Chapter Text
“You don’t get to pick and choose when I matter, Shuri.”
Riri’s voice was low, but it cut like a wire snapped under pressure.
Shuri didn’t flinch — but her grip on the edge of the table tightened.
“You think this is about mattering?” she said, voice calm. Too calm. “You don’t understand the first thing about what’s at stake here.”
“I understand enough.” Riri stepped forward. “I built that damn fortress to protect your entire nation. I slept two hours a night, I bled for that system, and I never asked you for anything—”
“No,” Shuri snapped. “You just expected it.”
Riri blinked. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“You wanted me to fall in line. To be grateful. To be yours. And when I didn’t hand myself over with a bow, you decided I was a project that failed.”
Riri’s breath caught in her throat. “That’s not fair.”
“No?” Shuri crossed her arms, each word slicing colder than the last. “You wanted the crown to trust you. You didn’t want me. Not really. Just the part of me that looked good next to your genius.”
Riri stepped back like she’d been slapped. “That’s bullshit.”
Shuri’s jaw tensed, but she didn’t back down. “You think you’re the only one who’s tired? I buried half my family. I wake up every day with a country’s expectations on my back and you— you give me ultimatums.”
“I gave you chances!” Riri shouted. “To let someone in. To stop carrying it all alone!”
“And what?” Shuri’s voice cracked just slightly. “Let you see the parts of me that aren’t brilliant? That isn't strong? You’d never respect me again.”
“Don’t—” Riri’s voice trembled now. “Don’t pretend like I ever asked you to be perfect.”
“Then why does it feel like I’m only worth your heart when I am?”
Silence.
Heavy. Breaking. No tech in the world could fix this.
Riri didn’t answer. She just turned, jaw clenched tight, and walked out — slow and final.
Shuri stood there alone in the quiet she said she wanted.
And hated every second of it.