Erik felt his heart enclose in his throat. The identical necklace he wore to match T’Challa’s felt cold against his bare, scarred chest.
“You’re lying, my love.” He whispered. His hot tears burning trails down his cheeks. He was starting to heave uncontrollably. His stomach churning like the day he found his father lying on the living room floor.
“I’m afraid not. T’Challa is gone.” M’Baku choked on the word gone. He pulled his metal necklace out from his coat.
Along with the necklace that belonged to their grandfather, and the purple monochrome ring that only M’Baku and Erik had the match to.
Gone.
But he was right here.
In his mind, that was all Erik could scream. The winds of the Jabarilands had never felt this cold before. He felt like throwing himself in the cold mountains.
“My love, talk to me. We both lost him. I can’t lose you too.” M’Baku made out through his tears.
To Erik, the earth had put itself on pause. The wind no longer blew. M’Baku no longer cried. The Jabari land he stood in felt blank, but not cold.
He felt arms wrap around him. The warmth only came from a Wakandan king that had a body of a furnace.
Erik whipped himself around to see a sad smile on T’Challa. He looked beat up, his suit covered in ash and blood. He smelled of iron and sulfur that made a home in Erik’s nose.
He collapsed in T’Challa’s arms. He let out a loud sob. All he could do was bury his face in the kings chest.
“Why would you leave me here?” I could’ve been there, to help you, Shuri. My heart has never felt this heavy. I have never felt so weak. Why leave me this way?
All T’Challa could do was sigh. There where tears soaking Erik shoulder.
“No tears for me,”he spoke, but I left you here to overlook the throne an-“
“To hell with that damn throne! Every time I sit on that slab of vibranium it reminds me of how I sat idly while you died!”
Erik ripped himself from T’Challa’s arms.
“Everywhere I go, a shadow of your life follows me around.Mocking every breath I take. You are supposed to be by our sides, M’Baku hardly sleeps. Eats. He is no longer the same.”
He cried through everything he was saying because he wanted T’Challa home.
T’Challa stood up and took Erik by the hand.
“I knew I wasn’t going to make it back to Wakanda. I knew that I was leaving and not coming back. That was the truth I chose to omit from you and M’Baku.”
Erik shook his head, gasping for air from crying.
“You are not going to do that to me. Not again.You promised to tell me everything.You can’t just chose when you get to die!”
T’Challa’s Body was staring turn into ashes. His hand outstretched to someone he never thought would care for him so much.
“I’m sorry N’Jadaka. I love you and I’m sorry.” He whispered.
He turned back to M’Baku. He was leaving too.
“You will always be with us, my love. Always.”
And just like that, they were gone.
Erik shot up in his bed. Gasping and crying, he couldn’t really do anything else but hug his pillow while rocking back and forth.
The light chuckles of his boyfriends coming through the door slightly set him at ease. They reduced themselves to silence, once they realized what was wrong.
The both sat next to him, showering him in kisses and reassuring him that everything was okay.
“But you were right there, T’Challa. And then you were gone. Same with you, M’Baku.”
T’Challa sighed and brought Erik’s hands to his chest. M’Baku embraced Erik from behind, his heart beat soothing.
“Were are we right now?” T’Challa asked, kissing Erik’s hands. M’Baku kisses lightly on the nape of his neck.
“Right here.”
M’Baku rubbed up and down his chest and spoke,
“Then that’s what matters. No matter how you thought that war was going to end, or how we got to be here right now, that doesn’t matter. We are right here, promise.”
He turned to hug the gorilla king. He slowly nodded into his chest. T’Challa kissed along his spine and pulled him down to sleep.
The all fell asleep in a tangle of limbs, but Erik fell asleep with a slight smile on his face, knowing one thing for certain.
They were right there.