Superheroine Spankings [for CrookedOnceMore]

[Aeternam]

While she spoke, not even once Okoye's voice or expression faltered. She remained perfectly still and simply watched as T’Challa’s own expressions changed repeatedly. His reaction was not unexpected, although he actually managed to hold much better than the Dora Milaje thought he would. Even then, seeing the evident distress in his behavior worried Okoye a bit. She was not afraid of him getting angry at her, but there were things she wanted to settle down before Shuri arrived at the throne room: which included the way the king was going to react once she got there. In the meantime, she did no more than watch his moves as he turned around and stepped closer to the window. When T’Challa finally started speaking again, Okoye nodded and took a few steps ahead, her gaze shifting to the door behind her for a few seconds to make sure Shuri was not there already. Once convinced of that, the general turned again to the king. “Thank you” She said, glad to see the way T’Challa was dealing with that.

“With all due respect, my king, I believe treating her too delicately and being too lenient, as much as I can understand why you would want that, is precisely what created this entire situation. You have my word that I will never treat the princess more harshly than earned. However, that's not the same as saying I won't need to do fetch a cane again in the future” Okoye spoke the same way she always did: her voice tone may even seem harsh at first, but that's just the general being herself. There were no lies or half-truths in her words, -- and, despite it probably sounding even cruel to some, perhaps this was precisely the reason for her to have been made general -- only a very clear statement of her thoughts. “Speaking of…” She began, stopping for a moment, unsure not about what to say, but how to. Even though she was proud of being a very direct person, she had no intention of that sounding like an insult. After a few seconds, the general continued: “I don't know how long Shuri is going to take, but when she comes, it's important that you don't show her how much her spanking bothers you. Your sister must understand that she is not getting the easy way out anymore, and that you are not going to intervene if she does something wrong. The sooner she get this message, the best”

Okoye walked again, her gaze going through the window. “I know… I know this is as new for you as it is for your sister,” She started, this time trying to soften up her voice. “But trust me, my king. Although the results may not be very visible at first, it will eventually be worth it when you see the positive influence it will have on the princess's behavior” Even then, Okoye's voice did sound harsh, but for those who knew her, identifying the change wouldn't be hard. She almost never concerned about sounding any less strict than she usually did, and this was one of these rare occasions. “How much more is she going to take? Perhaps I should go get her” The general muttered, mostly to herself, but shook her head, deciding against it -- the girl needed to recover. It was an almost alien thing to her, the thought of someone taking this long to recover from punishment, but she kept reminding herself that Shuri was not one of her soldiers. She was a teenage girl who had very little physical training, and never before been subject of a corporal punishment. Hers was admittedly quite harsh for a first time, and while Okoye did feel some sympathy for the princess, she did not regret anything. Shuri had earned it, regardless of how harsh it had been.

Slippers furiously squeaked across the floor as Shuri blindly ran through the halls, keeping her head down and tucked away into her arms as the residents of T’Challa’s workforce poked their necks out into the hallway to see what all the fuss was about. “Princess?” “Your majesty,” “Ms. Shuri!” all called out as she ignored her many confused viewers and turned on a dime down the vast hallways of her base of operations. “Stupid guards!” Shuri thought to herself, picturing the concerned Dora Milaje kneeling down to get a better look at her. “Stupid servants!” She thought again, the many synonyms of her name looping in her mind as she passed another turn. “Stupid… Okoye!” She hissed, her hands balling into fists just thinking about the strict face and stricter palm responsible for the throbbing soreness still wracked in her lower body. “Stupid…” She muttered to herself, the most loaded of her grudges left on her tongue. She hesitated to even let it slip in her thoughts, but she knew what she was thinking. “Stupid T’Challa!”

Coming onto the entrance of T’Challa’s throne room, a long, linear staircase comprised of circular steps that became smaller, the corridor becoming thinner, until ending in a giant set of doors bearing the Panther symbol, fiercely protected by two guards. Shuri came to a halt as her feet skid behind her, the door she slammed shut to get to where she was echoing through the empty halls of Bast as she looked up to the throne room entrance, her breathing heavy and emotionally weighted. She didn’t hate T’Challa. She didn’t even blame him. She knew this in her heart, and already regretted merely thinking of cursing his name over what had happened. She couldn’t even hate Okoye, who was still definitely on her bad list, and certainly had no grudge against the hundreds if not thousands of citizens of Wakanda willing to worry about her as she dashed by with tears in her eyes. Most children weren’t that lucky, Shuri realized; which made her repeat a grave insult to herself.

“Children.” Shuri’s breath rose in her throat as the word burned into her mind. She was a child, Okoye said. Now, she was expected to walk into the throne room of the King of Wakanda and issue her apologies like any brat would be made to do after getting whooped by their parents. Except the apology was meant for the ruler of the most tech-savvy country in the world; the parent was the head of the most brutal team of women warriors since the Amazon’s; and the ‘brat’ was her, the smartest person in the world. Despite the world of difference between her and the example, both had sore butts and all the royalty in the world didn’t change a thing between them.

---

Okoye’s ordinarily rough, yet calming voice was grating on T’Challa’s ears as she spoke what he knew was true. Not because he wanted her gone or thought her annoying, but because it hurt to hear such talks about his little sister. After the death of his father, his family meant the world to him and with how much promise Shuri showed, how much he owed her for the technology that built his country from the ground up, he didn’t wish for a single hair on her head to be hurt, especially not this fiercely. T’Challa sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. When Shuri came back, he’d want to pick her up and hug her tightly, swear he had her best interests in mind and promise to make things up to her. Knowing he couldn’t, in fact, that he was expected to continue his disapproval over Shuri’s previous act, speared him right through his heart. His face stayed stoic in the reflection of the glass window, overlooking the country that was only so advanced because his little sister thought it could be. With a sigh, he turned back around. “I understand that,” He sorrowfully nodded. “Though while I won’t be lenient, I will be forgiving. Her punishment is over.” T’Challa cleared his throat, crossing his hands behind his back. “Where is she-”

On cue, the doors to the throne room entrance budged open, the slightest crack leading to the outside coming undone as T’Challa looked quickly to see who was coming in. At first, there was no one - whoever holding the door open was standing back on the other side. But after a moment of quiet, calm tension, a little arm with a recognizable bracelet came through on the other side. And Shuri poked her head in. Seeing his little sister and the obvious pain in her eyes brought a wave over T’Challa that instantly overrode every precaution he had just taken to be sure he didn’t stay opaque - “Shuri-!” He called out to her worriedly, taking a step forward before stopping dead in his tracks. Shuri ducked back down quickly as she shut her eyes, putting her back against the door as she crossed her arms and stewed over what she was going to do next. Okoye was in there. Anger boiled up inside her little body just at the thought of looking her disciplinarian in the face again. She stood still, breathing heavily in the presence of two fellow Dora Milaje that stood by the door, their eyes focusing down the hall but their thoughts wondering what in the world was so wrong.

Stepping back, T’Challa glanced to Okoye once as he took a deep breath. He cleared his throat before trying again. “Shuri.” He asked, his voice much calmer, yet more threatening than before. “Please, join us. We need to discuss something.”

“‘Discuss something,’ my ass!” Shuri furiously thought to herself, before realizing that was essentially what was about to happen. Running her hand along her cheek, Shuri groaned quietly to herself as her hand slipped back through the crack in the door and pushed her way back into view of the throne room, her eyes looking down like a guilty puppy yet her brow furled peevishly.

[Aeternam]

Despite her words, Okoye knew the king would only listen to her to a certain extent. And as much as it was a feeling that mostly didn't occur to her after punishing one of her subordinates, she could comprehend and even share to some much smaller degree the concern of T’Challa for the princess's well being after a punishment which no doubt seemed very harsh for someone who had never been submitted to it. In the time it took for T’Challa to respond, Okoye remained perfectly still, hands on her back and a hard to read expression. Once again, the king's response was not unexpected, but even then the general had to hold a sigh at that “That's good enough. She's just a teenager, anyway” She thought, slowly nodding her head. “Yes. As much as I usually don't try to comfort my soldiers, maybe in your sister's case it will be better that way. I've told her already that these punishments will not interfere with anything, but I don't think she believed me. Perhaps this is going to convince her.” Surprising herself, Okoye noticed she was actually giving that a thought: she was not sure on how to do that, but it may be a good idea for her to show, or at least try to, some concern for the princess after her punishments were over. It was a strange thing, and no doubt she was going to have a hard time with that, but was worth a try.

Okoye was broken out of her own thoughts by the sound of the king clearing his throat. “Where is she-” She heard him start, and prepared a response for that, but it was never made necessary: just as T’Challa started his sentence, the door to the throne room opened. Although not as quickly as the king’s, her head turned around to face the entrance of the room. Okoye stood just beside the throne, and by the time she took to turn completely her body, Shuri's head came through the door. The general looked at T'Challa as he took a step forward as he called out loud for his sister, who quickly stepped back, once again disappearing behind the door. Taking the chance, she cleared her throat in order to get T’Challa’s attention. “My king…” Okoye called out in a suggestive tone, raising an eyebrow. Of course, she was not just about to reprehend the king of Wakand, so her sentence died right there. Noticing his glance to her as he stepped back, the general simply nodded to assure him and turned her face to look at the door again. For a second, the thought of helping him by calling the princess occurred to her, but Okoye quickly decided against it. Although he didn't like that, T'Challa would have to reassert his authority over his sister eventually, and the sooner he managed to do that the best.

Even then, the way T'Challa quickly managed to calm down and put on a more serious tone surprised Okoye a bit. She wasn't expecting that, but once again nodded, the ghost of a smile showing on her face. As the princess slowly came back into view, the general wanted to laugh at the sight, but managed to keep herself under control and simply turned her face around, letting out a chuckle. “Maybe I did go a bit too hard on her” She could not avoid the thought, mostly due to the princess almost looking like a recently punished child. Which was not far from being true. Clearing her throat, the general was quick to turn her head again. This time, unlike before, she did send the teenager a expectant look, doing her best not to look too stern.

Every bone and hair in or on Shuri’s body told her to duck away, retreat to her lab, and spend the rest of her day/month/year/life barred in her lab fighting to forget the entire experience of what she had just been through. But with Okoye and T’Challa’s expectations weighing on her shoulders, plus an uncertainty that the former wouldn’t just order the two door guards to chase her down before she could get far, Shuri took a deep breath and took her first step into the cold tension of the throne room. With a sigh, she lowered her hands and steeled herself, the door clicking shut behind her. No turning back now. Shuri rested until her face looked as fierce and not-pathetic as possible, but given her current situation, she still looked like a sad kid and was well-aware of how non-threatening she was. T’Challa, meanwhile, crossed his arms in front of him. The closer his sister got, the better he could see the pain and fear in her eyes. As much as he wanted to hold back his emotion like Okoye asked, every step she took made him want to instantly break and dismiss her.

But he couldn’t. And Shuri kept a close eye on him as she walked up, half-expecting her brother to crack and apologize to her, half-fearing he was only here to finish a job Okoye started. T’Challa sighed wistfully as he waited, letting Shuri cautiously approach. The Princess kept her hands to herself, nervously fidgeting with her bracelet as she wandered up closer, making a clear arc around Okoye and nearer to her brother while shooting a dirty look towards her disciplinarian. T’Challa was first to break the silence. “Shuri.” He welcomed, uncomfortably, “I am sure you are feeling confused… or afraid…” Shuri froze. “Oh, is that what I’m feeling? Yes, I feel that. Lots of that.” “Or betrayed.” She bitterly muttered back, and T’Challa nodded, putting out his hand to signal Okoye things were okay. “Understood.” He nodded back, undisturbed. “I did not wish for you to have to find out so soon. And so unpredictably.” He admitted, and Shuri butted in before he could continue, “So why didn’t you tell me?”

“I tried” T’Challa frowned, the sternness of his voice surprising Shuri enough to take her eyes off Okoye. Obvious recollections of her presentation in the lab a mere hour before, if that, reminded her of when T’Challa would try to speak, but she’d hastily stop him to show off her next trick. The memory was fresh enough to make her frown in simple yearning for wanting their relationship to return to that innocent level again. “But you did not give me the chance to speak.” T’Challa followed. Shuri blinked. “If I had known…” She began to protest. “It was not your fault. You had no way of knowing.” T’Challa shrugged. “But that does not make what you did any less inappropriate.” Shuri’s eyes closed as she huffed, having forgotten the prank that landed her in hot water in the first place. “I…” She muttered, aware of T’Challa’s raised eyebrow and judgmental gaze. “...know.” She whispered more quietly after, rubbing her arm with guilt.

T’Challa’s look softened in response, and he sighed wistfully. “What Okoye did was not to embarass you, not even to hurt you.” He explained. “So, those were just the side-effects.” Shuri mumbled, the soreness in her rear not having faded from her session before. “You have to understand. I do not hate your practical jokes, or your sense of humor.” T’Challa ignored her as he continued, “In fact, I am thrilled you have managed to stay yourself, even with as much power and genius that you have now.” That made Shuri do a double-take. An honest compliment, after how much trouble she’d been through in the last hour or so? It didn’t alleviate her sad eyes, but she did nod just to show her acknowledgment, if nothing else. “But with father gone...” T’Challa hesitated, catching Shuri’s attention, “We cannot afford to not take things more seriously. There is a time and a place.” Stepping forward, T’Challa bowed to one knee, putting himself at face level with Shuri who stared deep back to him. A last tear joined the make-up smeared down her face as she reflected on his words. “Understand?”

Shuri swallowed. Her glance changed between T’Challa, and Okoye, many times. The air was thick with anticipation of her response, and after a drawn-out wait, she responded…

“Yes.” Shuri choked out her answer quietly. T’Challa nodded, and extended his arms out, opening them to Shuri. All her built-up rage and spite melted away and she latched herself into her brother’s arms in the blink of an eye, digging her head into T’Challa’s shoulders as he closed his arms around her back and drew her into a tight hug. The Princess found herself already weeping again for the second time that day, unable to keep the tears held for her family back as they dropped down and into T’Challa’s robes. “I’m sorry, T’Challa!...” She mumbled for his ears, and he closed his eyes, painfully holding back his own thoughts as he separated from Shuri quicker than she would have liked. “I know, Shuri.” He responded, “But I am not the one who was painted.” With that, both members of the royal family turned to Okoye, T’Challa expectantly, Shuri hesitantly. The Princess looked up to Okoye and crossed her arms over her chest insecurely.

It’d take serious getting used to, but even she couldn’t hate Okoye. She was just obeying orders. So while it hurt her head just to say it, Shuri whispered “I’m… sorry.” again, adding “Okoye.” after.

[Aeternam]

Okoye was not sure of what she was supposed to do. She could simply walk out of the throne room — it was not like Shuri was going to make a murder attempt on her brother or something like that. Yet she chose to stay still and watch the scene before her unfold. T’Challa seemed to have things under control, but if he needed her help, it was her duty to be there for him, both as a royal guard and as a friend. Mostly, it went as she expected: stone hard, her gaze followed the young princess carefully as she entered the throne room again. Unsurprisingly, she looked nervous. For a moment, the thought of walking out of the room crossed Okoye's mind once more, but was quickly put aside. Rather than that, she just stood there and watched the scene. It took every single bit of willpower from the general, but she managed not to sigh or roll her eyes at the way the king's stern and overall kingly behaviour threatened to unravel with each step closer his sister got to him. Still, to her surprise he actually managed to hold himself together. “That's it,” She thought, satisfied with the king's actions. Although she understood that this was his beloved little sister, and as such T’Challa probably would always struggle to with future reunions like that one regardless of how many times it happened, it also pleased Okoye to see that he understood why it was necessary for him to show the princess that he was determined to go on this time.

"If anything, this spanking she just got should be enough for Shuri to calm down on these pranks for a while. Though I doubt it'll ever be enough to stop her for good" She thought, trying to figure out how long it would be until Shuri found herself in need of being disciplined by her again. "With some luck she'll not do it again for a few weeks."

The general came to conclude her presence in there was good for both T’Challa and his sister, though to each in a very different way: to the king, her support both as a trusted advisor and a friend. To Shuri, a constant reminder of what had just happened and what would happen again if she stepped out of line, an incentive for her to remain civilized throughout her discussion with her brother. Her decision having been made, Okoye tried not to make it too obvious that she was carefully listening to everything they said. Although her presence was intended to be known, it was not her intention to make any of them feel uncomfortable. Even then, she could not keep herself from nodding in satisfaction as she heard T’Challa step up to his sister, for the first time sounding really stern. It did indeed surprise her as much as it surprised the king or the princess, but aside from the little nod and a smile of approval, Okoye did nothing. At first, she'd prepared to quickly step in and tell Shuri to apologize, but T’Challa’s hand signal had been enough for her to give up on that thought. If it had been in the army, the way Shuri expressed herself alone would already be enough for a second punishment, one that Okoye herself would never have even hesitated to deliver: and something she would not have hesitated to do if she hadn't been stopped by the king. Once again, Okoye found herself almost rolling her eyes as she had to remind herself that Shuri was not a soldier.

"Well, at least that is taken care of." Sighing in relief at that thought, the woman prepared to walk off when she realized their conversation was slowly changing subject back to the prank that started it wall, which rose another question among the royal siblings: Okoye. As the one who'd been, albeit unintentionally, targeted by that paint bomb, it was only natural that they'd eventually get to her, but it happened way too fast. By then she'd expected to be long gone from the room. It didn't happen.

T'Challa's expectant look convinced Okoye to stay. Shuri was looking at her with some reluctance, which was expected considering their most recent interaction, but still the Dora Milaje sent back to her a confident look. No matter where she searched, there was no trait of regret or hesitation on the general's face. The message was pretty clear: she did not feel bad for what she'd just done, and she would definitely not hesitate to do it again if deemed necessary. But as the seconds went by seeming like hours, hesitation became insecurity, and then the princess was finally ready to say something. It was only when she heard Shuri's apology that Okoye realized she was not really expecting it. Maybe an apologetic look, or even a nod, but despite T'Challa's incentive Okoye could see the princess meant it. "It is... It is okay, princess Shuri. Your punishment is over now, you don't need to apology." She finally said. For most people, her voice would still sound too much business-oriented to be considered soft, but for those who knew her, they'd also know this was as close to soft as the Dora Milaje leader could get. "As your brother said, that punishment was not meant to hurt, or even embarrass you, though it inevitably did. It is meant to keep you from overdoing it like you did today."

"Well... This was good." Okoye thought to herself with some insecurity, though outside she was still as cold confident as before. "She's not as angry as I thought she'd be, or at the very least she's hiding it pretty well."

Her sudden draw back to the conversation was not unintentional; T’Challa was watching, his hands now postured and crossed behind his back. His head looming downwards, casting a shadow over his intense eyes as he watched Okoye and Shuri both, judging their interactions silently, yet undeniably loud all the same. Having done her part, meanwhile, Shuri shut her eyes tightly and looked away. Tears already threatened to brim in her eyes again; Bast, just having to stand here and apologize to Okoye while she and T’Challa towered over her reminded the short scientist of just how young she really was to them. They didn’t see her presence here as the remarkable, smartest person in the known universe; instead, she was just a bratty teen, to both of them. And if that didn’t bring tears stinging to Shuri’s eyes, especially in the judgement of her beloved brother, nothing would.

Luckily, T’Challa and Shuri had quite the bond - and the Black Panther was more than aware of when his sister was in distress. That’s why while both pairs of eyes were fixed on Okoye, his was much more expectant, with higher, higher standards for her response than Shuri might’ve had. Her stoic face already said more than Shuri needed to hear. She didn’t care. Her apology meant nothing… she was just going to position herself outside of her lab from now on, pacing the halls, waiting for Shuri to do anything short of ‘behaving’ so she could pull her aside and abuse her again. Shuri’s brow weighed heavy on her eyes. Just say something, anything, you idiot! Go off about how little fun the Princess would be allowed to have for the rest of her life, how firmly she was going to be ruled over by someone ranking far lower than her on the hierarchy… yet, Okoye said nothing of that sort. Where most would love to gloat their power over a figure of the throne, the Dora Milaje general didn’t hold it over Shuri; despite how easy it would be.

”Is it?” Shuri bit her lip to keep from saying allowed, yet her bitterness couldn’t stay forever. Hearing she was forgiven, that everything was okay now… melted a certain burden she didn’t realize she was holding over her own heart. As it faded, her stomach lost that awful sore it had gained just from being in the room, her awful headache growing a little more tolerable. She closed her eyes and looked away just to hide her expression as two more tears dripped down her face. No matter how many times she heard it, it’s not like being told she wasn’t meant to be embarrassed or hurt made her feel any less embarrassed or hurt! Her tongue curled in her mouth with a slew of mean words intending on delivering just that statement as safely as she could under her new authoritarian guidelines… but she stopped. Wiping her mouth, Shuri crossed her arms and looked away, her face doing all the talking to prove she had something she knew she should say, but wanted more than anything not to.

Finally, it came out. “...thanks.” She muttered softly, and quietly. But it was enough. Not far from her side, T’Challa looked to Okoye with a quizzical expression, making sure they were on good terms to leave the cards there for at least tonight. Not a word was exchanged, but enough was understood. With a nod, T’Challa inched closer, and slid his arm over his sister’s shoulder; bending to his knee, his other arm came back around and wrapped Princess Shuri in a loving side-hug. Though she was pulled back a step by his weight, Shuri didn’t resist, and after a few moments of looking pouty… finally turned around and joined him back, tucking her face into the king’s shoulder.

Glancing up, T’Challa reopened his eyes and looked to Okoye. One hand moved up, and with two fingers, he gestured towards himself.