Spider-Man of Earth 65

A new element. A new chance for humanity. That was what this was. However, though the results were as they desired, that did not mean their job was over. They needed to observe this new element and wait to see how stable it was. They didn't have the equipment for that right now.

Shuri carefully secured the new element in a specialized containment unit, ensuring it was safe and in mint condition for tomorrow. The excitement in the lab was palpable.

Click!

The storage unit was in a cylindrical shape and once the new element was inside, it closed sharply. Felix and Shuri shared a triumphant high-five.

"We did it!" Shuri exclaimed, a wide grin spreading across her face.

Felix beamed back at her. "Yes, we did!"

Okoye entered the lab, carrying a tray with drinks. 'That was fast.' Felix's glasses detected that they were normal glasses of whiskey. Nothing unusual was detected. Okoye was simply efficient in her job.

"I believe a celebration is in order," Okoye said, her usual stoicism softened by the smallest of smiles.

Felix and Shuri each took a glass, raising them in a toast. "To a new element," Felix said.

"To Wakanda's brilliance and the future," Shuri added, clinking her glass against his.

As they sipped their drinks, the conversation naturally turned to the new element and what they should name it.

"How about…Badassium?" 

"No," Felix replied. "Like, just no."

"How about Wakandium?" Okoye suggested,

Both Felix and Shuri exchanged amused looks before bursting into laughter. "Corny," they said in unison.

"Okay, okay," Shuri said, still chuckling. "We need something that's not corny, not over the top but doesn't sound so... obvious."

Felix tapped his chin, deep in thought. "How about Vibranium-X? It's derived from Vibranium and marks the next evolution."

Shuri considered it, then shook her head. "That's like adding 'Xxx' to your username. We need something unique."

A comfortable silence settled over them as they pondered. Then, Shuri's face lit up. "How about Element-NE?"

Felix raised an eyebrow. "NE?"

Shuri grinned. "It stands for 'New Era'. Ya know, since this is literally renewable energy that has no withdrawals. This could be a new beginning for advancement in technology."

Assuming there weren't any long-term effects, Shuri was right. But on the other side…

"Meh, too sci-fi."

Felix and Shuri ended up going outside the laboratory to the empty receptionist area. They sat down next to the vending machine, backs to the wall. 

"How about…Uro?"

"Sounds too mythical," Felix said. "Wait, also, isn't Osborn going to be naming it? This is legally their property."

"Doesn't mean we can't have input," Shuri retorted.

"True, true. Wait, shouldn't we tell Liv—"

"Who cares about her? We carried this project from start to finish. I bet if the two of us had started from the beginning, we'd have made it even more efficient."

"I don't disagree there," Felix said. "I think we could clock the transformation down to thirty seconds."

"See? Dr. Octavius is an old generation genius. She's got nothing on us."

"Does she? I feel like she does."

"Come on, Felix. Have some faith in yourself." Shuri lightly tapped his shoulder with a fist. "You're literally one of the three smartest people I know—and I'm a princess that knows a lot of people."

Shuri laughed and so did Felix. As they settled into a comfortable silence, Shuri scooted closer to Felix. The young black woman was intrigued by something, side-eyeing as she drank her glass. Scooting even closer, she leaned up to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"Your hair changed," Shuri mused, her fingers gently brushing through the black strands with subtle brown highlights. "Did you dye it or something?"

Felix chuckled, a slight blush creeping up his cheeks. "Thanks, I guess? No dye."

"What, have you been stressing?"

"Not stress, just…more exercise." 

Shuri smiled warmly, her hand lingering in his hair for a moment before she pulled back. He half-expected her to crack a joke. "You know, we should continue this celebration at my apartment. It's much more comfortable there."

"Oh, sure. Why not?"

Okoye was already there at the entrance, a tray in hand for them to put their empty glasses. At the same time, she was ready to drive them to her apartment. 

The drive to Shuri's apartment was longer than Felix expected. According to Herbie, they were headed to Central Park South. And not just any part of it either. 

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT TOWERS SHAPING CENTRAL PARK'S SOUTH CORRIDOR, AKA BILLIONAIRES' ROW

As the doors opened and they came out, Felix was taken aback by the sheer opulence of the skyscraper. 

"This is your apartment?" Felix asked. "Like, I knew you were a princess but still! Sheesh!"

"Come on, Dr. Faeth. After all we've done, this is what gets you? A silly building?"

The penthouse was located in arguably the richest part of New York. A towering skyscraper with an unobstructed view of the city skyline.

The receptionist area, the elevator, every step of the way was luxurious. Felix felt completely out of place. The Advanced Glasses scanned each face nearby. Pretty much everyone here was either among the richest in the world, some big-time executive, or a politician. There wasn't a single face that Herbie could not scan and not find in an article or on the stock market.

Shuri whistled as the elevator carried them up. Okoye was with them too, her expression stoic as ever. 

The elevator doors opened.

"Wow."

Felix couldn't help but marvel at the luxurious penthouse. The space was vast, with floor-to-ceiling windows offering breathtaking views of the city. There was a sprawling living area with plush furniture, a state-of-the-art kitchen, and a pool outside. Yes, a pool. 

"Talk about rich." 

Shuri grinned. "Glad you like it. Make yourself at home."

"I will make dinner," Okoye said.

So Okoye was set about preparing dinner. That was going to take fifteen or twenty minutes. Felix looked around. There was a lot of walking room here. 

"Er…"

"I'm hot and tired. I'm going to take a bath," said Shuri, walking over. The glass door opened automatically and she was out facing the skyline of New York City. She felt the cold night air and witnessed the stars.

Shuri looked upon the glorious stars of the city, smiled, then began stripping. 

'H-huh?' Felix did not know what to do. He had sort-of followed her but stopped at the automatic glass doors when he saw her take her shirt off. Her back and her complexion skin was a rich, deep brown, smooth and unblemished. Her long braided hair reached down her back. 

Felix averted his eyes, feeling his cheeks heat up. "Uh, Shuri, are you sure—"

"Don't be shy, Felix," Shuri called out, her tone teasing. "Join me. It's just a bath. What, don't you Westerners bathe amongst friends?"

Felix hesitated for a moment longer, then sighed. "Alright, fine. But if Okoye catches us, can you promise that she won't kill me?"

Shuri laughed, the sound light and carefree. "Promise."

Felix quickly stripped down to his black boxers and stepped outside. Luckily for him, Shuri was busy staring at the night sky to see his very visible package. Because of the issue of his "gift", he decided to go into the water first. The water rippled around him as he stepped in and Shuri stared after him.

"Look at that enthusiasm! Good."

Shuri climbed in, the water enveloping her in a soothing embrace. She swam over to Felix, who was already lounging against the edge of the pool. He side-glanced at her. Like him, her bra and panties were black. These weren't swimwear so Felix made sure not to look for too long. He returned to looking at the stars and the lights of New York City. 

"This place is amazing," Felix said. "I can't believe you live here."

"Is it?" Shuri shrugged, a sly smile on her lips. "Perks of being Wakandan royalty, I suppose. I see views like this in every city I stay in."

"Which has the best view?"

"Vancouver or Hong Kong. Vancouver has this stunning natural beauty of the mountains and the ocean. Hong Kong is a lot like New York except better. The skyscrapers are just…chef's kiss." To emphasize, Shuri kissed her pinched fingers like an Italian. "Amazing."

They floated in comfortable silence for a while. Felix found himself relaxing, the tension of the day melting away. Today, he met up with Emma Frost. Today, Emma Frost discovered his identity.

Today, he created a new element that was completely renewable. 

"You know," Shuri said, turned toward him with a cheeky smile, "I'm not the type to let just anyone in here."

"...thanks."

"You know," Shuri said suddenly, her voice soft, "you're a pretty interesting guy, Felix."

Felix chuckled. "You think so?"

Shuri nodded. "Yeah. You're different. In a good way."

"If you're flirting with me, you're doing a terrible job of it."

"Hey, I'm a princess, cut me some slack! We don't do romance."

"Is your brother going to make you have an arranged marriage or something?" Felix said that as a joke but judging by her face, it wasn't a joke.

"Probably? I don't know. My brother T'Challa, he…he became King at a young age. The pressures of maintaining a dynasty in the modern age are not easy. If necessary, I will do as I am told and marry whoever necessary."

That…sounded depressing.

"I am sure it is the same with you. With everyone. There are simply some things you must do. This is mine. I cannot complain," Shuri said, eyes glued to the stars. Suddenly, she grinned and scooted closer, her hand brushing against his. "But! That doesn't mean I cannot have my fun in the meantime!"

Felix could see right through her. Shuri was many things: a scientist, a friend, and a jester. "When you mean fun, do you mean banging or do you mean blue-balling someone?" 

Shuri broke into laughter. The sound of her laugh and the look on her face was quite pretty in the light of the moon. "Imagine if I were to go out banging every attractive guy I see—the rumour mill would go wild!" She shuddered as she placed her arms on the edge of the pool. "And imagine if it was a white guy…" She clicked her tongue. "I can already see the headlines. 'Princess Shuri—colonized by a white boy! Is Wakanda losing its way?' Some of our officials are already doing it. If I did something like that, it would be a public execution."

"It's a globalised world. People of different religions and ethnicities coming together is natural as much as people hate it. It's simple statistics."

"You're a scientist so of course it looks stupid to you." 

"Yeah, kinda," Felix admitted.

"But I get it. People don't want to lose their culture. They don't want to forget the past, whether it be the atrocities, the fun times, or the people that came before them. And in Africa, so many languages are dying out. The last speakers of languages that have existed for centuries, just to day out in this modern era. Last week actually, I met up with one of them. It's sad; to be the only one of your kind. To see someone with your face but not hearing the culture."

Felix was quiet. He remembered Reed Richards. He was gone. Gone but not forgotten. Felix wanted to make sure of that.

"Not wanting to forget the past…I understand that."

Just then, Okoye's voice rang out from the kitchen. "Dinner is ready, Princess."

Felix and Shuri exchanged a glance and laughed, the sound light and carefree. They climbed out of the pool. Hungry, Felix had forgotten about the massive issue in his boxers. Shuri went over to grab towels for them and turned—only for her eyes to grow as wide as saucers. 

"Woah!" Shuri's eyes instantly locked in. "Talk about thick! What, do you do OnlyFans on the side?"

"Huh?" Felix looked down and went red in the ears. Being in the water, the wetness really made it worse. Any visible embarrassment was half covered by the darkness of the night. But Princess Shuri saw enough and let out a whistle. "Ah, um, my bad." One arm darted over his crotch (which, frankly, was a feeble attempt) while the second arm asked for the towel.

Shuri smirked, eyes eating up the view, and tossed it over. It wasn't just his crotch. Suddenly, she realized that the scientist in front of her was fit in all the right abs. Incredible abdomen muscles, broad shoulders, a small waist, and pelvis muscles that led to that mouth-watering bulge. "Don't be. Trust me, it's not everyday you get to see that." 

The tip of his ears turned redder. He was so damn lucky that it was dark. Getting teased by a younger woman was really embarrassing.