anyone other than Talokan or Wakanda. He listened to your nonstop explanation of how the operation would commence and he had noticed the twinkle in your eyes as you continued on. The smile that rendered you too gorgeous to be in such a mess, the intelligence that came with your profession was in full display without being pushed down his throat.

He was slowly believing Shuri when she had said you were the best for this.

“And once the repairs are done, all I have to do is remove the computer inside and you guys can re-melt the casing and return the material like it was good as new.” You finished the beaming on your face finally allowed the smile to settle in his features.

“When will we throw this to the waters?”

“The day after tomorrow, Your Majesty.” You stated confidently.

“Very well. Who will handle the controls?”

“That would be me.” You answered walking towards one of the computers. “I’ll man the control while Shuri and your people will help in nudging the machine to the right direction.”

“Will this be fail-proof?” He inquired. The pathways were already unstable in its own right at the moment and he wanted to make sure that he will not place his people under more danger than they already were.

“Estimated 90% success rate.”

“And the other ten percent?”

“That is where Shuri and I will come along, I’ve also created a water suit from one of the first ones she has used. In the off chance that there would be a problem, I have programmed onto the suit that will continue with the repairs.”

Efficient and leaves no stones unturned.

“What is your projected number of casualty if that also fails?”

“I don’t fail, K'uk'ulkan.”

He said nothing turning his attention back to his two advisors also listening intently to the explanation and the process that would happen in the following day. The subtle nod that came their way brought him a little glimmer of hope that it does as what you’ve explained and nothing could go wrong.

~

For the first time, Shuri had joined you in the beach. As soon as the three Talokanil had made their departure, the exhaustion of the past few days have come into full waves and you could barely move your hands anymore. It was Shuri that finally insisted that the both of you got out of the lab and into the windy night of the beach.

The only difference aside from having company was the bonefire that Shuri has made as you both began to gaze at the starless nights.

“I can now understand why Tony Stark does not want to let you go.” Shuri began.

“He could many times in the past, but he’s just too scared of where I would go once I do.” You spoke, it was not from a place of ego, but the certainty that came with Tony’s empty promises for the years of working for him. “He made me believe working for Stark Industry was the end all be all of everything I had worked my whole life for—but then I see what Wakanda has, what other Tech companies could have if I even attempt a conversation.”

“Then why not leave? Had it not been for this little incident with Talokan, you will be a good addition to my team.”

“Maybe I will.” You agreed with her.

One of the few things you had fear since your arrival to New York was change. It took you years to full adapt to the face pace of New York, the language barrier, and the constant homesickness that was haunted with your phobia that stopped you from flying right back home in a heartbeat.

Craning your head back towards Shuri, a knowing look had rested on her face.

“What?”

“What has changed this time around, Doctor? Long before the excursion we had asked you numerous times to become part of team, offered you greater than what Stark could offer but you constantly said no.”

You blinked realizing the truth of her words.

“I simply want a change in pace. Be able to come back home more often than I once did while working for Tony.” You shrugged. “I still have my mother and sometimes I wonder if I still have enough time with her at her age.”

You watched Shuri hold onto your hand now.

“Then go back to your mother once we are done here. You have Wakanda’s plane to your disposal afterwards.”

You blinked wanting to refuse her offer, but a part of you knew this was the only way you could have the time. Nodding, you held onto her own hands tighter. She had lost her brother a year ago, she knew more than you what it was like to lose someone she cared for and you truly did not see yourself ever ready to experience the same grief as her in your state.

“Thank you—for everything.” You spoke as your resolve was stronger than you would ever think it to be.