warnings: riri gets a lil jealous sometimes. its outta love though. a lil bit of drinking/"clubbing". riri is ready to fight for you. comfort (thats towards the end tho so) paring: Riri x you word count: 720 a/n: i might start only writing short stuff from now on just cause they easier tbh cs ion like writing sumn and it takes me like two weeks to finish not proof read

Riri loved you. You knew she loved you. Half the time, she let jealousy speak for her instead of her words. But, she knew when to let things go and when to act on them. She knows you, you know her. She trusts you, you trust her with your life.

"Where you going?" Riri asks, leaning on the door frame to you guys' bedroom.

You look at her through your vanity mirror, hiding your smile. "Out, baby. Shuri's having a lil get-together later and she invited me."

"So, ion get no invite?"

"No, because then you'll get jealous and fight somebody if they stare at me for too long or some shit."

"There's somethin' wrong with that now?"

You chuckle and finish putting your lashes on. "Yes, Rianna."

"Rianna?" She moves closer. "That's my name now?"

"I'm not callin' you Riri when you tryna play wit me." You put your lipgloss on and look at yourself in the mirror. You look good and you know it.

"You look good, mama," Riri says, coming behind you and kissing your head. "You sure you don't want me coming with you?"

"So you can beat the hell outta some nigga that look at me the wrong way?" You laugh, "Nah, Ion want no drama tonight, but if you promise to behave then you can come with me."

You see her smile. "Aight, I'ma behave."

"Good." She kisses your cheek and goes to the bathroom to get ready.

You take your shot, making sure it was your last because you didn't wanna be drunk, before looking over at Riri. "Baby, I'ma go find Shuri, alright? You good on your own?" 

"I'm good, mama." You smile and kiss her lips before leaving.

Riri watches you walk away and orders herself another drink. She sees wondering eyes but she keeps her cool. She's dressed in an all-white suit, she's not about to mess it up over some bitches who can't keep they eyes to themselves. 

Riri sees you a few minutes later, sitting in a booth with Shuri and a few of your other friends. She doesn't interrupt. She knows you're here for Shuri so she lets you be. That is until she sees a dude sitting next to you. 

He's too close.

Riri drinks slowly, her eyes trained on you. Who does this guy think he is? I mean, Riri can practically hear him from the bar. He's loud. She knows you're overwhelmed but when you need her, you'll tell her. She knows that. You won't speak up for yourself and Shuri and your girlfriends were tipsy. 

Riri sees you looking around and finishes her drink fully. You're looking for her. She gets up and walks over to the booth. She looks at him. "You always this close to women you don't know?" She can see the relief in your face.

"I'm just tryna have a good time. You got an issue with that?" He's trying to be dominant, sitting up in his seat.

It takes all of Riri's self-control to not punch him square in his dumb ass face. "She's my girl. You too close for my liking."

He laughs. "So you insecure?"

You could see that Riri was about to swing so you got up and held her hand in yours. "Let's go, Ri." Riri nods and puts her hand on your back as the two of you walk out.

"You good?" Her voice is soft. She sounds worried.

"He didn't do anything, Ri," You say, "You didn't give him the chance to. Thank you for that."

"I've got you, baby."

Riri drives the two of you home. She saw that you were a little out of it since the party so she set you a bath and brought you chocolates. She washes your hair for you, knowing how it can sometimes help you unwind after a rough day/night.

She puts on your favorite show when you’re out and the two of you wear your favorite matching PJs. Her hands stayed in your hair, scratching your scalp softly.

You fell asleep pretty quickly after that. You felt safe with Riri. She always made you feel safe, you were thankful for that.

warning: none unless you count riri being absolutely head over heels for you pairing: Riri x y/n word count: 545 A/N: we fr dont speak on my writing schedule not proof read

The way Riri always looked at you with love in her eyes made you melt. It’s like she’s a cartoon character with hearts for eyes. Whenever she talked about you to somebody she’d always say “My girl”. You liked that. Being called her girl was something you lived for.

There weren’t enough words in the English language that could explain how much love Riri has for you in her heart. Every time she looks at you, a love song plays in her head. It’s not a sexual love song. It’s a slow, romantic one. Sad Girl by Lana Del Rey. That explains her love for you. That plays in her head whenever you’re in her view, and honestly, it makes her fall even deeper in love with you each time.

Just seeing you smile, seeing you write, cook, draw, seeing you do things that she knows you love, makes her fall even more in love with you. It’s not the fact that you do things that you like, it’s the fact that you do them with a smile on your face. Cooking, writing, and drawing all bring you happiness, and for Riri to be able to experience that in real-time makes her heart flourish. 

Riri fell in love with you on the first date. The way your hair was in two puffs with a few curly strands out made her fall in love with you because you knew how to do hair. She wanted that. She’s been meaning to learn how to do hair but she’s never had the time. The way you dressed made her fall in love with you because she learned, just by looking at you for the first time, that you put your comfortableness over everything. No matter where you’d be going, you were gonna dress how you wanted to. She liked that. The way your nails and lashes were done made her fall in love with you because it made her realize how much she could spoil you. That’s how she showed her love. She would get you just about any and everything you’d ask for. The way you spoke to the servers made her fall in love with you because it showed your true colors. It showed that you’re a kind soul, that you care about people. The way you kept eye contact made her fall in love with you because of how mesmerizing your eyes are. If Riri could stare into your eyes forever and ever with no interruptions, she would. 

Riri never expected to fall so hard for you. Of course, she’s not complaining, but when she loves, she loves hard. She told you this out of fear, mostly, but she was happy when you didn’t leave her side. You stayed with her and she stayed with you.

The two of you made so many memories together. Time went by quickly. Three months turned into six, turned into 12, turned into four years. Four years. Four years. 

warnings: shuri x plus size!y/n, angst, insecurities, Shuri's toxic, relationship issues, toxic relationshis, body image issues, attachment issues, riri x y/n, riri treats y/n so much better, comfort (just a lil) word count: a lil over 1k I think pairing: Riri x y/n A/N: this is 100% just me projecting but we not gon talk bout that. also I didn't proofread this so ignore the mistakes if you find any

You wake up in you and Shuri's place in Wakanda. You look over and Shuri's not there. You brush it off and get up to start your morning. It's not like this is the first time she's left without saying anything beforehand. You deserve an explanation at least but you knew you wouldn't be able to get one out of her when she reached without an argument taking place.

You go into your shared bathroom and start brushing your teeth when you hear the front door open and slam shut.

She doesn't call for you when she steps inside.

You come out the bathroom and go to the living room. "Morning." You say, staring at Shuri with your arms crossed.

Shuri notices your stance and huffs. She's annoyed. "Morning."

You stand there for another minute or two before deciding that since she wouldn't address her absence then you would. "So, we're not gonna talk about the fact that you just up and left, again, this morning?"

Shuri shrugs and sits down on the couch. "What sense does it make? You ask, I ignore you and the cycle repeats? No thanks."

"Why can't you communicate with me?"

"For Bast's sake, y/n." Shuri groans and rolls her eyes. "Here you go, again."

"Oh, I'm sorry for actually giving a fuck about where my girlfriend is? I'm sorry that I'm not like the other bitches you've been who are okay with you just up and disappearing early in the morning without even saying anything. It's not my fault that you have fucking communication issues and can't have a conversation with me without it turning into a fight."

Shuri stands up and looks at you. "See, that's the thing, y/n, you wouldn't know what it's like to be with somebody else since I'm the first person you've been with. You barely understand how relationships even work and I actually sympathize with that because who in their right fucking mind would wanna date you of all people," She keeps going, her voice getting harsher and meaner, "You are so fucking insecure about our relationship and your body and it's tiring having to reassure you every fucking day. You are so fucking boring, any girl who says that she's interested in you, beyond just fucking you, is full of shit. You're too fucking attached to me—you act like we're supposed to be joined at the hip just because we're dating. You act like I have to tell you everything and everywhere I go just because we're dating and honestly? I'm sick of it—I'm sick of you, I'm sick of having to explain myself to you because I don't. I don't have to say shit to you or do shit to you just because you think I do-"

"Fuck you, Shuri." You say, cutting her off and quickly wipe the tears that fell from your eyes. You don't listen to anything else she has to say, even when she's following you into your formally shared bedroom while you pack your things. This isn't the first time you've left but you were gonna make sure it was gonna be the last. You couldn't deal with her constant degrading and acting like the two of you weren't dating just because she's the princess of Wakanda.

"Awe, the big baby's gonna leave again? Her laugh was mocking. "You gon come back soon enough."

But you didn't.

Once your shit was packed you left for good. You didn't call Shuri again, you didn't try to reach out to her, you made sure to leave her and your relationship in the past. She got the hint after the first two weeks of your separation and eventually stopped calling.

It had been months now and in all honesty? You were glad you left Shuri when you did. You were happy that you didn't have to deal with her any more but the memories still hurt.

Riri treats you better. She doesn't make you feel bad about anything you do or anything you don't. She actually makes you feel loved, which you never thought you could actually feel again seeing as how your last relationship went.

"Mama?“ Riri says softly, shaking you out of your thoughts. She looks at you with worry in her eyes and wipes away the tears you didn't even feel falling.

You put your hand on hers and lean into her. You close your eyes and let her touch settle you. "I'm okay, ri." You open your eyes, smiling. "I'm good."

Riri kisses you on the forehead and leaves her lips there for an extra two seconds before sitting back down to look you in your eyes. "You wanna talk about it?"

Your breath freezes in your lungs. You shake your head, tears forming in your eyes. Your voice breaks as you speak, "No."

Riri brings you into a hug. She whispers comforting words in your ear to try and calm you down.

Your mind just keeps racing about the amount of crap you let Shuri put on you, the amount of hate, the amount of empty promises, and no communication. You let yourself go through that. You were never strong enough to deal with her—she always had countermeasures to whatever you said or did and it was exhausting. And you wonder why you let yourself go through that, why you didn't leave sooner. You blame yourself for her actions. You know you shouldn't but you do.

As if on cue, Riri whispers to you, "Nothing that happened to you in the past was your fault, y/n. She shouldn't have treated you like that."

"I should've left sooner." You mumble into her shirt.

Riri shakes her head. "No. No, you left when you felt you could. You did good, okay? You hear me, y/n? You did good. You stood up for yourself and you made sure to get that hell out of there. And you were strong enough to get into another relationship, mama. That takes a lot for some people."

A/N: these are honestly just my opinions so ntm on em now

She spoils you with everything. She’ll pay for your hair, nails, feet, and clothes and wouldn’t expect anything back since she likes spending her money on you. Most times when she's buying things for you she'll get another one for herself so you guys can match.

She loves physical touch. Your skin is always so soft so every second of the day you two have to be holding hands or close to each other.

She likes your perfumes but theres a specific one (Pink Suede) that she likes and when you wear it she won’t leave your side for the whole day. If she's up under you for long enough the scent will literally transfer onto her and she loves when that happens.

She wont admit it out loud but as much as she likes pampering you, she likes to be pampered herself. Making her breakfast in bed or even just planning something simple that the two of you can do for the day makes her day.

She has a playlist for everything. Yall are working out? Work out playlist. Yall are going on a road trip? Outta town playlist. She even has a playlist for kids.

Speaking of kids, Riri has a hate/love relationship with children. Some kids she sees make her upset from how they're acting but with others, she'll get baby fever almost immediately and start ranting to you about how much she wants a kid with you.

She falls asleep whenever you two are watching a movie or even when you two are just alone. She feels safe with you at all times so she knows to lower her guard.

She is 100% a homebody. She likes leaving the house but she also doesn’t. If she has to choose between staying home and going out, she’s gonna pick staying in and especially if you're staying home with her.

She’s a R&B baby and she absolutely adores J. Cole. He’s most of her liked songs. Him and Frank Ocean. But other than that, her music style is a mix of everything except country. She can't stand country music and will make it known whenever she wants.

She loves her jewelry. She has rings and chains but she has a specific silver R chain that she doesn’t leave the house with. She bought you a matching one with your initial.

If there’s a song in her head and she’s not near her phone she’ll start singing or humming the lyrics or she'll tell you about it and ask you to remind her about it so she can add it to her playlist.

She calls you nicknames like “ma” “mama” and “baby". She calls you your name but only when she's upset about something.

Walks around the house in a sports bra and boxers on purpose because she knows you can't help but stare at her when she does.

She talked you into getting two cats and when yall are going out she'll always make up an excuse to get the cats more outfits. It's one girl and one boy so she named the girl Maya from Girl Meets World and the boy Boing.

She took apart everything that came in yalls apartment and put it back together because she’s paranoid and doesn’t want you to get hurt anything.

warnings: not a lot, mostly just alcohol addiction that ends in sobriety.

pairing: Shuri x You

word count: 662

a/n: havent written for my girl Shuri in a while. I've got a lot of relatives who drink but haven't gotten sober yet so if I wrote the sobriety wrong in any way, let me know please

not proof read.

Shuri drank a lot. Most of the time it was out of stress, which you understood seeing as how she's Queen, The Black Panther, and practically the main scientist in Wakanda. She had tasks and duties and projects to do every moment of every day and when she finally got time to herself, she'd stay home with you and drink.

You didn't mind, to be honest. She wasn't a "bad" drunk. She was quiet most times and when she wasn't quiet, she'd rant on and on about how much she loves you. She'd tell you how beautiful you look, no matter if you look decent or not. She loves you in your every being.

There were times when you would get upset about her drinking while she was drinking and she would always talk you down. Not in a bad way, Shuri doesn't like yelling to resolve an argument or a disagreement. It doesn't solve anything to raise your voice, it only makes you and the situation more hostile. Shuri would wait for you to stop talking and then politely ask if you could lower your tone. She doesn't do it to guilt trip or make you feel guilty or anything, she just can't stand yelling. And if you do actually lower your tone and calm yourself down, the two of you talk reasonably for hours. You tell her what happened, why you're mad, and how the situation escalated to the point where you had to raise your voice.

Even if you can't calm down, you tell her that you need a minute and you go to your room. Even when she's not sober, Shuri knows to give you your space when you ask for it. No matter how long it takes for you to unwind, you always end up going to Shuri and having the same conversation about why you're mad and so on.

Shuri, on the other hand, is calm when she's drunk. She doesn't get emotional when she's under the influence since she's drinking to forget her thoughts.

You've asked Shuri to drink a little bit less since you don't want her to get alcohol poisoning or something worse, and she slowly does. She goes from having a few drinks every time she has time off to distracting herself with whatever she can to take her mind off drinking. It was a little hard at first, not picking up the liquor bottle whenever Shuri saw it out and that's when she realized she had an issue. An addiction.

It took some years but with you by her side, she stopped drinking completely. It didn't matter to Shuri that she was calm when she drank, it was the fact that she couldn't go a single minute without having a drink. It was the fact that she had started bringing flasks with liquor in them while she was in the lab. 

Slowly, Shuri started to break her relationship with alcohol. She drank a lot of water or juice anytime she felt like she needed a drink and it worked for a while until it didn't. Then she tried exercising more, but that was beginning to get unhealthy. She tried eating to distract her, but that became unhealthy too. It wasn't until she started talking to you and journaling that she found a healthy way to cope with not drinking. Talking to you about any and everything that was on her find kept her busy, and when you weren't around when she was by herself, she wrote down her thoughts instead.

It's been two years since Shuri's last drink. You've never been so proud of her in your life. You're glad that she came to you when she did when she told you that she had an addiction and needed help beating it.

"I love you, Shuri," You say, kissing her on the forehead.

A/N: this did not turn out the way i expected it too at all. anyways ignore all mistakes cause this aint proof read word count: 1.7k+

“Shuri, how come you ain’t tell me where you was last night?” Shuri's girlfriend, Imani said, irritation in her voice.

Shuri shrugs. “I was with Riri-”

Imani rolled her eyes and scoffed. “Of course you was with her. The two of yall might as well date with the amount of times yall see each other.”

“Baby, what are you talking about?”

“You spend more time with your,” She makes air quotes, “‘best friend’ than you do your girlfriend, Shuri. You don’t see an issue with that?”

Shuri was confused. Yeah, her and Riri spent time together but they didn’t spend that much time together, right? Whether the answer was yes or not, Shuri loved Imani and would choose her over anyone and everyone.

“I’m sorry, Ima. I’ll spend more time with you, I promise. How about we go on a date tonight?”

Imani brushed her off, still annoyed. “I don’t wanna go out, Shuri, I want you to stop hanging out with Riri. Period.”

“Okay,” Shuri says with no hesitation. She wants to make her girlfriend happy and if that means she and Riri can’t hang out anymore then so be it.

“Good.” Imani kisses Shuri on the forehead and goes to the bathroom.

Shuri’s phone goes off twice. They’re messages from Riri. Shuri doesn’t bother reading them when she types: “We can’t hang out anymore.” and blocks Riri’s number. It stung her heart a little bit but what else could Shuri do? Imani’s her first girlfriend and she just wants to keep her happy.

Shuri gets up from the couch and goes to the kitchen. She opens the pantry, taking out a bag of Doritos and opens the fridge, taking out a carton of juice. She pours some in a cup before putting it back and making her way to the living room. She sets her snack and drink down and turns on the T.V. She falls asleep waiting for Imani to come out the bathroom.

When Shuri wakes up, she can feel a hand running through her hair. She looks up and it’s Imani.

“You sleep good?” She asks.

Shuri hums, stretching slightly. “What time is it?”

Imani checks her phone, “6:32, why?”

“I have a meeting with the council at 7.” Shuri groans and gets up slowly. She finishes her juice from earlier and kisses Imani on the forehead. “I’ma go get ready. I’ll see you later tonight?”

“I made plans so prolly not,” Imani says and goes back on her phone.

Shuri’s the first one in the throne room, as usual, but Riri was close behind her.

“Shuri, can we talk?” She says, pulling Shuri to the side.

“No. Didn’t you get my text?”

“No, I did, I’m just wondering why I got it. And so outta the blue, too. Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened, Riri. I just don’t want any kind of relationship with you that isn’t strictly professional. Aren’t we only supposed to be colleagues, anyway?”

“Seriously? Shuri, you can't be serious right now! Are you at least gonna tell me what I did?”

Shuri notices some of the Elders coming in. “Leave it alone, Williams. I’ve said what I’ve said.” She walks away and sits on the throne, waiting for the other Elders to come in. 

They discussed the safety of Wakanda, the Panther and Ironheart suits, and the new buildings that were being constructed in Wakanda. Then Shuri went to the lab to work for hours.

It was around 11pm when Shuri made it back to her and Imani’s place and she was tired. She was expecting to find Imani in bed but she had forgotten that she said she’d made plans. The apartment was dark and lonely without another person there. Shuri didn’t like it. She turned on all the lights and put on a random show for some background noise while she took a shower. It was 11:30 when she was done. She was so exhausted from today that she didn’t even bother changing into clothes. Once her body touched that bed, that was it, lights out. 

“Shuri!” Shuri wakes up to Imani shaking her. “The bed is wet because of you! How am I supposed to sleep!?”

“The couch,” Shuri deadpans. Imani waited for Shuri to say she was joking but she wasn’t. It’s not like there was anywhere else for her to sleep other than on the couch.

“Why don’t you sleep on the couch?” Imani says, rolling her eyes.

Shuri groans and sits up on her elbows. She looks at the clock on her bedside table then back at Imani. “It’s 2 in the morning right now, Ima. I am tired. There’s no point in me moving when you’re the one complaining. You said the ‘whole bed’ is wet so go sleep on the couch.” And with that, she turns her back to Imani and goes back to sleep, ignoring the angry muttering from her girlfriend.

It had been about a week and a half since Shuri told Imani to sleep on the couch that night but Imani took it personally and has been sleeping on the couch ever since. Shuri didn’t even remember what she said since she was so tired but she assumed it was bad since her and Imani have barely even been talking unless they absolutely have to.

“Are you hungry?” Shuri asked Imani from the kitchen. No response. Shuri rolled her eyes and went over to her girlfriend, standing in front of her. “Can you just tell me why you’re ignoring me?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you should remember. It’s not my fault your memory is shit.”

“And it’s not my fault that you’re having this one-sided ass fight over something I don’t even fucking remember, Imani. We're dating, aren’t we? We’re supposed to be able to talk to one another when we have issues but instead you're pushing me away and ignoring me.”

“You were rude and inconsiderate, Shuri. You slept in the middle of the bed, with your towel on, making the bed wet, and then you told me to sleep on the couch.”

Shuri sat down, rubbing her eyebrow. “So, where exactly were you planning on sleeping, again?”

“What?”

“I mean, I’m just saying. From what you just told me, the entire bed was wet, somehow, so where did you actually plan on sleeping?”

“It’s not what you said, Shuri, it’s how you fucking said it. You didn’t even care about me enough to sleep on your side of the damn bed.”

“I was in a meeting from 7 to 11 pm, Imani. I was tired and you woke me up to complain so my bad for my tone?”

“Oh, please, what’s oh, so, tiring about sitting down and talking about things that need to be fixed or done in Wakanda?”

“It wasn’t just the meeting, Imani. I also had to go to the lap and fix some things on my and Riri’s suit-”

“Oh, really?” Imani scoffed, “So, what? Riri can’t fix her own damn suit now?”

“She doesn’t live here, Imani. She came here for one week for personal reasons, not to work.”

“She could’ve carried the suit behind her and worked on it from that scrappy lil garage of hers in Chicago.”

“I told her months ago that her suit cannot leave Wakanda, which you would know if you actually listened to me when I talked.”

“I listen when you talk, Shuri. It’s you who never listens to me and what I say. The fact that you’re still doing ‘favors’ for Riri proves that.”

“Excuse me? Me fixing the very creation that I helped her make isn’t me helping her. Me and Riri haven't even spoken since I told we can’t hang out anymore, so you can go somewhere else with that misinformation.”

“I don’t appreciate this tone of yours.”

“And I don’t appreciate how you’ve treated me like shit our entire fucking relationship,” Shuri starts, “Everything you ask of me, I do, and I mean everything, Imani. But it’s like, no matter what I do for you it’s never enough. You told me to stop hanging out Riri and I did but you just have to find a reason to get pissed off about something that barely even fucking concerns her and it’s irritating. You might as well be obsessed with the girl with the way you know so much shit about her and me.”

Imani stands up. “Shuri, if you keep talking to me like I’m one of your little fan girls, you gon lose me as a girlfriend, I promise.”

“Nobodys stopping you from leaving,” Shuri shrugs. She’s been through too much bullshit from this woman to even care anymore. “Leave.”

Imani scoffs and goes to pack her things.

“Leave your key on the way out, too,” Shuri says, getting up and leaving.

Today was the last day Riri was in Wakanda and Shuri had to make things right before she lost the best friend she’s ever had in her life. 

Shuri knocks on Riri’s door, thankful that she hadn’t left yet when she heard her say, “One minute!” Riri opens the door a few seconds later, her face dropping immediately when she realizes it was Shuri. 

“What do you want?” Riri says, folding her arms across her chest.

“I wanted to apologize.” Riri’s face softens slightly. “I shouldn’t have chosen Imani over you, especially when I’ve known you longer than I have her. I know what I did was stupid, Ri, and I’m sorry. Imani was my first girlfriend and I was willing to do anything for her love and her approval, even if that meant cutting out the best thing that’s ever happened to me. You didn’t deserve to be ghosted by me like that and I should’ve explained things weeks ago at the meeting but I was scared Imani would find out and break up with me and I know that’s no excuse but I really am sorry, Riri.”

Just as Riri was about to speak, another voice came from inside her room. “Ri, who is it?” They yell.

warnings: drinking, kissing, riri got mommy issues word count: 1k A/N: another fic that turned out differently

Riri stared at her computer. She was supposed to be writing an essay about her feelings and her view on the world for an English Lit class but she wasn't feeling it. It had been 5 hours since she first opened her computer and she hasn't started it yet.

There's a knock at Riri's room door. Riri spins around in her office chair and goes to open it, letting her roomate, Shuri, inside. "So, what've you been doing these last five hours?" She says, sitting down on Riri's bed.

Riri lays down next to her on her bed. "Trying to finish—not even finish, start my English Lit paper."

"Since when do you have trouble writing? You're like the flash when it comes to that."

"See, that's the thing, Shuri, when I write for myself I write about fictional characters. Not real people, not real things. I don't even know how to start with this."

"Okay, then vent to me about it. I'm sure that'll help."

Riri sits up. "Well, what I haven't said is that this paper has been kicking my ass for weeks and Professor Winters said she'll have to move me to regular English if I dont turn it in by tomorrow afternoon. That's the part that keeps me from actually writing; the pressure—it's overwhelming, the amount of pressure she's putting on me. And to make matters worse, she called my mom as if that would help and it didn't. It made shit even worse because now my mom is on my ass for this shit, talking about some 'You need to get your shit together, I didn't spend all my money for you to go to MIT just for you to fucking fail and drop in your classes.'" Riri rolls her eyes as she's talking about her mother and stands up, pacing around her room, "She's always breathing down my neck for every little thing! And she acts like she's the one going through the shit of college and she's not and she never listens to me when I try to talk! It's like I never have a voice when it comes to her—she's always the one talking, the one who has to get the last word, and its so frustrating!” Riri stops pacing and takes a second to breathe. She looks at Shuri. “We should go out tonight.”

Shuri gives Riri a surprised look. “You know you’re gonna regret going the second you step foot in there, right?”

Riri shrugs. “I’ll be fine. I just need something to distract my mind right now and alcohol sounds like the best choice.”

Shuri sighs in defeat, holding her hands up. “Alright. I’ll go see who’s partying tonight and let you know.”

Riri can practically feel her anxiety through her skin. She's at a party. She doesn't like parties. Shuri was right, she does regret being here but theres no turning back now.

Riri mumbles to herself and makes her way to the drinks table. She gets a red cup and fills it with… Bumbara. Huh. She'd never heard of that before but if it was enough to get her drunk then so be it. Just as she's about to take a shot of it, she sees Shuri beside her.

"Tryna get drunk already, Ri?"

"Thats what we came here for, isn’t it?."

"You do know that shit is gonna give you a nasty ass hangover, right?"

Riri shrugs and chugs her drink. It only takes a few seconds before she starts coughing quietly. It was spicy and left her throat a little sore but she liked it. She filled her cup again while Shuri watched.

"Don't come to me tomorrow morning begging me to make you something to eat and drink, you know? I gave you your warning."

Riri rolls her eyes. "I'm a big girl, Shuri. I can handle myself when I'm hung over."

"Uh huh, sure. If you're not too intoxicated when you're done, call or text me if something happens." Shuri pats Riri on the back and lets her be.

Riri takes a few more shots, some mixed, some raw, and makes her way to the main area. There’s a circle of people playing a game. The only person she recognizes is Shuri so she sits next to her.

‘You good?” Shuri whispers to her, holding her hand.

Riri nods and rubs the back of Shuris hand with her thumb, "I'm good."

"This is a drinking game, you know. You've had a few shots, are you good to play?"

"I'm good, mama," Riri repeats, the nickname coming out on its own.

"Alright."

"Alright now y'all, this game is a kissing game. It's truth or dare but if you tell the truth or do the dare, depending on the question and dare, you've gotta kiss the person. And if you don't wanna do it then you take a shot. Pretty simple," Aaliyah, the hostess of the party, says. She places an empty bottle in the middle of the circle and spins it.

It lands on Shuri.

Aaliyah smiles a devilish smile, "Truth or dare?"

"Truth."

Aaliyah takes a quick look at Riri, one that Riri notices, and then back at Shuri. "Would you rather kiss Leah or… Riri?"

All eyes go to Shuri and Riri. Riri  lets go of Shuri's hand and sits up straight.

"Riri," Shuri says without hesitation.

"Kiss," Aaliyah says. "Or take a shot."

Shuri looks at Riri and whispers, "Ri, can I kiss you?"

"Yes."

Riri woke up the next morning with a killer headache. She holds her head as she sits up. Luckily, there's no one on the side of her, meaning she, thankfully, didn't sleep with anyone the night before.

"You look like hell," Shuri laughs, walking in Riri's room.

Riri scoffs. "Yeah, I could go for a-"

"Cup of water and an Advil? Yeah, I got you." Shuri sat down next to Riri and handed her the water and the pill. "I told you not to overdue yourself and that's exactly what you did."

"I wanted to let loose, and I sure as hell did." Riri takes the pill quickly, shuddering when she's done. "And I wrote my novel."

"Yeah, and I had to get up at 7 in the morning to turn it in."

"Hey, I didn't force you to, you did it yourself."

"Oh really?" Shuri takes a pillow and throws it at her playfully, "Maybe next time I'll let you take that zero."

warnings: feels. like a lot of them. talks about mental and emotional abuse. Shuri goes o f f. angst, angst ending in fluff, y'all get a happy ending this time dw pairing: Shuriri word count: 2.5k A/N: LISTENNNNNNNNN I know I'm late with this alright? I knowww but I'm here now so 😭 also my bad for dipping for like a week? maybe more than that but I'm gonna be honest this fic was kicking my ass cause I was going through a lot while tryna write. needless to say there's so much projecting in this it's c r a z y. anyways even tho this took me so long, im still not satisfied with the ending but i digress since i need sumn to give yall ignore any and all mistakes cause this isnt proof read.

It had been a month since Riri told Shuri she wasn't going to forgive her and it had been the worst month of both of their lives.

Shuri had basically overwhelmed herself with her work in the lab. She never left—she practically slept there most nights. 

It's not that Shuri had things to fix with the suits, hell, she didn't even bother looking at them because they reminded her of Riri, but she needed something to keep her hands and mind busy so she just worked on small projects.

People started to notice, obviously, but nobody said anything. It’s not that they didn’t want to, it’s the fact that they knew Shuri wouldn’t listen. She was in her own world right now—her own safe space and anybody who tried to break her out of it in any way would be yelled at. 

Okoye walks into the lab, rushing to Shuri’s side as she almost falls over. “kumkanikazi wam kufuneka uphumle," (My queen you must rest) she says, helping Shuri sit down.

“I’m fine, Okoye.” Shuri brushes her off and tries to stand, only to nearly collapse for a second time. Okoye sits her down again.

“You have buried yourself in your technology for the past month, Shuri. You are hurting your body.”

Shuri sits there for a second. Her head drops, making her sit up straight. “Alright, maybe, I should take a nap-”

“In your own bed,” Okoye interrupts.

“Yes, in my own bed, Okoye.” Shuri rolls her eyes in fake annoyance before leaving to go to her room.

Once she’s there, she takes a shower first. The water feels so nice against her skin that she doesn't wanna get out. 

Over an hour later, Shuri stepped out of the shower. She wrapped her towel around her body and made her way to her bedroom. She dried herself off and put on a pair of clothes then sat on her bed. It was quiet. She didn’t know how to feel with no foreign noise or voice in the background. Shuri shakes her head and puts her phone on her bedside table. That’s when she sees it. In the crevasse between the bed and the night stand was a photo. Shuri picked it up. It was a picture of her and Imani. It was their first date. Shuri can feel tears starting to form and puts the picture down. She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around her chest, slightly rocking side to side. She hasn't taken any time for herself since her breakup with Imani and now that she was, it… actually, Shuri didn’t know how she felt. At least, not exactly. Yes, she was hurt. Yes, she was upset, but what else? Imani had put Shuri through so much mental and emotional manipulation that even when they broke up Shuri didn’t realize it. Shuri doesn’t know if she should feel relieved now that she knows or not. In all honesty, realizing that she was basically nothing more than a plaything for Imani to control, realizing all the sleepless night and petty arguments would only ever end in Shuri apologizing whether she was in the wrong or not, realizing that her and Imani did have something real before things went south, it hurt.

Over the five years that they’ve known each other, they’ve broken up and gotten back together again a number of times. Shuri knew she shouldn’t have given in to Imani when she told Shuri that she had changed but Shuri missed her. I mean, could you blame her? Imani wasn’t the only person in their relationship and she wasn’t the only one who made the mistakes.

This breakup was different, though. It was final. Shuri and Imani had had an actual conversation, over text, about their relationship. Of course, Shuri had been the one who reached out first but when Imani told her she was tired of going back and forth, that was it. She left her alone.

Memories of how they were before they made anything official ran through Shuri’s mind. The midnight calls that would end up with Shuri falling asleep first because of how safe she felt with Imani. The constant texting and inside jokes they had with each other that no one else understood. The sound of her voice, her sweet, pretty smile that she always flashed at the camera, the future plans they had made with each other. Shuri had felt like she had met her true love, her first love. Ironic, huh? That the first person she ever dated would be the same person she would be with five, ten, twenty years later. Shuri had opened up to Imani about so many things. Things she would deny if somebody had asked her about it. Yes, Imani was Shuri’s first girlfriend but she made Shuri feel like they would never leave each other. Like they would stay together forever.

Shuri’s phone buzzes, the sound freeing her from her own mind. She lets herself go and wipes the tears she didn’t even realize had fallen. 

Ima ❤️

iMessage

Shuri dropped her phone. She got up, pacing around her room. So many questions started falling into her head all at once. She couldn’t think. She could hear her heartbeat in her-

Incoming call from Ima red heart

Shuri gasps, “Fuck!” 

Tears swelled her eyes. Why was Imani reaching out now? Just when Shuri was trying to start her healing process. Shuri sunk to the floor, head in her lap, hands over her head. She let her ringtone play out but even when it stopped she didn’t make any efforts to move.

She ended up sleeping there

Shuri hears Okoye’s voice when she starts waking up. Okoye’s shaking her and checking her vitals with her kimoyo beads.

“Okoye, I’m fine,” Shuri groans. Her side hurts from the way she slept but she barely even remembers sleeping.

“My queen, you have a visitor downstairs in the common area,” Okoye says.

Shuri prayed to Bast that it was Riri instead of Imani. "Tell them I'll be down in a second."

Okoye nods once before leaving.

"Imani?" Shuri says, causing her to turn around. She looks… different. A good different. But Shuri won't let herself fall for that trick again. "Why're you here?"

"I came to apologize." Her voice is different, too. It sounds more mature than Shuri remembered. "I was tryna reach out to you last night so that we could actually schedule a day that you weren't busy so I could come by but you didn't answer so I figured an apology in person would be better."

Shuri keeps her guard up while Imani talks, her arms folded over chest. "I don't forgive you."

Imani stays quiet for a few seconds. "What? Shuri, I said I was sorry."

"Yeah, and I do not forgive you. You put me through hell, Imani, and I know you didn't seriously come here thinking that those two words would make you forgive you for everything. And, to be honest, I would tell you how fucked up in the head I am because of you, but knowing you, you'd probably use it against me in the future, if we even talk. So, why don't you just save both of our time and tell me why you're really here."

"Fine." Imani takes a deep breath. "I wanna try this again. I know I hurt you, and I am sorry, Shuri, I was going through a lot at the time we were dating and I projected my emotions onto you, which I shouldn't have. You're the best thing that's ever happened to me and I can't live without you."

"Then don't," Shuri shrugs.

"What?"

"Live without me."

Imani smiles. "I knew you'd understand -”

"Oh, no no," Shuri cuts her off, shaking her head. "I'm not saying we can get back together, Ima, I'm telling you to kill yourself. You know, since you can't live without me, just don't bother living at all."

"Shuri, what the fuck? What's wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with me is that my ex-girlfriend who mentally and emotionally abused me for years came into my house uninvited, gave a half-ass apology where she tried to turn herself into the victim, and then had the balls to ask me to get back together. That's what's wrong with me. You've ruined so many friendships I had and now thanks to you, I can't get them back. You knew I had never dated a girl before and you took advantage of that." Shuri raises her finger as Imani was about to say something. "And before you say it, no, we cannot just move on like we've done in the past. I deserve someone better than you. Someone who doesn't treat me like shit and doesn't ruin relationships I have with people just because they're insecure about themselves. So, do us both a favor and get the hell up outta my house. And if you can't find the exit on your own, Okoye and the other Dora will gladly help you." Just as the words left her mouth, Okoye and a few other Dora Milaje soldiers came from the shadows, spooking Imani.

"This isn't over, Shuri," Imani says while she's being rushed out. "You'll come running back!-”

"Oh, for bast's sake," Okoye says, rolling her eyes and pushing Imani out the house. "Make sure she leaves the city," she tells two of the Dora. "I do not want to see her here or anywhere in Wakanda again."

"Yes, General," They say in unison, escorting Imani off of Shuri's property.

Okoye turns around and sees that Shuri's sitting down on the couch. "Shuri, are you alright?"

Shuri nods. "Uh huh."

Okoye sits next to her. "You're crying," she says softly.

Shuri doesn't make any effort to wipe her tears or even hear what Okoye's saying. She's too busy replaying the "conversation" her and Imani just had. She hadn't expected to go off like that. She knew she was angry but she didn't realize she was that angry. Her words, her voice, her tone. 

"Can you give me a moment alone?" Shuri asks Okoye and Okoye nods once and rubs Shuri's shoulder before leaving the house.

Shuri sat on the couch until the sun went down. She didn't realize she had been staring into space for so long until she felt her eyes getting heavy. She gets up slowly and drags herself to her bed, falling into it once she's close enough. She holds her legs against her chest and continues staring into space.

Riri paces herself in her head. Stop acting like a pussy and just knock, she says in her head. She takes a deep breath and knocks on the door. It opens slowly.

"Riri?" Shuri opens the door completely. "What're you doing here?" Shuri looks…like hell. Her voice came off so quiet Riri had barely heard her. There's bags under her eyes and they're red and puffy. She's been crying.

Riri rubs her hand on the back of her neck, "I wanted to talk to you."

"I thought you didn't want anything to do with me," Shuri mumbles. Her tone isn't harsh or anything, it's soft again. Despite Shuri's words, she opens the door fully, stepping out the way to let Riri inside.

Riri walks in slowly and sits down on the couch, Shuri sitting next to her.

"I know what I said to you the last time we saw each other was harsh, Shuri," Riri says after a few minutes of silence. "And I wanna apologize for it."

Shuri tilts her head, "Ri, you don't have to apologize for-" 

Riri shakes her head. "No, I do. I'm assuming you and Imani broke up before you came to see me and instead of understanding where you were coming from, I brushed you off. You didn't deserve that and I know it's no excuse but the only reason I did is because I like you. That's why it hurts me so much when you cut me off."

Shuri pauses. I like you. Like. Not liked. Like. 

"You… you like me?" Shuri says slowly. "Like, present tense, Ri? Like, like like?"

"Yes, like like, Shuri," Riri says smiling.

"Even though I hurt you?"

Riri shrugs. "Everybody makes mistakes. Don't worry about it."

Shuri stays quiet for a few seconds. "So, what now? Are you…my girlfriend?"

Riri turns her full body towards Shuri, looking her in her eyes. "Can I be your girlfriend, Shuri?"

"Yes." Shuri's answer is immediate but she means it. She likes Riri. She's always liked Riri. Riri was easy to talk to, Shuri always found herself at Riri's apartment whenever she and Imani ended up fighting.

"Should we watch a movie?" Riri asks.

Shuri nods. "You can pick, I'ma go freshen up a little bit and get some blankets."

…

It's been four months since Shuri and Riri have started dating. 

Shuri's happier now, way happier. Her mental health since she and Riri have gotten together has slowly improved. It's taken some time but when Shuri finally opened up to Riri about what she went through while dating Imani, Riri almost booked a flight to LA just to find her. Shuri had to beg her not to because she knew how that would end and she didn't need her new girlfriend ending up in jail because of her ex.

"Mama, can you come here for a minute please?"

Shuri pauses the TV and walks over to Riri, who's in the kitchen. "Yes?"

"I want you to try something for me." Riri puts a plate of food in front of Shuri as she sits down on the bar stool next to the counter. Shuri's confused at first, she doesn't know what the dish is, but before she can ask the question, Riri speaks up, "It's ground beef and rice. You told me you'd never actually had it before so I decided to make it for you."

Shuri smiles at the fact that Riri remembers. She takes a small bite at first then a bigger one. "This is good, Ri," she says with her mouth slightly full. "Like, really fucking good." Riri covers her hand over her mouth to hide her smile but Shuri can still see it from the way her cheeks go up.

Shuri finishes her plate in a matter of seconds. Riri had been making meals for Shuri ever since she found out she had barely been eating and despite eating being difficult, Shuri finished her food every. single. time. 

"You like it?" Riri says, still smiling, "Like, you really like it?"

"Yes, Ri. It's so good." While Shuri goes to put her plate in the sink, she kisses Riri on her forehead. "You should definitely open that restaurant you've been talking about."

Riri chuckles and sits on the counter. "I want to, but to open a restaurant, first, I need money. Then, I need a vacant lot, and then I need employees and-"

"Baby, I have money. I have people and friends who can work for you."

Riri shakes her head, "No, no, I wanna make it there on my own, and I'd love your help but I don't want the foundation of my restaurant to be you cause then I'm gonna feel like I owe you for the rest of my life."