ENVIOUS HEAVEN

Curio was the type of person used to waking up in unfamiliar places. When he wasn't joining a team of people to save the world against his will, he was in someone's bed, or trying to get in someone else's. So when his eyes opened and all he saw was white, he wasn't the slightest bit freaked out. He had woken up in a room lined with dolls on the walls once; nothing could get stranger than that. 

What he didn't expect was for a girl, maybe in her late teens, appearing suddenly in his line of sight. He couldn't contain the scream that ripped out of him, limbs flailing. She merely laughed, body shaking as though she'd been shocked. Curio knew what little pride he had had been stripped of him in that moment. 

"Aren't you a funny one?" The unknown girl commented, still chuckling. Curio didn't react in any way, his face turning a light shade of red involuntarily. 

"Shuri, stop embarrassing the poor man." A thick accented disembodied voice joked, a joking tone to his words. Curio just wanted to curl up in on himself and disappear. This is not how he imagined things would play out. 

In that moment Curio shot up. Everything came flooding back to him - the weird memory he experienced of the worst day of his life, then falling, the feeling of all his bones shattering. He was in agony. More importantly - he was supposed to be dead. 

Frantically, Curio patted his body for any injuries, searching for any mark left behind by the experience. Nothing. The bubbling, raised scar engulfing his arm was still there, looking more sickly now that he'd been reminded of his arm blemish free. The sight made him want to vomit. 

Was falling a dream? Did he just pass out and imagine everything that happened?  

"I'm sorry about not fixing your arm. We didn't have enough time for that - we wanted you up as quickly as possible." The girl, whom he'd learned was called Shuri, spoke up. He jumped again at the sudden sound - he'd forgotten that he wasn't alone. This time, Shuri only smiled at his antics. 

Curio instantly got on the defensive. "Why do you want me awake? Who are you? And how in the actual fuck am I still alive?" 

Another figure entered Curio's line of sight. He was a tall man, his brown, tightly curled hair sitting close to his scalp. The well groomed beard adorning the lower half of his face sharpened his jawline, adding to his attractiveness. It gave him a rugged look, whilst still looking smart. The clothes he wore screamed importance, and his posture had a royal air around him. A group of women were grouped behind him, wearing armour and armed with spears.

Curio gulped. 

"I believe we should be asking you the questions first, in exchange for saving your life." The man ordered, arms crossed tight across his chest. His voice matched the one he'd heard before. He could now put a face to that voice. The women behind him kept their hands on their spears, as though they were willing to strike at any moment. Curio feared that if he even looked wrong at the man, he would be skewered before he could even explain himself. "Who are you?"

"Um," Curio rubbed at the back of his neck, adjusting himself so his legs were hanging off of the edge of the table. "That's kind of hard to explain." 

He wished Locusta was here now. She may have been quiet; people trusted her. Hell, he'd even want Octavian here, no matter how much the man made him want to claw his eyes out. His intimidating appearance made it so people didn't usually question him, otherwise they'd face getting a black eye. 

"Hard to explain like the circle in the sky you fell out of?" The man raised a brow. 

Curio cursed under his breath. "Strange always had poor aim." 

"Care to speak up so we can hear you?" The man was persistent, Curio would give him that.

"How am I meant to trust you when I don't even know your name?" 

One of the women closest to the man poked him, whispering in his ear. The man brushed her off, taking a step towards Curio. "I'm T'Challa Udaku, the King of Wakanda." 

Oh shit. Strange had them all researching all of the heroes they could encounter, having them look into who they are and their abilities. The man standing in front of him was the notorious Black Panther. According to Strange, he fought very hard in the end. 

Curio took his hand, awestruck. "I'm Curio." 

T'Challa smiled. "Now that we know each other, will you answer our questions?" 

"Actually, it'd probably be quicker if I just tell you everything. I -" T'Challa cut him off, the smile gone. 

"You answer our questions first, and then we get to the details." Curio gulped. He could see himself getting speared sooner than he thought. Curio nodded. "Where are you from?" 

"Ah, going straight to the hard ones." Curio coughed awkwardly, his hands holding on tightly to the edge of the bed. "I'm from this world, just from a different reality. In my reality, nearly everyone standing in this room is dead." 

T'Challa froze. All of the women soldiers behind him lifted their spears towards Curio, and Shuri moved closer to T'Challa. Curio panicked, hands lifting in surrender. "No, no, do not hurt me! I'm trying to help you guys!" 

"How can threatening us be of any help?" One of the women sneered, spear remaining in the air. Curio's heart was in his throat, hands visibly shaking. 

"I'm here to stop that from happening! Years ago a mad titan came to our planet, and killed half the population. And that included the heroes." Curio took a deep breath, looking them all in the eye individually. "I've watched everyone I love die, and I wouldn't want that burden on anyone else." 

T'Challa stared back at him with the same intensity. "How can one man change the fate of millions?" 

"I'm not alone! The organisation I'm with - Libertas - sent four of us here in the hopes that if we stop Thanos here, our reality will be changed too and everything that's happened since he came would be fixed. Just please, let us help you." Curio paused, taking a moment to look around the room. "Have you seen any of them?"

The moment he mentioned others, everyone tensed. T'Challa's voice was more curious than anything; it still sent a shiver down Curio's spine. "There's three more of you?"

Curio was getting tired quickly. His throat was dry and talking was scratching it beyond belief, and his own head was reeling with questions he wanted to ask them. Exhausted, he sighed again. "Yes, there's three more of us. I have no clue where they ended up, have you seen them?"

Curio hated repeating himself; sometimes that was the only way to get answers. "I'm afraid not." 

He cursed under his breath, hoping hysteria wasn't in his voice. "They probably took different exits of the plane."

T'Challa raised a brow. If he didn't understand Curio's explanation he said nothing on the subject. "It doesn't sound like you're very prepared." 

"How prepared can you be to save the world?" Curio countered, his hands returning back to the nape of his neck. He rubbed it, as if it would make things better. "Our mission was brought forward a month early. Fuck, I knew that old bastard was wrong." 

He opened his mouth to speak again but Curio interrupted. He ignored the enraged looks of the deadly women standing near T'Challa. "Look, I get that you're the King and want your questions answered. But that's going to take a damn long time and I have questions of my own. Can you just answer this - where am I, and how am I alive?" 

T'Challa stared at Curio, mouth parted slightly. Curio's breath was caught in his throat. Panicked, he began to wish he hadn't said that. Curio wanted his head to stay on his body.

He broke out into a huge smile. "I admire your courage. Come with me." 

He gestured for Curio follow him. Curio deflated under the sudden relief. Hoping that this wasn't the worst decision he'd ever made, Curio obeyed, following him like a lost dog. The women were only two steps away - close enough to stab Curio is needed. 

T'Challa led him to a large window, waving his arm at the sight. "This, is Wakanda."

Curio gaped at the sight. It was like the ancient times had clashed with the new - farmland adorned the edge of the area, lush with grass and consumed by water. T'Challa pointed to one lake in particular. "That is where you almost died. You're lucky that my people saw you fall, and someone jumped in to save you. If we had been seconds later, you wouldn't be here now." 

Curio just nodded, still taken aback by the beauty of the place. Modern buildings reached for the sky, building in size as they got closer into the centre. Hundreds, maybe thousands of dots were walking around the area, and Curio imagined them with smiles on their faces. If he lived here, he would never frown. Wakanda radiated happiness. 

"I definitely didn't die, right? This feels a lot like Heaven to me." T'Challa merely chuckled, clapping a hand on Curio's shoulder. 

"Heaven wishes it was like this." 

Curio could only agree with the statement wholeheartedly. 

"You're not in Heaven right now thanks to my tech." Shuri edged her way towards them, pointing at where Curio had been sat before. It was all white, in a peculiar shape and looked very complex. "My tech can repair any injury. Broken bones, gun shots. You name it and my tech can fix it." 

Curio looked down at his arm, exposed and vulnerable to prying eyes. Shuri's eyes followed his line of sight. "Even that. It would take time; it could be done." 

He blinked. Was she lying, so he could trust her? He didn't want to believe it. He wanted to believe it. 

"If you save the world like you say you're here to do, then we'll heal your arm. Deal?" 

Curio didn't even need to think about his answer. 

-

hey guys! you know that job interview i had last week? I GOT THE FUCKING JOB, AND I'M STARTING TOMORROW! now your girl is going to be raking in that dollar. it does mean that i will have less time to write BUT i promise that this book is my priority! i will dedicate as much of time to this as i can.

anyways, i hope you all had a good week and have more of them!

-thirdwheelchurchill