How Rude
"I thought we were on evacuation, Princess."
"V-A-C-A-T-I-O-N." Shuri corrects him while fumbling with the kimoyo beads, navigating all the hologram screens that were hovering around her. Leaving Namor squeezing beside her, resting his head on her shoulders while he watches her work as usual.
"Ah, apologies. I thought we were on v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n, Shuri." The fact that Namor couldn't stop annoying and bothering her only makes her productivity drop!
"I'm almost done! Pa'aten!" Wait for me!
"You said that yesterday," Namor replies dryly.
"We just arrived here yesterday! You gotta give me some time to sort everything out! And how rude of you to distract me while I'm working!" She's doing as fast as she can to settle all the emergency matters. And the fact that just yesterday, Namor just dragged her out of her lab and said they are going on a vacation! She can't just drop everything!
Namor snorts. He gets up, walks to the other side of the cenote and sits down.
He sulks.
Namor noticed the recent peace and calmness, with the children not causing trouble, and seeing her work tirelessly day and night, he took the opportunity and brought her out to relax! But she didn't appreciate it! Women! Over 20 years of marriage! She started to find him annoying!
Across the pool, Shuri could feel the resentful aura her husband was emitting, like a sulking woman…
Oh, Bast— Shuri issued a final command, having Toussaint take over the governance of the nation in her place, while their eldest son and daughter, T'Amor and Kiri were entrusted with managing his realm. They had let go a few times before when they ventured out and they had done quite well. Hoping for a peaceful week without any issues, so she could spend quality time with him!
"I'm done, let's go!" Shuri happily hopped and skipped behind him, then draped herself over him, finding solace nestled against his back.
"The children are all grown up, they'll watch the timing to decide whether to stir up trouble or not," Namor stated. Their eldest twins are 21 years old while the youngest twins are 5, pretty sure they could take care of each other.
"You probably never have time to rebel before. Is it all funneled onto them now?" Shuri quipped.
"I have been ruling Talokan since I was in my 50s and 60s, around the same age as Taavi now, she's 10. If I rebelled, the whole nation would be in chaos."
"I didn't have the time to rebel either, I was busy protecting Wakanda too! So now it's our turn to rebel! Let them taste the headaches they've given us!"
Shuri continued to hang happily on his back, swaying and pressing her weight on him. "We have a whole week to rebel now! Come on, didn't you say you'd take me to see the Great Sea Turtles Migration?" They're on the other side of the ocean now, quite a distance from home, but they can make it back in a day if they have to.
"You said you weren't interested yesterday." Namor huffed, not buying it.
"The Plankton Bioluminescence Concert???"
"You said such an eyesore."
"Coral Spawning???"
"Boring." Okay, she did say that subconsciously.
"The cuttlefish and flounders, camouflage and mimicry show???
"Not of much research value." Ok, this too.
"Listen to the gossip of the crustaceans???"
"Hmph, I don't want to waste my breath translating for you, you'll wait until next time."
Shuri plopped herself in front of him and settled into his lap, but Namor looked everywhere but at her.
"Shark chase? Volcanic date? Sing with the whales? Jellyfish sightseeing? Racing with the dolphins?" With each suggestion, Shuri watches as Namor's mouth curves upward helplessly, the corner of his eyes crinkling beautifully.
"Ah-ha! I know! Let's go stalk some seahorses, octopuses, nudibranchs and humpback whales's mating rituals!" Shuri excitedly exclaimed.
"How rude. No privacy." Namor smoothly retorted.
"Nope! I never said that! What I said was, it sounds interesting and has research value! You can't falsely accuse me."
Unable to resist any longer, Shuri finally succumbed to his adorable expression and planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Namor immediately responded by parting his lips and kissing her back, and the two of them shared an intimate and lingering kiss. They broke apart and squeezed each other in their loving embrace.
"Are you sure you want to watch their intricate mating rituals or...?" Namor raised an eyebrow at her mischievously. "Ah, both actually! Hehe~ Who knows, we might learn something from them," Shuri chuckled. "Oh, why aren't you a seahorse? It'd be so convenient to have you give birth," she teased.
"Ha-ha- by the time we won't talk about going on vacation, we won't even have time to hold hands. Can you imagine having... 1000 babies?" Shuri visibly shuddered.
"I'm swamped with just eight! Don't even mention ten! 1000??" she exclaimed. "We'd have to distribute them among everyone for help!" They burst into laughter cheerfully.
Namor finally swung her back onto his back, securely holding onto her thighs, and off they went. But then, her kimoyo beads beep. He grunted hard. "What now, my baby boy?" Shuri gives him their favourite "Your Children" look.
"Not baby anymore, Mama," T'Amor wheezes, "I wanted to ask… if one of us accidentally, really accidentally, chopped off one of Bashenga's ears…" he could hear his Baba burst out in laughter beside mother already.
"Would you... come back and chase us with zapatilla and umtyibilizi?" Slipper. Kiri hesitantly asked.
Shuri slumps on his shoulders, feeling defeated. "Whose brilliant idea was it?"
"Kinich, Zyanya, Tadeas, Taavi, Namuri and Shukan." T'Amor sold his siblings.
"Not us." Kiri deliberately emphasized, adding weight to her words.
Shuri bit Namor's pointy ear playfully to signal him, look at your children!!! He smirks proudly. "You know what? We are extending the evacuation- I mean v-a-c-a-t-i-o-n to a month, so you better have it fixed by the time your Baba and I come back from our vacation, or your ancestors will be chasing after you all with sword art slipper-style!" The children quickly said goodbye and hung up.
"Ah, they remind me of the last time I accompanied them for a dolphin race, but somehow ended up being chased by sea lions!! It was so scary yet hilarious!!" Although they are a handful, Shuri never felt more blessed. To have children with Namor.
"With me around, we can go chase some sea lions tomorrow." Namor shakes his head in amusement.
"So, seahorse's mating ritual first?" Namor amuses. Walking into the water, carrying his world on his back.
"How rude!" Shuri exclaimed. Then…
"Let's go, In wíicham!" My husband. Shuri squealed in excitement.
"As you command, umfazi wam." My wife. Namor grinned and set off for the first leg of their journey.
They went home two months later.
To find T'Amor and Kiri looked 10 years older on them. Namor and Shuri pursed their lips, resisting to laugh in their faces.
T'Amor and Kiri looked at their parents, sulking, they looked 20 years younger back from their trip. After leaving both nations to them, running away to have fun, NOT FAIR.
The first thing their children greeted them was,
"Mama, are you pregnant?"
"Mama, are you pregnant?"
The twins cocks their eyebrows and say the same line in total sync. They looked at their mother, Shuri, with a more rounded physique and a radiant, glorious countenance, looking at the peak of healthiness. Glancing at their father, Namor, looking as smug as usual, they've grown accustomed to it.
Namor and Shuri exchanged a glance and simultaneously shouted playfully,
"How rude!"
"Nonsense! I just gained weight from eating too much seafood!" Shuri yelled.
"And me." Namor shamelessly added.
She playfully hit him hard, taking advantage of the kids' momentary stun. Namor and Shuri burst into laughter, holding hands as they slipped away like snakes, already discussing their next evacuation-VACATION.
The twins glanced at each other, pointing at one another.
"You're rude."
"You're spouting nonsense."
Then, T'Amor and Kiri sighed in a resigned yet amused manner,
"Why is it always us getting hurt?"
"Why are our parents so cheesy and gross?"
"As the eldest son and daughter, we shouldn't have to endure this burden!"
"Unfair! I'm telling Kinich! Let him be grossed out too!"
T'Amor suddenly had an idea.
"We should go on a trip too and leave the nation for Kinich, Zyanya, Tadeas and Taavi, right?"
Kiri's eyes light up at her twin's suggestion.
"Let's go!"