strangerambeau - Tumblr blog

strangerambeau · 5 months

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Calling all AyoxAneka shippers! We're lacking content! I've been dying for someone to post something, that's why I went out of my writer's block just to write this! Enjoy

A Love born at first sight

It was another usual day in Wakanda. The hot African sun was shining down on Ayo as she patrolled the roads of the river tribe.

Ayo watched with her stern and serious eyes as some people came in and out of their houses, her fierce eyes intimidating most people who locked eyes with her, but not a group of small children who came running up to her and started pulling on her uniform as some trapped her arm as they laughed.

Ayo tried to pull away from the children but their grips were too strong. Ayo was never find of children and this was one of the reasons why.

"Children, please let go." Ayo said in a stern voice.

The kids just continued laughing and playing with Ayo.

Ayo suddenly heard giggling behind her and a woman wearing a beautiful and traditional river tribe attire walked up from beside her as she held a clay pot in her hands.

"Run along now children, stop distracting her." Aneka said as the children ran off as they laughed with each other.

Ayo and the woman locked eyes and it was as if time had stopped for just the two of them.

Ayo's usually stern and serious eyes widened slightly at the woman's stunning features, her dark brown eyes enchanting hers as her eyelashes fluttering making her look more gorgeous to Ayo.

The woman smiled and it made Ayo's heart flutter.

"I'm sorry about them, the neighborhood kids can be a little too playful at times." The woman apologized to Ayo.

Ayo paused for a bit but Ayo soon snapped back to reality as she regained her composure.

"It's not a problem." Ayo said, being able to disguise her voice to that of a serious and stern tone.

"Thank you for patrolling around the river tribe." The woman said to Ayo.

"Of course... May I ask what your name is?" Ayo asked, not giving away too much emotion in her voice.

"Aneka, daughter of Kyana." The woman responded as she bowed her head slightly.

"And you are?" Aneka asked.

"Ayo, nice to meet you." Ayo introduced herself to Aneka.

"It's nice to meet you too, Ayo." Aneka said with a smile.

Everytime Aneka had smiled, Ayo had a weird feeling in her stomach, something like a stomach ache but in a good way. She didn't understand this feeling and didn't understand why Aneka was making her feel this way.

"Well, I should get going by now." Aneka said as she started to walk away.

Ayo felt a feeling of hesitance hut her when Aneka started walking away and she couldn't ignore it.

"Wait, let me carry this for you." Ayo said as she caught up with Aneka, offering to carry the clay pot she was carrying in her hands.

"Really? It's rather heavy, are you sure?" Aneka asked.

"Yes, I am sure." Ayo said as she held her arm out for Aneka to place the clay pot full of water in.

Aneka looked down at the ground shyly as Ayo took the pot from her.

"Where are you taking this?" Ayo asked as she adjusted to hold the pot in her arm as she held her spear in her hand on her other arm.

"To my house, it's not far from here." Aneka answered as she smiled at Ayo.

"Let's go then," Ayo said as she followed Aneka to her house.

As Ayo and Aneka walked, Ayo noticed some people staring at them and she wondered why, then it hit her, she was smiling happily at Aneka.

People had gotten used to Ayo's usual stoic and serious nature that it took them by surprise to witness her smiling at one of the women from their tribe.

Ayo immediately turned her face to a serious and stern one but it was already too late, people had began to whisper with each other.

Ayo brushed it off and escorted Aneka to her house.

When they both arrived, Ayo placed the pot down on the front porch and turned to Aneka.

"Thank you so much." Aneka said as she hugged Ayo tightly.

Ayo's eyes widened when she felt Aneka's arms wrap around her waist, she didn't know how to react to this, no one has ever made her feel like how Aneka did when she hugged her.

Ayo felt warmer and Ayo couldn't resist but wrapping one arm around Aneka's waist and placing her mouth on the top of Aneka's head, stealing a kiss.

They stated in that rather affectionate position for a while when Okoye's voice was suddenly heard "Ayo?"

"Yes general?" Ayo immediately snapped into attention as she quickly pulled away from Aneka.

"Where have you been? You were supposed to be back at the palace an hour ago." Okoye said in a not so happy voice.

"I'm sorry, general. I was just helping this fine woman in carrying a pot to her house.

Fine woman? Why had Ayo said that? The was the question that was in everyone's heads.

Okoye looked at Ayo suspiciously and wondered what was her relationship with this woman.

"Alright, let's go then." Okoye said as she turned to start walking back to the palace, she noticed that Ayo took one last glance at Aneka before following her.

They both walked in silence for a little bit before Okoye spoke up.

"So, when are you gonna take her out?" Okoye asked as she looked at Ayo who was beside her.

"I'm sorry?" Ayo replied in bewilderment.

"I saw how you looked at her and how you both were so close when I arrived, I can tell you two are into each other." Okoye said.

"But that does not make any sense, I only met her today." Ayo said to Okoye, trying to hide the fluttering feeling in her stomach.

"Have you never heard of love at first sight before?" Okoye asked amusingly.

"No, no I haven't heard of such thing." Ayo responded.

"Love at first sight is like when you see someone for the first time, you feel your heartbeat pick up and a good feeling in your stomach." Okoye explained

Ayo contemplated for a but. Those were all the things get she felt when she first saw Aneka.

"Don't be shy, Ayo. It's quite beautiful when you experience love at first sight." Okoye said, hoping Ayo will admit it.

"But, what if she doesn't feel the same way?" Ayo asked.

"Don't worry, I know people, and I know that you two have a connection." Okoye said as she smiled and winked.

From then on, Okoye made sure to assign Ayo's patrols to be in the river tribe so she could regularly visit Aneka's house.

"Okoye?" Ayo approached Okoye one day in the palace.

"What is it Ayo? Are things going well between you and Aneka?" Okoye teased.

Ayo blushed at this but showed a rare smile, nonetheless.

"Everything's going great between us, actually, that's what I wanted to ask you about." Ayo said.

"Ask away." Okoye responded

"Do you know any flower shops here in Wakanda?" Ayo asked.

"It's about time you asked her out! I was waiting for weeks!" Okoye replied.

"Follow me, I know the best flower shop in Wakanda." Okoye said as she started to walk off.

"Have you decided where to take her?" Okoye asked.

"Yes, it's a nice restaurant in the river tribe, so she doesn't have to walk too far from her home." Ayo answered.

"That's considerate of you." Okoye said as she teasingly bumped into Ayo and she draped her arm over Ayo's shoulders.

"Congrats, my friend" Okoye said to Ayo with a smile.

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strangerambeau · 11 months

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hi! currently reading all your okoye fics and they’re all so good 😭🙏 she’s always been my fave ever since the first black panther so i’m glad i found ur writing 🥹 if ur still taking requests, how about aneka/ayo where one of them gets jealous but she’s still denying her feelings and thinks it would be “weird” to fall for their co-worker 😩 i hc aneka as the more vocal one in the relationship so i think it’s also interesting to see if ayo was the one in denial. i’m okay w anyone tho and only if u like the prompt. thank u! 💗

My Adored One

Aneka x Ayo

Summary: Not even the fiercest of warriors can deny love.

Author's Note: I actually like this one. So I'm gonna need you all to pretend that this is their Debut story from me, because Jurisdiction is possibly my least favourite work ever and I'd like to forget about it's existence.

Word Count: 3.5k

Light Angst, Happy Ending

Warnings: Very Minor Injury (brief mentioning of blood)

If anyone were to ever ask Aneka about Ayo, they’d probably get a loaded answer.

She’d let herself grin from ear to ear thinking about the woman. Trying to find the best way to describe her.

“Ayo is…” she’d stop just as she thought she got the right words, wanting to find more.

“Have you ever had a good thing that only you know about? So you spend your entire day fixating on how lucky you are to have it but you never physically say that you have it. And when you go to sleep you’re thinking of this thing, and how you want to have it forever. That’s Ayo.” she’d say with a content look on her face. Knowing that she didn’t answer the question, and that she was just spewing out her love for the woman instead.

She’d describe her as this soft, caring, strong leader that is an integral part of the Dora Milaje. She’d easily confess that she liked the woman.

If you were to ask her what she’d do if she were given the opportunity to be with her, she’d get serious. And with hopeful eyes she’d say “I’d take it. I’d take her and never look back.”

If anyone were to ask Ayo about Aneka; they’d probably get a very limited answer.

Then she’d let you sit with that information. Hoping that you wouldn’t tell anybody what she’d told you, but also secretly hoping that you’d tell absolutely everybody.

She’d tense up, looking around for the woman in question before even thinking of what to say.

“Aneka is…” she’d stop to think of the briefest way to express how she felt, not wanting anyone to know too much about her feelings.

“Aneka is the reason that Bast still makes humans.”

In her head she’d go on about Aneka being the closest thing to perfect that there could be. But out loud, she’d stay silent.

She wouldn’t want to elaborate on the statement. She wouldn’t even want to repeat it.

Instead, she’d daydream about the woman, right as you spoke to her.

If you were to ask her what she’d do if she got the opportunity to be with her, she’d hesitate.

“I haven’t thought about it.” she’d lie at first, knowing that she was constantly thinking about it. Then, feeling bad for lying, she’d again try to keep it brief.

“I’d think about it.” she’d say, before immediately retreating to go anywhere but where she was.

“Ayo. What are you doing here? Isn’t it your day off?” Aneka’s questions are what welcomed Ayo into the room that she often chose to train in.

She’d get home, and think about it. Then she’d be training, and she’d think about it. All day she’d think about it. Think about how quickly she’d say yes if Aneka asked her on a date.

At first she got choked up, not knowing what to say to the woman. She knew the answers to the questions, but talking to Aneka was a much more specific task.

She wanted to say the exact right thing. She suddenly needed to make sure that she looked presentable.

She struggled to find her feet in creating conversation, but Aneka -being Aneka- waited patiently with a smile as she watched Ayo look for words.

She cleaned her spear as she waited.

“I thought that I’d come see you. Maybe get in some one-on-one combat with you.” She lied. That wasn’t why she was there. She came to be alone with herself. If she had known that Aneka was going to be there, she wouldn’t have had the guts to go. But it was too late now.

Aneka nodded, humming in delight.

“Okay, beloved. I see you feel more than up for a challenge today.”

Ayo blushed. Had Aneka just called her beloved?

The room was growing warmer. More welcoming. Ayo quickly forgot her previous urge to get out and find another place to train.

She got herself together, taking out her spear, just as Aneka did hers.

The two spent some time circling each other. Aneka looked deeply into Ayo’s eyes, while Ayo tried to stay focused more on the combat than on Aneka’s charming smile.

She became hasty in her attack, charging first to get the action going. Aneka’s expression changed quickly. Her battle face took over as she realised that Ayo intended to seriously train.

‘ She's still charming.’ Ayo thought. Then she shook her head at herself. “Focus.” she whispered to herself.

“I am.” Aneka said, swinging her spear under Ayo.

The latter responded with a swift gliding motion of her spear to stop Aneka’s from hitting her feet.

Aneka retracted, and brought her spear up to clash with Ayo’s.

Ayo tried to stay focused, looking down while blocking the other spear. But still Aneka retracted and took hit after hit, smiling when she was able to pass through Ayo’s defences.

For once she was glad that the training spears weren’t electric like the vibranium ones.

When she landed on the floor, she was even more glad that it was only the two of them in the room. Had the others been there, Okoye wouldn’t ever have let her forget it.

Especially because Aneka hadn’t even touched her, so she’d seemingly tripped on air.

“Is that all you’ve got, Ayo?” She approached the defeated woman who refused to get up and continue to embarrass herself.

When Aneka knelt down, her cocky expression turned worried. “Oh, my love. You’re hurt. Your head.”

Ayo raised her hand to take a feel of her head, and unsurprisingly her hands returned with blood on them.

“Stay here.” Aneka said.

Ayo did as instructed, sitting up and waiting for Aneka to return.

Though she considered leaving then and there, her mind told her not to. Her mind went back to the other thing Aneka had said.

“Oh, my love. You’re hurt.”

My love.

Was that something that Aneka usually called people? She couldn’t quite remember.

Her memory was hazy.

When Aneka came back with a first aid kit, Ayo’s mind came back to her injury.

She tried to make a grab for the kit to handle her situation.

“Don’t. Let me do it, Ayo.”

So she backed off, letting Aneka disinfect and place a cream on the cut.

“There.” she said when she’d put the thin bandaging on Ayo’s head.

“Um.” Ayo tried to speak, her voice hoarse and throat dry. Aneka’s face was so close to hers. So close that Ayo could tell that Aneka could feel her breathing on her skin.

She didn’t know what to do with the position that they were in. Aneka leaned closer to her face, her lips puckered.

Feeling those lips on her forehead, Ayo automatically sighed, feeling her body release the tension that is had.

“Thank. You.” she rasped out.

Aneka smiled, bringing her face lower.

When their lips were on the same level, and only mere centimetres apart, she stopped, Meeting Ayo’s eyes.

.Ayo opened her eyes to see that she was in her bed, by herself.

Just as the light touch of Aneka’s lips hit Ayo’s; she woke up.

She breathed deeply, processing the hyper-realistic dream’s events.

Her hand went for her forehead, feeling completely cut-free skin.

Getting out of bed, she tried to ration with her mind.

It was just a dream. Just because she felt so good in it, it didn’t mean that there was any truth to it.

Sure, she found Aneka to be quite attractive. But that was it.

That sensational feeling that she felt in that dream; that feeling of love. That was all fake. Just her mind playing tricks on her.

But she couldn’t deny the tingling feeling that still remained on her lips for the rest of the morning. The remnant feeling of what could have been.

She couldn't deny that she possibly wanted more of that. At least; not to herself.

To everyone else she would at least try her best.

Walking into the palace, Ayo was greeted by the sound of the early-bird Adored Ones chatting in the hall before the day truly started.

The leader of the noise was none other than the woman of her dreams. Literally.

Ayo approached the glowing presence of the woman who spoke. She could tell that they were all engaging in lighter conversation, seeing as everyone was smiling.

When Aneka caught a glimpse of Ayo on the sidelines, she lit up.

“And if it isn’t the woman of the hour! Morning Ayo.”

Ayo was ashamed to admit that her heart skipped a few beats when everyone looked her way.

Though her face was serious like it should’ve been, she could feel her face tingling. She had a feeling Aneka was the only one who could sense her uncomfortability.

Aneka went to hug her, embracing her firmly. “You look amazing today.” she whispered into her ear.

Ayo’s face was on fire now. The strong blushing sensation almost breaking her serious expression.

“Thank you.” she said quickly. Unlike in her dream she was quick on her feet when she was talking to Aneka. It was the best way to stay ahead of the flirtatious advances that she often made.

Not that Ayo thought it was serious flirting.

That would insinuate a completely different thing. It was just playful flirting… that was slightly more than one-sided.

She said slightly more because she couldn’t always be sure with Aneka.

She was a lot more talkative than her. Which often meant that compliments like the ones that she gave her were given to far more other people.

That’s why being quick to dismiss her was the best option. It took the feelings out of it all.

Unfortunately, that’s just about all that it did. When it came to staying focused around Aneka, quick responses didn’t help her. She was just as bad if not worse than herself in her dream.

With everyone else joining them in training in the same room, she was more wary of how she behaved. But Aneka still acted the same.

It made for easy distractions.

Ayo landed on the floor much faster than in her dream.

Aneka smirked at her, but quickly stopped and came closer to the woman, “Ayo, you’re hurt.”

Ayo sighed, lifting her hand and just like she’d predicted, seeing blood.

Aneka went to get the first aid kit, and Ayo couldn’t help but feel a part of her hurt for the missing “my love.” in her words.

Some of the others watched her as she sat on the ground, embarrassing her more.

Aneka came back, and for 3 whole minutes, Ayo’s real life was matching the dream exactly.

“There.” Aneka said.

She looked into her eyes, leaning in.

But Ayo wasn’t ready to face the rejection.

“Thank you.” she said.

She stood up quickly, knocking Aneka over accidentally. “Ayo, Wait!”

Rushing out of the room, she went into the opposite one, where no one had chosen to train alone in.

She let herself catch her breath, feeling a headache approaching.

Hearing a breathy voice behind her, she internally screamed.

“Ayo.” Aneka said.

Ayo turned around, seeing a confused Aneka coming towards her.

“What’s wrong?” Aneka’s hand went to softly hold Ayo’s chin like she often did, but Ayo moved in protest.

“It’s nothing.”

“It doesn’t feel like nothing.”

Ayo finally met the other woman’s eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong, Aneka.”

“Then we’ll figure it out. Just talk to me, Ayo.” Aneka begged.

The two looked at each other, breathing in deeper than normal. Time was temporarily halted. Ayo’s eyes looked down to the other’s lips for a moment before she tried to look away.

“I-”

Her eyes closed for a moment, and that light graze came again. Aneka’s soft lips wanting to touch hers.

But not quite reaching them.

“Ayo-” Okoye’s voice and frame came into the room, making the two separate.

“Oh.” Okoye had stopped dead in her tracks seeing the two so close together. Even if only for a split second.

“I heard Ayo got hurt. I was just coming to check on her.” Okoye said, looking the other way.

“Okoye,” Ayo tried to explain

“You look okay, so- I’m gonna leave now.” She turned and left the room as quickly as she came in.

Aneka’s attention returned to Ayo. “Maybe you should take the rest of today off. Just to figure out what’s wrong.”

Ayo unknowingly moved her head. Making it look like she nodded in agreement.

Aneka gave a slightly frown-like smile, going back to the room filled with the others.

Ayo stood still for a while, trying to figure out whether or not she had imagined what happened.

She came to no definite conclusion.

For weeks after it all happened, there was a distance between the two.

At first, Ayo made a point to avoid Aneka. Making up excuses for her to leave the rooms that Aneka entered. Saying that she was busy, or just openly ignoring her presence.

Aneka didn’t notice at first, actually believing that Ayo was busy all of the time. But when she noticed that she was purposely ignoring her on some occasions, she grew distant.

She didn’t outright ignore Ayo, but you could sense the tension whenever she chose to compliment someone else instead of her. Aneka didn’t mean any harm in it. She just knew what she wanted, and since Ayo wouldn’t admit that there were mutual feelings there; it had become a way to make her see what she was missing.

To Ayo, the ‘flirting’ became a clear confirmation that there was nothing special between them.

She let herself accept the fact that she would never get to feel that sensational love that she had secretly been hoping to have with Aneka.

This didn’t mean that it didn’t hurt. Because it did.

It hurt seeing those compliments going to others. It hurt seeing her face light up seeing other people. It hurt knowing that she wasn’t even an option anymore.

Ayo always had her reservations about starting that type of relationship with a fellow Adored One, but having the option always felt comforting.

Knowing that if she just got the courage to make that one decision; to take a risk. She’d have a chance of having something great.

It was the one thing that made her day 100 times better.

Now that that was gone, all she did was crave it. Hoping that she’d get it back one day.

Spending another day avoiding Aneka, Ayo sat on a bench watching her from afar.

As a woman approached Aneka, all Ayo could see was an excited romance-adjacent encounter. Aneka was all over the woman. Hugging her intimately. Whispering into her ear like she used to do to Ayo.

As Aneka held on to her, refusing to stop hugging the woman, her eyes landed on Ayo staring.

Ayo stood up, looking away with the hope that Aneka hadn’t fully caught her.

She gathered her things, making her way around Aneka and her new woman.

When Aneka saw the look on Ayo’s face at the sight of her ‘new interest’, she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty.

She’s known that using her friend as a jealousy tactic would have worked, but seeing her immediately leave with that sad look on her face again. It made Aneka want to fix things far sooner than she had initially thought that she would.

She thanked her friend for the help, making her way home.

There, she got herself ready for her big moment. Thinking about that one question.

What would she do if she got the opportunity to be with Ayo? She’d so confidently thought she’d “Take it” when first asked.

Now. she had to put that confidence into good use.

She didn’t necessarily think that she had an opportunity, but she had a small opening. One that was only being held open because of that almost kiss.

She’d been clinging to it from the moment it happened, wondering if she had imagined it.

She hoped that she hadn’t. She hoped that her opening was real.

Hope was the one thing driving her forward to make her move.

When Ayo heard a knock on the door of her home, she groaned in exhaustion. She’d been self-loathing for a few hours by then. Embarrassingly wallowing in her own pool of self-pity.

She was grateful that she’d at least changed into something comfortable, but presentable. Not needing to check for her appearance.

She opened the door to yet another dream. Though it seemed very real.

Aneka stood in front of her. Dressed like what Ayo could only describe as a glimpse of paradise. Like an angel.

Wearing a slitted cream-coloured dress, with silver earrings that stole Ayo’s attention and refused to relinquish it, Aneka stood far more confidently than she felt.

“Take me on a date tonight.” she demanded, letting herself into Ayo’s home.

Ayo turned to the woman who had passed her and was now getting comfortable in her house. She wore a confused expression on her face.

“Excuse me?”

“I said, take me on a date tonight. I'm sick of-”

Ayo brought her hands up to tell Aneka to slow down. “Wait, can you stop for a moment and let me think.”

So Aneka stopped, looking around while Ayo tried to process what was going on.

When she had calmed down and filtered her questions down, she took a deep breath.

“You want me to take you out?” she asked. Aneka nodded,

“Where is this coming from?” She asked, not knowing how loaded that question was for Aneka.

“It’s coming from years of watching you from a distance and wondering what it would be like to have you up close.” she started.

“I keep asking myself what I would do if I just got one chance to try this out. To try us out. Everytime I think about it, I tell myself that it might work. If I just get the chance. So I wait. And I wait, and wait. But I can’t keep waiting. It’s never gonna happen if all I do is wait. So I’m forcing myself to be the chance for once.” Aneka tried not to tear up at her words, wanting Ayo to know that she was serious.

Meanwhile, Ayo was doing everything to make sure that it wasn’t another dream. She checked for the time. She looked all over her house to check for any small changes. She even pinched herself a few times.

When she was sure that it was real, she still had her reservations.

“What about the girl you were with earlier.?” she asked bitterly.

Aneka scrunched her face at the thought of explaining that. “She’s just a friend.”

“A bit close to just be a friend, don't you think?”

“Look Ayo. I’m telling the truth. She’s just a friend. We don’t usually act like that. I was trying to make you jealous.”

“You were?” Ayo scoped out her whole body -mostly just to soak in the beauty of its presentation again- but more importantly to see if she was lying.

Seeing her do this, Aneka smirked. “Mhm. And it worked too. Well, mostly worked.”

“What makes you think I was jealous? “

“Ayo. Are you actually going to make me answer that? Don’t try and deny it.”

“I’m not trying to deny anything. Okay. Maybe I was a little bit hurt by it. But it wasn’t that bad.”

“Really? What were you doing before I got here?”

Ayo refused to answer, looking anywhere but at the other woman. Aneka folded her arms in victory, knowing that she had won.

Ayo considered her situation. Adding the new information that she had into the equation. Was she willing to take the risk?

What if it didn’t work? She wasn’t willing to risk that.

“I don’t know, Aneka.”

Aneka sighed, going in to hold Ayo’s hand. “Ayo. I’m not asking you to say yes to doing anything but take me on a date tonight. I know exactly what I want with you, and if you need me to tell you I will do so gladly. But I know how you are. You’ll stress out the entire time and feel pressured into taking a thousand steps at a time and making it work out as soon as it begins. Right now, all I want is for you to take this 1 step with me.”

She kissed her hand, looking at her with her entrancing eyes.

Ayo couldn’t help but start to feel that loving sensation all over again.

“Okay.” she whispered.

“Okay?” Aneka asked excitedly.

“Yes, okay.”

Aneka released her hand, going to hug her.

“Just one step?” Ayo asked. Aneka nodded in agreement.

Ayo let go, “Before we do that.” She couldn’t help herself as she leaned into Aneka.

There was no denying that their lips touched then. They connected and held each other gently, until they were ready to let go. Then they did it again. And then one last time for good measure.

When they departed for the last time, Aneka couldn’t hold in her giggle.

“Just one step at a time.” she told Ayo.

She reminded the both of them of that one thing.

It was just one step.

One night.

One date.

And a plethora of other possibilities.

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