#trying to decide whether I want to be in a relationship with Garlic Jag or Phantom

[littlepikmins]

I love you, Garlic the cat!

[thekrazykeke]

So we ended the last part on a dramatic note. I left all of y’all wondering, ‘what’s in the box?’, everyone was clamoring and screaming, claiming ‘its a spider or snake’, one beautifully funny comment that it was M’Baku’s idea of a prank! 😂This part, we discover what happened to the reader and what sinister forces are moving against her.

Let’s begin 😘

Continued from here.

@elaindeereads @autumn242 @punkrockwxnnabe @palmsofgranate @strawberrysoftkitten @wikiwakanda @lovemekaycee @managingmischiefdaily @gothambrat @marvel-snatched-my-wigs @youreadthatright @lovelylittlekittn @muse-of-mbaku @keya168

The plant attached to Y/N’s chest is deceptively beautiful. 

Erik can almost be fooled into thinking that it’s just a bouquet of wildflowers or something, except the minute he even reached in her general direction to remove the plant, a vine-like appendage tightened itself around her middle and the thing let out this eerie screech-roar sound that chilled his blood, making him hastily back off.

“Bast protect us.” T’Challa murmured, running a weary hand down his face. “It is a Black Mercy.”

“A what?” Brows furrowing, Erik tried to communicate that he needed to expound on his words.

“Black Mercy.” Shuri piped up. “To summarize briefly, this plant is indigenous only in Wakanda. However, perhaps because of it’s...” For a second, she paused, looking for a diplomatic word. “Temperamental nature, many years ago, even before our father’s reign, whole entire Black Mercy fields were burned to ash.” 

He’d called T’Challa the second Y/N had hit the ground and wouldn’t wake up. The plant, this Black Mercy, hadn’t been any bigger than a nickel then, and in less than an hour and a half, rapidly had gotten larger and that much more aggressive. 

Erik hadn’t expected both his cousins to pop up for some reason. 

Yea, he’d made progress with reconciling his behavior and all the shitty things he had done to people over the years, to try and be a better man going forward in his relationship with Y/N, but while he and T’Challa, for the most part, buried the hatch and were trying to act like family instead of just former enemies...

A proper conversation with Shuri hadn’t happened yet, and he ain’t stupid enough to think it’s water under the bridge. 

That’s what this lunch/dinner thing was supposed to be about; he’d spend time wit his girl and get a handle on how the teenager acted like in his presence, scared, uneasy or whatever, he’d deal with it and proceed from there. 

“A’ight, how we gettin’ this thing off?” Raising an eyebrow at the teenager, the former soldier gave her most of his attention, he couldn’t stop glancing down at his fiancee. “By fire?”

“Ah, it is not so simple as that, cousin...” T’Challa drawled. 

Clenching his jaw, he stared at the royal with irritation, “Nigga, if you don’t cut the mysterious act an’ tell me how to fix this s--” Erik’s hands waved threw the air with agitation and the plant... Hairs standing on the nape of his neck, he turned around just in time to see that a vine-like appendage slither up around Y/N’s neck. Feet moving of his own volition, he is about to step forward and try and get it off, again, but a firm hand on his chest stopped him. 

“Don’t.” Shuri stated, tone firm. Erik shook his head, about to shrug her hand off, but her next words stopped him. “You must not approach with the way you’re behaving. The Black Mercy attaches itself to a host, then traps them in a waking dream state based on their feelings. If this is not handled correctly or if it perceives you as a threat, it will kill her all the quicker and then latch itself onto another, going from person to person, feeding uncontrollably.” 

Body trembling with the need to move but also realizing the depth and gravity of the situation, Erik shook his head, clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides. “...So, she sleepin’?”

Removing her hand, Shuri nodded. 

“She ain’t in pain?”

“Beyond the initial ‘bite’ the Black Mercy does not tend to harm it’s host. Keeping a person compliant and docile as it drains it’s vic...” T’Challa was making a slashing motion across his throat and Shuri snapped out of her ‘SCIENCE!’ mode, lecturing tone becoming sheepish, “A-ah, no! Nope. Y/N is not in pain, not at all really.”

Erik glanced between the two, shaking his head at their antics before looking at Y/N, so still and sleep, unaware of this sentient death trap attached to her. “So, I’ma ask again: how we gettin’ that thing off?”

“What state of mind was Y/N in prior to all of this? Happy, sad, thoughtful?” T’Challa inquired. “Clear your mind and embrace that particular emotion only. Talk to her, remind her of all the reasons that she has to cast aside the dream world and return to reality, to you.”

“And after that?” Erik doesn’t want to leave anything to chance.

“Brother and I will be doing the hard part. Once Y/N is awake and free of the Black Mercy, we only have a few precious seconds to burn it to ash, because during that time it will immediately attempt to attach itself to another host.” Shuri explained. “T’Challa has the added protection of the suit, which leaves you and Y/N vulnerable.” Pressing a kimoyo bead on her wrist, Erik’s eyebrows raised to his hairline as familiar kitty gauntlets appeared on her hands. 

“I will be on burning duty.”

“Sister, when did you make the, uh...” T’Challa hesitated, eyes darting to Erik then away. 

Shuri shrugged, expression innocent. “Research purposes.” Becoming more serious, she looked between both men. “Enough playing around. Are we ready?”

“Clear your mind.” T’Challa reminded Erik just before the suit materialized from the necklace, covering his entire body. 

‘I’d clear my mind if you’d cut it out wit this Yoda shit!’ Feeling the sting of irritation, he pushes the feeling down and away, gaze focusing on Y/N. Recalling her goofy victory dance, her playful words and her smile. 

This time, when he reached for her, the Black Mercy did not react aggressively, though a leathery ‘tongue’ licks along his arm, but ultimately allows him to move Y/N so that her head is lying in his lap. 

He doesn’t want to risk moving her bodily just yet.

Erik allowed himself to remember when she’d throw her head back with laughter, shoulders shaking as he hollered at the TV while watching If Loving You is Wrong reruns with her. He remembers how her nose scrunches up and she snickered, describing the childhood crushes and the awkward first kiss. 

Mouth opening, the words come surprisingly easy, “You told me that there ain’t been one boyfriend you had that all of your siblings and cousin Breanna could agree was good enough for you. Whether it was the way he walked or talked, or somethin’ else, they always clowned on the dude and eventually drove him away.”

The Black Mercy chuffed and a vine unwrapped itself from Y/N/s throat. Erik figures that means it’s working. 

“An’ you made excuses for why you couldn’t or shouldn’t date. It was no point in bringing the guy to meet a family member, let alone all of’em, because it just ended the same way. So you focused on yo hustle instead. You went to work an’ back to the apartment, that’s it.”

The vines are rapidly unwinding from her torso, shrinking down.

“If you wake up an’ look me in the eyes, I’ll tell you a secret. Something I ain’t tell you about the first time we met. What made me want to holla atchu asap.”

Y/N’s eyelids are fluttering and Erik’s so focused on her face that he nearly misses the warning, dodging to the side as T’Challa shouted something indistinct, then lashed out with his claws at the Black Mercy which had revealed a ‘mouth’ with rows and rows of jagged teeth, as his hit landed, an unsettling screech-roar escaped. Rolling with Y/N tucked against his chest, heart beat pounding, he glanced down to see that she’s starting to wake up. Glancing up again when that eerie screech-roar resounded through the house, increasing in higher pitch and frequency as Shuri used her gauntlets to burn the devil plant. 

“Nn...” Using her fist, she rubbed at her eye. 

“...T’ hell is that smell? Did you fart while I was sleeping?” 

Almost against his will, Erik laughed, genuinely amused. “Yep, sho did.” 

Smacking his right pec, Y/N’s mouth twisted up. “Nigga, you nasty! What I tell you ‘bout that shit?! Light an incense or somethin’!” Hand covering her nose, her head turned and she goggled as she caught sight of T’Challa and Shuri. Again, she smacked his chest. 

“You let me sleep while yo family was here! Oooh, I can’t believe you!” Then she sent him the look of death. 

“Ay, you was tired. I know the consequences of not letting you get yo rest. The dragon comes out.” 

“N’Jadaka...” T’Challa sent him a scolding look, trying to convey with him to stop teasing and tell the truth. 

“Forreal, one look at her when she heated I ain’t let her get the last chicken wing or something equally petty and I turn to stone.” 

“That’s a Basilisk power.” Shuri and Y/N said at the same time. 

“Jinx!” The princess crowed. 

“You read Harry Potter?” Y/N raised an eyebrow, sounding impressed. 

Shuri snorted. “The movies are horrible.” 

Throwing her hands up and whooping, she stuck her tongue out. “Someone in yo family has taste!” Y/N declared. “He likes the movies.” She added, voice disgusted. 

“But those books are a classic. A bit racist, but it was written by a colonizer, so...”

Y/N all but died. 

Cupping his hands over his mouth, “Nerds~” Erik said laughingly. 

Eventually, later that night, Y/N does remember that she hadn’t just ‘fallen asleep’ and has a mini freak out, only relaxing when reassured repeatedly that there aren’t many, if any, Black Mercy fields left to speak of.

“So, in the future if you ever decide to visit Wakanda, there won’t be any greenery that is harmful to you except the normal plants you should avoid, or what might cause an allergic reaction.” Shuri promised, sounding thoughtful, twirling a forkful of spaghetti. “Wait, do either of you have allergies?”

“Nah.” Erik is busy with his plate, using the homemade garlic bread to swipe up the spaghetti sauce, lifting it to his mouth and finishing it off with two big bites, chewing. 

“Me either.” Y/N added, cutting another piece of garlic bread and putting it on his plate, which he accepted without a thought, mouthful, he made a ‘it’s good’ type of hand gesture. “Is y’all sure I can visit? I mean, I don’t want to cause any issue.”

“There should not be because I’m permitting you to do so.” T’Challa stated, reiterating the fact that he is king and his word is law without explicitly saying so, there’s a nonverbal assurance that if there’s an issue, to bring it him, that you picked up on. “This is delicious, by the way.” Shuri passed him the bowl which had a mix of bbq and fried chicken, using the fork, he added two pieces of each onto his plate. “Did you add lemon to the sauce?”

“Family recipe.” Y/N replied, adding some extra spaghetti to her plate. “We don’t swap those ‘round here.” Not even glancing in Erik’s direction, she swatted his fork away from her plate, twirling the spaghetti around the utensil before lifting it to her lips. 

T’Challa nodded, accepting that tidbit of information for what it was, instead digging into his meal again. 

After dinner is finished and Erik did the dishes with his cousins helping (hindering, really, playing in the water), it’s time for them to go. Y/N surprised Shuri by giving her a hug though the younger girl is quick to hug back, and T’Challa earned a half hug and a quip to take it easy. 

The king joked that life would be boring if he did so. 

Y/N retreated to the bedroom first and Shuri already walked outside, a car ready for them in the parking lot. 

“One thing that’s been bothering me.” Erik spoke in a low tone. “That plant is only found in Wakanda, but it was addressed to Y/N and sent here. Who sent it? Was that even meant for her?”

T’Challa said nothing for a moment and then he sighed, seeming to be weighed down. “I only alerted the elders about Y/N’s existence after you told me that you proposed.” Erik’s features became thunderous and he held up a hand. “I know what you are going to say, but it is better that they remained in the loop. You have always been royalty, only recently, you’re an acknowledged royal, a part of the Golden Tribe like Shuri, Mama, and myself. Even if you do not bring her to Wakanda, if the two of you decide to expand your family, your child will not be denied. Also, by telling them of her, they cannot force an arranged marriage onto you.” 

“So whatchu sayin’ is that one of those snooty elders from the Tribes tryna take her out so I can what? Be a free man? Ha!” Jaw tensing, Erik looked at his cousin in the eye, daring him to lie to him, to omit more truths. 

T’Challa remained unruffled by his tone and attitude. “I’m saying that it is a possibility, one that I will be exploring extensively, but until I know for sure, I implore you exercise restraint.”

“If these holier than thou mufuckas tryna take the one good thing I’ve got going for me, the woman that I...” He paused, faltering. “That I love, then nah, fuck that. Restraint goes out the window and I’ma kill’em all. No second chances, no apologies. I’ma kill’em.” Even if that meant that he lost his ‘officially recognized’ title, then whatever, so be it. “Don’t play wit me, this ain’t a joke, nigga.” 

“I am doing my utmost to find the culprit.” T’Challa assured him. 

“Just...give me some time.”

“You can take all the time you need. Don’t mean I’ma wait before acting if you pussyfooting around and take too long.” Erik replied flatly. 

That statement chilled T’Challa to the bone because he looked exactly like he had when challenging him for the throne, when he declared that he’d spent his whole life waiting to kill him.