#and jabari is always just beaming that he gets to be with his friends

[keemitthefeog]

knowing that there are people that relisten to eldermorne but skip the hexbuds. how

these stunted old people with love in their hearts and blood on their hands are dear to me ;-;

[dramaqueeenamby]

A Day with the Udakus'

A/N: I know we’re all hurting, but I just wanted to maybe try to lighten the mood. I don’t really expect most of you to read this, or anyone, but for me, writing was therapeutic. I love you all, and we will get through this. 

Words: 3K

Warnings: NO ANGST. Just shenanigans

Summary: Reader is granted an exclusive interview with the Udaku family, but Y/N quickly realizes there’s more to the Wakandans than she could have ever realized. 

You clicked the pen three times. 

Once to ensure that it was unsheathed, another to close it again, and the last time for purposeful use. It was a habit you’d developed way back in middle school. You were always the irksome “pen clicker” who elevated everyone’s anxiety while taking an exam. However, for you, it was calming.

And to a certain extent, it still was.

You turned your head to the window only to remember that the coverings were unmovable, an intentional move, you were sure, to keep you from seeing too much.

You didn’t take it personal, though. You were just thankful to have this assignment, an assignment that could make or break your career depending on the outcome.

No one, in the history of your country, had been welcomed to Wakanda. The borders were solid as cement. No outsiders.

Yet, here you were, and to spend a day interviewing the royal family.

You began your pen clicking process all over again.

You meant to document how long the flight was, but nerves ate at your ability to keep time. If you had to guess, though, at least twelve hours transpired prior to your arrival.

And what an arrival it was. As soon as you stepped off the plane, you were immediately in awe. Flying machines similar to cars but much smaller than 747’s flew over, the monolithic buildings seemed to eclipse the clouds themselves, and the design of everything, the specific details, it all seemed too ethereal to be real.

But it was.

This was Wakanda.

You frowned.

Where in the hell did everyone get the notion that this country was among the poorest in Africa? From what she could see, it was easily the richest in the continent.

If not the world.

“You’re here!”

You directed your attention to a beaming girl who made a beeline in your direction. She looked no older than 18 and wore her hair in small box braids. Her attire was unlike any you’d seen. You made a mental note of that, as well as the exterior of the nation.

“Welcome….” You supplied your name, allowing her to include it in her greeting before she started bobbing on the back of her heels. “I’m so excited to meet you. I’ve never actually done a real interview before.”

You smiled and pushed a passion twist behind your ear. During one of your naps on the plane, your bun must have loosened. “It’s an honor to be here…..”

Her eyes widened. “Shuri. You can call me Shuri.”

Your eyes too widened. Shuri? “As in Princess Shuri?”

The teenager scowled. “Please, Shuri will do fine.” She moved closer and placed a hand on your shoulder. “Come. I will show you to your room.”

All you could do was awkwardly nod. This was the freaking princess of this majestic place, and she was enthusiastic as a kid at Disney. For you.

Your own parents weren’t even that excited when you told them you’d landed your dream job.

As Shuri walked you from the hangar bay to the inside of the palace, you took note of everything around you, the people you passed. The strong women who wore red, the men who wore shades of blue, black, and gray. They all exuded strength and power. Shuri explained the women were called the Dora Milaje, Wakanda’s all-female sect of the military. However, their first and foremost priority? Protecting the king and royal family.

The uniforms, the staffs, the power. Hell, you were damn near about to start spazzing.  

“Ahh, Erik!” Shuri stopped and gestured to a couple walking in your direction. “Come meet-”

“Goddamnit, woman, I told you I wasn’t looking at her!”

“Don’t call me a woman!”

“You a female, ain’t you? You got a pussy, don’t you?”

“You make me sick!”

“Naw, I make you gag, remember?” The man with short locs cursed as the woman he was arguing with grabbed at his hair, giving a good yank. “The fuck!”

“I want you to admit you were looking at her!”

“She was our waitress! Of course, I was looking at her! You asked me to order, damnit!”

“Nigga, don’t play with me, you know what I mean!” The woman paused. “You think she’s prettier than me, don’t you?”

“I don’t even know the bitch!”

“Don’t use that word around me!”

“Fuck this. You are really crazy, you know that?”

She suddenly started to whimper as the man’s shoulders dropped.

“You don’t love me anymore.”

As the woman began to sob, loudly and theatrically, he placed his arms around her and pulled her into his chest.

All you could do was stare in awe at the scene before you.

Shuri must have noticed your surprise. She waved her hand. “That is my cousin, Erik, and his wife--”

“Wife?” You interrupted, looking back and forth between the teen and the couple. “They’re married?”

Shuri nodded happily. “They’ve been together since primary.”

And they fight like that?

You also made a mental note to discuss the interesting dynamic of marriages in Wakanda in your writeup.

“You said it wasn’t big!” Erik’s wife was still crying and now punching on his chest as she angrily jabbed her finger in his shoulder. “You—you liar!”

Before Shuri could introduce you, the upset woman sauntered past and between you two, knocking you to the side.

“It isn’t, baby! You just got a lot on your mind!” Erik called after her, hands up in defeat. “A lot of thoughts!” He sighed and jogged toward you two, grabbing Shuri by the back of her neck and kissing her forehead. “I’ll catch you later, cuz.” He then looked your way, and you prayed he could not see the nervous swallow that coursed down your throat. He was so tall and handsome.

And married.

“Stranger.”

You opened your mouth, but he was already gone.

You sighed. It was better than being ignored.

Shuri shook her head and motioned for you two to continue walking. “We’ll try again at dinner. Come, let me finish showing you around.”

All you could do was quietly agree as she pointed things out, things you probably should have paid more attention to, but you were stuck not only on the volatile argument but just the wonders that surrounded you.

You expected poverty, dire conditions, solemn conversations. You were experiencing the complete opposite.

“Now this is—”

“Die, traitor! Die!”

“Wakanda Forever!”

“Surrender!”

“Never!

Multiple voices filled your ears as you turned the corner of a hallway, only to be knocked flat on your ass seconds later, your purse emptying, the recently purchased bottle of hand sanitizer rolling away from your body.

“Asha!” Shuri shouted with her arms crossed. “You come back here and apologize!”

The little girl with white locs that cascaded down her back, turned her head to look back. You caught her bright blue eyes and gasped. You’d never seen such a beautiful contrast of color. Her milky chocolate complexion, those ocean eyes, the icy white hair. She was easily the most beautiful little girl you’d ever seen.

“I cannot, Aunt Shuri! I must escape!”

“Asha...” Shuri’s voice transitioned into one of unequivocal sternness as she helped you stand up. “Now.”

Asha groaned and stomped over, pouting, she muttered a quiet sorry.

“You know better—”

“Now, Azari and N’Yami are going to win without me.”

“Another game of capture, eh?” Shuri chuckled and pulled the child into her, kissing the top of her head. “Y/N, this is my niece, Princess Asha.”

This time, you were able to watch your facial expressions. The only thing you did was curtsy. “Your highness.”

When you looked up, you saw Asha and Shuri sharing confused expressions. You faltered with your next statement, only for Asha to interrupt.

“What are you doing?”

“We don’t do that here,” Shuri explained with a small smile.

You were thankful for your deep complexion. Had you been caucasian, your embarrassment would have given you away.

You awkwardly looked down. “I’m sorry.” 

“You’re weird.”

“Asha!”

Shuri pinched her arm. The little princess scowled and grabbed the assaulted area. “Sorry.”

“Come, little one! We are off for another round.”

A new voice announced as three heads turned to the end of the hall where a group of kids stood amongst a giant. Wide, tall, and with muscles wrapping around bands of muscles, you swallowed again. You didn’t have to be close to see how attractive this man was.

Was every man in Wakanda sinfully handsome?

“Coming, Uncle M’Baku!” She looked up. “May I go now, Aunt Shuri?”

Shuri playfully sighed and motioned toward the other kids. “Go on.”

Without another word, she sprinted off, joining her friends before the group disappeared.

“Everyone is so busy today,” Shuri spoke with disappointment and crossed arms. “I planned to introduce you to the rest of the kids.”

You couldn’t help your interruption. “How many kids does the king have?”

“Four. Asha, N’Yami, and Azari, and Azzuri. Asha is the oldest. The other three are triplets.”

“My God,” you mumbled, then remembering that there were certainly more than three kids at the end of the hall. “And the others?”

“M’Baku’s kids. He was the tall man with them. He’s the leader of the Jabari tribe here. He and his wife Hawla have twelve children.”

Every segment of that sentence sent your eyebrows up in surprise. Yet, you retained more questions, especially after Shuri further explained how the tribes worked. She also mentioned introducing you to the leaders of this Jabari tribe.

It was a lot considering you hadn’t even been there for a whole hour.

“Come on, brother and sister should be in the training room.”

It wasn’t hard to figure that by brother, she meant King T’Challa, and by sister, Queen Ororo.

Where was that damn pen when you needed it?

“Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to disturb them.”

“Nonsense, they’re probably just training.”

“Training?”

“You’ll see.”

Shuri’s coyness didn’t help your nerves. While she seemed to enjoy the madness of the palace, it spiked your discomfort. You’d mentally prepared for almost everything except the madhouse that you were being introduced to.

“Do not let brother intimidate you. His bark is much worse than his bite.”

You found that very hard to believe. King T’Challa, also the Black Panther, had single handedly defeated every member of the Avengers on their own turf, yet you were supposed to believe that he was amenable?

“Really?”

Shuri snorted. “No, he’s an ass.” You gulped. “Sister has helped calm him down, though, that much, I can’t deny.”

You said nothing else as she brought you to double doors that opened without her moving. That’d happened more than a couple of times, yet you could never detect any sign of motion sensors. Another note was made.

You walked into a room where a wall of windows exposed a large area that resembled a training type arena.

“There they—”

“My wife controls the weather itself, while I am just a man.” You weren’t even paying attention to the words coming out of his mouth. All you could focus on was him. He was in the suit, muscles stretching against the fabric. He walked while he spoke, his gait that of a predator, a hunter, a king. “A man who has studied every fighting style in the world.”

Across the room, she rose into the sky, floating high above the ground. The winds whipped around her, her arms raised. Her eyes were completely white, her matching white hair floating from the mass of winds.

Storm

“If I have learned anything, it is that every punch can be blocked.” Seconds later, the queen flew toward him, aiming for a punch, but falling short as he easily moved to the side. “Every weapon can be countered.”

You saw his lips move, but whatever was said was not audible.

His next statement, however, was not.

“Right this moment, above our head, an unmanned drone sprays the cloud with a super-absorbent powdered polymer.” As he spoke, large bolts of lightning were directed toward him. Some hit his suit, but he dodged most of them. “Out on the Indian Ocean, a swarm of nanotech phytoplankton eat the heat from a burgeoning storm.” You noticed how the winds started to lessen in intensity and depth. “Microwaves shoot down from Wakandan satellites, reducing an onrushing snowstorm to a slightly cooling breeze.”

Storm’s brows furrowed as she looked at her hands. The white hues of her eyes were returning to normal, revealing the same blue eyes you’d seen in Asha.

“The winds? What just—”

“I’m sorry, my love,” King T’Challa interrupted. She looked over at him, lowering to the ground. “I just blocked your punch.”

“You….” Her jaw drop and speech faltered. “All this time, you’ve had a plan for how to defeat your own wife.”

The king spoke in a bored voice. “Please remember, my dear,  I did not start this fight.”

“Neither will you finish it, my dear!”

Before he could reply, Storm struck him, sending him flying and landing on his ass. What started as a battle of abilities was now reduced to hand to hand combat. You watched in awe as these two incomparably powerful human beings battled each other. The fact that they were husband and wife, king and queen, mattered not even in the slightest. 

They looked like two gladiators dueling to the death.

“Do—do they do this often?”

“Train?” Shuri looked at you. “All the time.”

You almost fainted. “This is how they train?”

“You bastard!” The strength of the thunder that emanated from Storm caused the entire building to shake while the lightning causes the lights to flicker.

Shuri sighed and shook her head. “I suppose you’ll have to meet them at dinner.”

“Dinner?” You coughed. “I couldn’t—I don’t want to impose.”

“Nonsense. We’d love to have you.” Shuri’s smile widened. “Then you can meet the whole family at once.”

You suddenly wondered how hard it was to get a flight out of Wakanda.

xXx

The room you’d been given, so beautiful and magnanimous, was now a disaster. Clothes were thrown about while shoes clustered the floor. Underneath your makeup, your face was red and patchy from the two looks you tried, hated, and scrubbed before settling on a simple smoky eye and blood red lip.

Every outfit you tried on seemed either too fancy or too casual. Then again, you’d never had dinner with a royal family, let alone a family of heroes.  

You so badly wanted to find a way out of it, but Shuri, the seemingly only normal member of this family was hellbent on introducing you. You also had to factor in that you’d have to communicate with them at some point. You were there to interview them for god’s sake.

Two guards knocked on your door to escort you to the dining hall. You were a bit saddened at the fact that Shuri hadn’t come to bring you. You felt comfortable with her.

Imagine that. I need a teenager to walk me. What is this place doing to me?

As you walked down the hall, you sent up a quick prayer. The voices that were initially faint grew into loud and lucid. The double doors opened and revealed you to the room full of royals. You stood still as a statue.

“Y/N!” Shuri jumped from the table and jogged over. This dining room envied that of one on a college campus. “Welcome.” She smiled while standing in front of you. “You look wonderful.”

“Thank you.” You wanted to compliment her, but you could only focus on the pairs of eyes on you. Almost everyone was staring, but that wasn’t even what stood out the most. It was how they were looking.

Welcoming

“Y/N.” The queen was the first to speak, her smile wide and warm. You’d never seen such a beautiful person. Her white dress had a long split up the right side of her leg and the neckline dipped low, revealing her full breast. It was almost strange to think this was the same woman who viciously attacked her husband just a few hours ago. “It is a pleasure to have you here. We welcome you.”

“T-t-t-thank you, your highness.”

“Man, if you don’t call her RoRo,” Erik interjected. His wife, who stood next to him, slapped his arm.

“Ignore him. I’m Nareema.”

“My woman.” Erik’s hand sunk down to her ass, where he gave a soft slap.

“We welcome you to our home.” The tallest man stood, but not before helping the woman who sat next to him up. She rubbed her round stomach. “I am M’Baku, and this is my wife, Hawla.”

Ororo’s beauty was undeniable, but so were Hawla and Nareema. And the men…..

I wonder if everyone in Wakanda is as—

“Y/N.”

When he spoke, heads turned and ears tuned. He just commanded authority. Hands together and behind his back, he stared directly at you. His gaze nor tone of voice was as friendly as his wife, but you didn’t expect him to be welcoming you with open arms. You could only imagine what it took to even allow him to be willing to have you in his home. Around his family.

“I hope you are finding your visit well.”

“I-I am.” She quickly answered and then added, “your highness.”

“Oh please, don’t call him that,” Shuri corrected. “Brother’s ego is already big enough.”

“That is true,” Ororo chimed with a sly smile, looking at him out the corner of her eye. King T’Challa moved his hand to his wife’s and gave a soft squeeze and wink.

You retained a smile as they welcomed you to the table. When you asked about the kids, a chorus of groans erupted.

“They eat by themselves. We need our time away from those demons.”

“My children are warriors.”

“Your kids are bad as hell.”

“Erik!”

“I don’t know you talking, sis. Your kids even badder.”

“Mind your tongue, N’Jadaka.”

“Spark Jr. Sparky the Third, Sparky Spark, and Sparkle are all savages. I said what I said.” You brought the napkin to your mouth to hide your amused smile. “How the hell all four of they asses end up inheriting both ya’ll’s powers anyway? What kind of fucking ya’ll be doing?”

“Erik, must you be so vulgar?” Hawla complained.

“Aye, the little man speaks truth. How rare it is for all four to inherit such power.”

“Who the hell you calling little man, Mark Henry? This little man will beat the ruff ruff’s right out ya atomic dog ass.”

“N’Jadaka, please!”

“I told you he needed a muzzle.”

“That’s funny, cause I told cuz not to marry you.”

“Speak that way to my wife, again, N’Jadaka, and we shall see how well you can speak with your larynx severed.”

The calm delivery of King T’Challa’s threat sent chills down your spine, but they didn’t last.

“You wasn’t saying that when you was chillin at my crib last week talking about you were sick of her mood swings.”

If looks could kill, Erik and T’Challa would be on life support.

“You said what?”

“What was Ororo doing at our house? Where was I? Why did you not tell me this?”

“We will discuss this later.”

“No, we will discuss it now.”

“I do not answer to you, Ororo.”

“Oh, really?” She tilted her head to the side, staring at him, T’Challa kept their stare for a few more seconds when he grabbed at his throat. His fist banged on the table, causing the dishes to tremble from the intensity. You gasped. She was choking him.

“Here we go again,” Shuri mumbled, stabbing her fork into the plate. You looked around, Erik and Nareema were still arguing. She looked ready to cry. M’Baku and Hawla spoke quietly amongst themselves. You were flabbergasted. No one seemed the least bit concerned that the queen was trying to kill the king.

Again

“Damnit, Ororo!” King T’Challa finally spoke after quick, hearty coughs. “Damn you!”

“Would you like to tell me again you don’t answer to me?”

“This is what I am referring to. You are always so quick to anger!”

“Perhaps if my husband would not do things to make me angry, I would not be angry. Did that ever cross your miserable, self-centered brain?”

“You do hate me! I knew it!”

“Nareema, I don’t hate you!”

“Could we get another round of bread, please?”

“So, what is your family like?” Shuri suddenly asked in a bored tone. All you could do was look around. So much arguing, so many strange interactions, yet you were the only one who seemed bothered. And perhaps that was for a reason.

A good reason.

This was their norm, and despite how dysfunctional it appeared on the outside, it worked for them. And that was more than enough for you.

You’d just have to accept that this was just another day with the Udakus.’

[arguedquill1226]

Wakanda Looks Good On You

Wakanda!Bucky X Female!Reader

Warnings: fluff, angst, eventual smut

A/N: sorry it took so long to get up. Tumblr kept being difficult about not letting me upload anything. Any feedback is appreciated since I'm newer to writing again.... Thanks for reading and please enjoy.

Part 1

You never wear dresses. Ever!

They've never been your style. But Natasha convinced you while shopping one day to try it on and then head fit like a glove. She I knew you'd say you didn't need it and would never wear it. But she defeated your thoughts of an argument before you could even begin.

T’Challa had a royal event coming up a big diplomatic dinner with mingling beforehand. That was being held for M'Baku and his visiting Jabari guard. They've been invited a few weeks earlier to help strengthen the bond between tribes for the sake of Wakanda's future.

And of course, you and The A-Team (one day you had jokingly dubbed you and your fellow ex-Avengers) had also been invited to join by the king himself.

But Natasha had a point. You had zero dresses or anything that could pass as formal. But this dress was truly beautiful. So you tried to swallow your nerves of discomfort, grabbed your bag and slid it out to feel the soft, embellished material.

“Y / n, why aren't you dressed yet?” cried Natasha as she stealthily entered your room already dressed to the T.

“You know why…” you cringed.

“Oh, it won’t be so bad. It’s just a cocktail hour and dinner sitch. You’re used to that, right?”

She grabbed the dress and held it up to your shoulders, smiling like a fox.

“I know and you’re totally right.”

You nodded a little too fast and she saw your bluff. Your fear.

“Oh, you’re not worried about the diplomacy…you’re worried about someone. Aren’t you?” she whispered with a shocked expression.

“Umm…what? No.”

“Holy shit, is it Wilson?”

“No...it’s not that.”

“Steve?”

“NO! Nat, seriously. Just…”

“Holy fuck…”

“…drop it.” You warned firmly.

You have been trying to avoid the subject with her, and Wanda really, every time relationship talk and gossip came up. The girls always wanted to know if you had anyone special yet. Realizing she was onto something, she moved you in front of the mirror and handed you the dress.

“Put it on Y/n, he’s going to love it…or die from a stroke. Either way you look drop-dead gorgeous.

She patted your shoulder, turned and left the room. With the huff, you got to it, put the dress on and pulled your hair back to pin it so it could hang over your shoulder. You silently thought to yourself that you really do hope he likes the dress...

You were surprised at how relaxed everyone else looked when you walked out of the archway onto the patio of the council room. They had set up a small bar and all the tables for the three-course dinner to come at dark. It was a beautiful warm evening and only the most gentle breeze with the smell of jungle upon it play it on your cheeks. The sun had just sent with the pink fading on the horizon with the Stars beginning to appear in the blanket of dark blue sky coming from the East.

It didn't take long, after surveying the event, to realize that most of the Dora and King’s Guard we’re in their uniforms and the only guests in attendance dressed in evening were M’Baku, T’Challa, Nakia, Steve, Natasha, Wanda, Sam and you. you had really hoped not to stand out too much, but it didn't look like that was in the cards tonight.

you mustered the confidence and pushed forward towards Nat and Wanda standing near the bar chatting with Okoyé. As soon as the girls spotted reproach, they beamed and greeted you with a drink. While the girls continued their conversation, you tried to glance around casually. But apparently you looked like a prairie dog on the Safari to Natasha, because she noticed and giggled at you. Linking arms, she guided you away from the heart of the party to a quieter corner.

“He’s here.” Nat stated.

“Who?”

“You know who, Y/n.”

“I really don’t know who you’re talking about.”

She scoffed at you, “please, don’t insult my intelligence. You’re one of my best friends and I know you too well. You may be one of the best deceptionists in the world, but you suck at it when it comes to personal stuff. So don't lie to me.”

“Way to bruise a gal's ego, Nat.” you tease. “And maybe I just don't want to talk about it.”

“Well, I can understand that. But don't stress about whatever it is. Trust me, though, we noticed things most people don't. I know you have nothing to worry about on that front.” she said with a small wink. “I just can't believe you haven't seen it yet.”

And Tasha turned quickly and glad it away from you so fast you didn't even have time to ask her what she had meant by her statement.

You started to make your own way around the other guess to meet back up with Wanda. Hoping to feel less awkward. When suddenly an arm grasped your elbow gently from behind. When you turn to see who it could be, you realized how unprepared you were for this very moment.

To be continued....

[princess-of-wakanda]

Lost Ones: Chapter 3

They weren’t gone long.  Okoye, her lieutenant, who I learned was Ayo, and my son returned with a suitcase and his bag of art supplies. “Where are we going, Mama? And who are these people?”

T’Challa knelt down in front of him and placed his hand on his shoulder.

“What is your name, Little One?”

Xavier looked to me for approval to answer. I always knew that I would be returning to Wakanda one day with him.  I did my best to teach him everything I could about our beautiful homeland.  His eyes would light up when I mentioned the rhinos that my friend, W’kabi, was raising before I left or at hearing of the breathtaking waterfalls that cascaded over seemingly bottomless cliffs.  He knew everything that I could convey of our culture and heritage through my words…this is why he knew not to mention who he is and what he knows unless I tell him.

“Tell him,” I started. “Your real name.”

He and T’Challa looked at me before turning their attention to each other.  His eyes gleamed at the opportunity to be able to tell someone else about his name.

“S’Yame,” he beamed before pulling on the corners of his bottom lip and exposing the markings on his pink flesh.

“S’Yame? That is a strong name. How old are you, S’Yame?”

“Eight”

“Eight years old?” T’Challa exclaimed with wide eyes, making S’Yame laugh.  “You’re eight years old. Do you know what that means?”

S’Yame shook his head.

“It means,” T’Challa continued,” that you can visit my sister, Shuri, in her laboratory. Do you like science and technology?”

S’Yame nodded. “We build robots in my school.”

“Shuri has many robots in her lab. I am sure that she will love your expert advice in building a new one.”

My son’s beautiful brown eyes gleamed. I knew from our bedtime talks about his home that he’d never seen that he was bursting at the seams with anticipation of seeing Wakanda in person. While beautiful, the dated holograms of my kimoyo beads didn’t do the land justice…and now, it was finally time for him to see our home.

*****

Being in the Royal Talon Fighter again after all of these years was a strange feeling.  The aircraft is unlike any other that modern technology in the world outside of Wakanda possesses.  When you’re in the craft, you feel as if you’re gliding through the sky. The open view makes it seem as if you’re one with the clouds.

I sat quietly in the back and watched.  Ayo sat resting upright near Okoye who sat cross-legged in the pilot’s platform.  S’yame was in the front near the window. T’Challa had given him his helmet to sketch into his pad.  

“Xiza,” T’Challa spoke softly as he sat on the bench next to me. “I must ask-“

“You have consumed the heart shaped herb, is that correct?” I cut in.

“I have,” he replied with knitted brows.

“Then you should be able to tell by his scent that he is not your son,” I continued tersely.

My heart panged.  I knew that delivering news to him that the child I had was with another man would hurt him.  I wanted to be gentle, but I guess deep down I wanted him to know the pain of your love finding another…just like he did to me.

“I cannot,” he sighed. “The only scent on him is you.”

“Oh…”

The silence between us seemed to drag on forever when in actuality only a  few moments passed.  S’yame was still diligently sketching, Ayo appeared to be asleep, and Okoye was now standing in front of a glowing table.

T’Challa cleared his throat. “The boy’s father. Where is he?”

“I don’t know. He’s not in his life. S’yame doesn’t know a thing about him.”

Thinking about my child’s father was another source of my pain that I didn’t want to address today…or ever.  T’Challa was my first heartbreak, but him? He was my greatest.

“Please, can we change the subject?”

I could feel his eyes boring into the side of my face, begging me to look into them

“I understand,” he replied. “When we reach Wakanda, there will be an incoronation ceremony to officially declare me as king”.

My heart sank at the sorrow dripping from his voice. T’Chaka was like a father to me, but he was T’Challa’s actual father. Ever since I met him, he looked up to his father and hung off of his every word. He always said that he would want to be the exact type of ruler as T’Chaka when the time came for him to assume the throne…nobody ever could have guessed that his time would be this soon.

“T’Challa,” I grabbed his hand and interlaced his fingers with mine.  He welcomed my touch…almost as if he were longing for it.  “You will be a great king. No doubt Bast and our ancestors have given you their blessing. I mean…”  

I nudged his knee to bring attention to the suit of Wakanda’s guardian, the Black Panther, that he donned. Many have consumed the heart shaped herb in an attempt to claim that power, but if Bast doesn’t approve, then their bodies are rendered incapable of containing the power that it gives.  They either die or mutate into bloodthirsty creatures who are no longer human.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

He pulled my hand to his lips with ease and left a gentle kiss on my knuckles.  It was enough to send a jolt to my core and reignite years of suppressed emotions that I harbored for him, but right now in this moment, I just wanted to be there for him. To console him.

“We have arrived,” Okoye hummed.

******

The soft chime in my suite alerted me that I had a visitor at my door.  

Apparently, T’Challa had been away from Wakanda for a while and hadn’t been home since King T’Chaka’s death. There was a grand reception awaiting him complete with what appeared to be the entire force of Dora Milaje, the spiritual guides, Shuri, and Queen Mother.

*

(Earlier that day)

Shuri and Queen Mother immediately greeted T’Challa. It was Shuri’s eyes who spotted S’yame and me first. She had to do a double take and stared at me. Once realization set in, she launched herself at me, jumping into my arms and knocked me to the floor.

“Xiza? Xiza!!!!”

“Shuri, what has gotten into you?!”

The Queen Mother was mortified at how her youngest child was behaving until shock overtook her at seeing my face as well.

“Xiza?”

She helped me off of the ground and stared into my face with tears brimming her eyes.

“My child! You’re finally home,” she exhaled as she hugged me.

“Hello,” Shuri sounded from behind us. “Who is this?”

All eyes fell on S’yame.

“This is S’yame,” T’Challa spoke up. “He is Xiza’s son.”

“A son?” Queen Mother gasped.

Her reaction was one of pure surprise. She didn’t seem to be disappointed in me at all, even though we all knew that I was bound to face repercussions.

“Hello, S’yame,” she cooed as she knelt down to my son’s level, stroking his cheek.  “I am Ramonda.”

His eyes grew. He knew from the stories that I told who she was, and now he was face to face with a real-life queen.

“You’re the queen? You’re so beautiful.”

“Why thank you,” she chuckled. “I am the queen, and this is Princess Shuri.”

Shuri waved to S’yame with a smile.

“Today is a very special day, S’yame. You will go with Dyalla to get you prepared for the upcoming ceremony.”

“It’s okay, Sy” I assured him when I saw nervousness begin to crawl across his features. “We’re home now. I will see you soon.”

All eyes watched as Dyalla and the Dora Milaje made their exit. Okoye made sure to whisper to me that I would be debriefed on my mission immediately following the ceremony.

“Shuri” “Yes, Mother?”

“You go get prepared, as well.”

“Mother-“ she started in protest.

“You may speak with Xiza afterwards, child,” she tutted.

Shuri hugged me one last time and jabbed at her brother before making her exit.

“I will speak to you later, as well, my child,” she smiled while cupping my face. “Welcome home.”

*

(present)

“Yes? Come in!” I called.

The grand doors hanging on the walls slid open as T’Challa entered.  He was fully decked out in ceremonial war paint and garb. The confidence in his stride commanded the room around him. He was like a moving masterpiece who was setting my heart ablaze while simply doing nothing at all except existing.

“My king,” I greeted him with a smile while simultaneously trying to quell the rapid thumping in my chest.  I was sure he could hear it.

“Xiza,” he sighed. “Please. You do not have to be formal with me.”

“I apologize. Old habits die hard.”

“You have learned many American customs and phrases, I see,” he teased, gently pulling me into his firm body. “Besides, I am not king yet.”

“Do you believe that you will be challenged?”

“It is the right of all Wakandans, Xiza. Even you.”

I’d be lying to myself if I didn’t notice the way his fingertips caressed the lower part of my bodice when he touched me or the way that his eyes lingered on my lips before meeting mine.

“I would like to spend time with you following the ceremony.”

“I-“

I hated how his simple request sent my heart fluttering and butterflies to swarm in my stomach. It was the same look that he gave me after I’d boldly stolen our first kiss as teenagers. When he got over the initial surprise of the moment, he matched my effort with much more passion without hesitation.

“I, uh,” I stammered. “The debriefing…and Shuri and Queen Mother.”

“You can say ‘No’ to me. I would never force you-“

“That’s not…I know you wouldn’t, T’Challa. ”

“It’s fine, Xiza,” he smiled politely.

I missed his touch the second it lifted from my lower back.  My heart and body were both betraying everything that my mind knew to be true. T’Challa was my best friend. He was my first love…and he broke my heart.

*****

The ceremony was beautiful. The waterfalls were lined with Wakanda’s people and their colorful garb. I stood proud that S’yame was finally able to take it all in and finally experience a part of our heritage.  Every tribe declined the invitation to challenge T’Challa to battle once the power of the Black Panther were stripped from him. Shuri, of course had to make a spectacle, which made S’yame laugh. It looked like he would go unchallenged until M’Baku, the leader of the isolated Jabari tribe, arrived and threw in his bid. The combat was intense, but T’Challa pulled M’Baku into submission.  T’Challa was led away by his most trusted advisor and Wakanda’s lead spiritual guide, Zuri. The Dora Milaje began to take me, but an urgent alert put my debriefing of my 10-year mission on hold.

S’yame was holed up in Shuri’s lab with her and was bound to be there for a while. She was fitting him with kimoyo beads, but from what I hear, Shuri is going to have him busy with her experiments and gadgets.  

There were hours before the sun would set, so I decided to get some training in, but first, I would see Queen Mother. She was in her private garden, tending to crane flowers and lavender.  The years have been kind to Ramonda. She arrived at the palace shortly after me. King T’Chaka had gone on a diplomatic trip with T’Challa when he was a boy. Somehow, they got separated, and T’Challa ran into Ramonda. She brought him to the Wakandan embassy, reuniting him with his father. Of course, King T’Chaka was smitten by her and she by him. They married some time later in a grand ceremony.  T’Challa has no memories of his birth mother. She died days after he was born from illness, but he keeps one of the first prototypes of kimoyo beads developed by her on his wrist. It contains a message from her. Nobody besides him and King T’Chaka have ever seen it. I’ve always respected his privacy and never asked what it was, but he holds it dear to his heart.

“There you are, Xiza,” Queen Mother smiled.

Her smile was radiant. The rays of sun dancing across her immaculate skin seemed to magnify its brilliance.  The atmosphere around her was regal, and she beckoned me to enter into that space. I found myself kneeling at her feet.

“Queen Mother,” was all I could manage to get out.

She motioned for her attendants around her to leave us.  Ramonda knelt in front of me, taking my face into her hands. Not only had she taken T’Challa as her son, but she accepted me as her daughter…unofficially of course. I could never be considered a child of the royal family, but Queen Mother treated me no different than T’Challa, his older adoptive brother, Hunter, or Shuri. We were all loved as Ramonda’s children.

“Calm your tears, child”

Her soft, melodic voice was like a soothing balm to my soul.  She wiped my tears that fell in an endless stream.

“I missed you,” I managed to squawk out.

“And I, you, Xiza. Ten whole years,” she gasped. “And a son?”

Ramonda led us to sit on a nearby bench.

“He’s beautiful. His father-“

“He is an American. He won’t look for him. He’s not in his life.”

“That is unfortunate. In the short time that I spent with S’yame before he went with Shuri, I could see that he is an amazing boy.”

“Queen Mother, I know I haven’t reached out to keep in touch-”

“Please, child. I knew what it would mean for you to become a war dog,” she cut in, waving off any attempt to apologize for my absence. “I will say that I am curious. Your departure was so sudden. Did something happen to prompt your decision to leave?”

She placed her hands-on top of mine, which were busy fidgeting with the hem of my training shorts.  She brought my attention to her eyes and caressed the side of my face.

“Perhaps…love?”

Hearing her utter that one word seemed to make what I was feeling even more real.  I was hurt and angry when I left Wakanda. He hurt me, and I haven’t spoken to him since, but the second I saw him a decade later, he still made my knees weak and my kitty quiver.

“You know, Xiza,” Ramonda cut into my thoughts. “T’Challa would never want you to know this, but he was devastated when he found out that you had gone, and each year he would pester T’Chaka to try to find out where you were placed or when you would be pulled from your post.”

“I-I never knew, Queen Mother.”

“I always thought that T’Challa would make you my daughter under the blessing of Bast.”

“Queen…Mother…”

“What?” she chuckled. “I know love when I see it, and as discreet as you two tried to be, it was obvious. Well, it was obvious to me, but I left those matters for you two to decide.”

She stood to inspect the honey flowers.

“Even now,” she sighed. “I do not know if your feelings for him have changed all of these years, Xiza, but I could see in his eyes that nothing changed for him.”

“I don’t know anymore, Queen Mother,” I huffed out. “When I saw him again…it’s like everything in me wanted to pick up where we left off, but then I remember why I left, and…I just don’t know anymore.”

“I see,” she pondered. “This offense that T’Challa committed. Is it an unforgivable offense? Have you talked to him? You do not need to forgive him if your heart does not desire it, Xiza, as much as it pains me to say. Follow your heart and your desires, but you do need to speak to him about what is troubling you to free your spirit.”

Ramonda’s kimoyo beads chirped with a communication. When she answered it, T’Challa’s face appeared.

“Mother”

“Welcome back from the Ancestral Plane, my son.”

He looked at peace. The grief that was plaguing him and hardened his soft, brown eyes was gone.  Those eyes found their way to me, and he seemed to freeze.

“W-welcome back,” I added, bowing my head.

“Those clothes. Are you training?” he inquired.

“In a bit. I’m spending some time with Queen Mother right now.”

“No, no,” she sang with a gleam in her eye. “We will speak more during tonight’s feast. Go and do your training. T’Challa, you should join her.” Ramonda’s eyes met mine. “She will be at the entrance hall, my son.”

“Mother, I do not want to impose on Xiza’s training if she does not want me there.”

“She does.”

Queen Mother looked to me to confirm her statement, and I dared not go against her…because in all honesty, I wanted him there.

“I do, T’Challa.”

“Okay,” he hesitated. “I will be at the entrance hall.”

Once the call disconnected, Queen Mother ushered me out of her garden. She just said that she would stay out of the situation between us, yet here she is pushing us together.

He was already waiting by the time I reached our meeting place.  He donned a slick, black suit that conformed to his body. The suit nearly mirrored the Black Panther armor.

“Shuri created training gear,” he began to explain as if reading my mind. “It is compact and molds to fit your body over any clothing that you have on. May I?”

He reached his hand out for mine, which I held out for him.  He delicately placed a vibranium ring onto my left ring finger. It was a simple band that glowed in the engraved marking just as our kimoyo beads.

“All you have to do is command it to go on. The entire suit is inside of the ring,” he continued. “It allows any amount of flexibility, protects you from heat and cold, and absorbs sweat.”

He held my left wrist containing my kimoyo beads up to my right ear.

“I am pairing the ring to your kimoyo beads so that it only responds to you. Go on. Try it.”

As soon as I formed the thought “Go on”, my hand became engulfed in a black and gold weightless material. The material traveled over my entire body from my neck down to my feet. It was a strange sensation because I was covered, but I couldn’t feel anything on me.

“Whoa,” I gasped. “Technology in Wakanda isn’t anywhere how I remember it.”

“Shuri has made many advancements after you left.  She has been working in the lab ever since she was 7 years old.”

“She’s only 16 now, T’Challa. That’s amazing.”

“Shall we get to training?”

I nodded. “We will begin with a jog down through the border village into the jungle.”

“Lead the way,” he smiled.

***A/N: I apologize if any of this seems rushed. I’m lowkey rushing because I don’t want to take months/years to write this story because I am back in the saddle to finish a couple of big projects. Pray for me, y’all. lol***

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Fifty.

I never know what to say in these bits. Like, I follow the same format for everything, but I never know what to say, and then my anxiety gets the better of me, and then I start rambling, and--

Hi.

Last time: We got to see the celebration for Okoye and M’Baku’s pregnancy announcement.

This time: We get to see Okoye officially reunite with her bio-family.

Rating: T for adult language and feels. So many feels.

Pairings: Okoye x M’Baku.

@the-last-hair-bender, @skysynclair19

There will be many people in your lifetime that will tell you that your blood is family. That the legacy of your genetics matters more than anything else.

Family is more than a bloodline or shared genes. Family is a bond that transcends any other. It’s understanding. It’s mutual trust.

Family is the people who have walked through the trenches of life with you, and the people you have walked with in return.

However, my dears, don’t push people away just because you don’t know them. You have to give them a chance for them to become your family.

The grasslands of the Border tribe territory stretched on for miles and miles, an endless sea of green-gold grass that rippled in the wind.

It beckoned to anyone who saw it: come to me. Come and rest here.

Okoye had half a mind to turn about face and sprint the other direction. This is a bad idea. This is a really bad idea.

She could see the cluster of buildings that constituted her biological family’s lodgings from where she’d landed her ship. The circular wooden huts nearly blended into the endless stretches of grass, only distinguishable by the dark voids of the windows and doorways on each building.

M’Baku put a hand on her shoulder, warm and solid. “‘Koye.”

She sighed. “What if this all goes wrong?”

Granted, she wasn’t exactly sure how a family reunion would go wrong, but a lifetime of assuming her bio-family wanted nothing to do with her didn’t exactly inspire confidence in the moment.

“Then we leave with the knowledge that we tried,” M’Baku said calmly. “We don’t have to stay if they’re mean –or just crazy. But we won’t know any of that until we meet them.”

Okoye let out a huff as she eyed the cluster of wooden houses warily. “I don’t know. We could’ve stayed at my apartment and eaten take out.”

M’Baku chuckled and nudged her towards the landing ramp. “Come on, ‘koye. Let’s go meet everyone.”

Nyarai greeted them at the door of the largest building. “Okoye. I’m glad you could make it. Chief M’Baku, it’s good to see you again.”

M’Baku’s hand was a steady presence on her lower back as they stepped inside. “It’s good to see you as well, Nyarai. We’ve been looking forward to everyone.”

“And they’ve all been looking forward to meeting you.” Nyarai paused once the door closed and leaned towards Okoye. “I’ve got everyone ‘chunked out’ so you don’t get overwhelmed by it all.”

Not for the first time, Okoye was struck by the depths of intelligence and observational skills her aunt possessed.

She smiled at Nyarai. “Thank you.”

She met the relatives closest to her age first; Baako was among them talking to the other cousins, nieces, and nephews with an easy smile.

Okoye felt a whisper of envy flicker through her at the ease with which her cousin moved from group to group and chatted with everyone; she knew it was out of her control –both of their control—but she envied her nonetheless.

Baako and Nyarai took turns introducing her to everyone, giving out names and jobs and family connections…

It was a sea of faces. As much as Okoye tried to keep up with everyone, she couldn’t.

“Take a breath,” M’Baku murmured in her ear during the process. “It’s not all going to happen at once. You’re going to need time to get it all.”

Okoye did her best to take a deep breath without alerting everyone that she was two short steps away from shutting down—

And then the back door opened and a group of kids came flooding in.

Nyarai let out a disgruntled sigh. “I thought I asked you all to wait.”

“You said Okoye was coming!” a young girl that looked to be about twelve, maybe thirteen. “We want to meet the General.” Two seconds later, they saw Okoye and realized who she was, and then they all pooled around her at once.

Okoye blinked, then grinned.

Adults were difficult. There was so much second-guessing and mental footwork involved in getting to know adults.

Kids, on the other hand, were easy. They were little open books with shining eyes and infectious smiled. They were, at their core, curious about life and everything it had to offer.

For all Okoye didn’t know how to connect to the relatives her age, she knew exactly what to do with her younger cousins.

The children of the family, unsurprisingly, had about ten thousand questions.

“What’s the rest of the world like?”

“Can we see your spear?”

“Do you live in the palace?”

“Are pumpkin spice lattes actually real?”

“Do Oreos taste good?”

She –carefully—showed them her spear, told them about some of the best places she’d ever seen, confirmed that pumpkin spice lattes did actually exist, and explained that Oreos were an acquired taste –not one that she’d acquired though, thank you very much.

She got about halfway through the list of questions they’d asked before one of the kids brought up that one of their rhinos had recently given birth, and then she and M’Baku were being ushered out the back so they could see the latest addition to the family.

Nyarai shot her a long glance and a half smile as they walked out to the enclosures where the rhinos were kept. “You’re good with kids.”

“I meet a lot of them,” Okoye explained. “I usually travel with the King as a guard when he goes to different places in Wakanda, so I meet a lot of kids who look up to the Dora. A lot of young girls.”

Nyarai nodded, smile widening. “That makes sense.” Then: “You’re going to be a good mom.”

Okoye blinked, startled by the sudden turn in conversation. “I…”

“I mean it,” Nyarai said earnestly. “You’re patient with kids. You’re good at handling them. You’ll be a good mother.”

“I agree,” M’Baku said with a grin.

M’Baku, for all he looked the part of a stern, forbidding warrior, absolutely melted when he saw the rhinoceros calf.

“It’s so tiny!” he gushed as he fawned over the dog-sized calf. “I didn’t think they could be this tiny!”

Okoye grinned as she watched him dole affection out on the baby rhino. She’d seen rhino calves before when she’d dated W’Kabi; seeing the calves was always entertaining, but watching M’Baku turn into an incomprehensible puddle of joy was doubly so. “They won’t stay that way for long; they hit their full size in three years.”

Nyarai sidled up next to her, smiling as she watched M’Baku. “He seems a good man.”

“He is,” Okoye agreed. “The best one I know.”

“He’ll be a good father.” She smirked when Okoye shot her a long glance. “You disagree?”

“No. He’s good with kids and he had to raise his half-sister after their uncle abused her. He’s got it in him… he’s a natural, really.”

“I heard about that.” Nyarai shook her head. “I almost got brought on as a crisis counselor for her.”

Okoye blinked. “Really?”

“She’s half-Mining tribe. The elder wanted someone to make sure that she was alright. I suspect the uncle had the idea pushed out at the last minute so he could keep control of the situation.”

Okoye let out a huff. “That wouldn’t surprise me. He was a real piece of work.”

“So I gathered.” Nyarai watched M’Baku for a moment longer before speaking again. “How’s his sister doing?”

“Better now that everything’s over,” Okoye said. She paused for a moment, then added, “He’s been good for her. You wouldn’t think she went through everything she did unless she told you –or you knew what you were looking for.”

Nyarai let out a quiet, impressed whistle. “That’s a lot of dedication.”

Okoye smiled softly as she gazed after her partner. “That’s M’Baku.”

Eventually, Nyarai ushered them back inside, stating that “there were some family members” that she “absolutely needed to meet” before they headed back to her apartment in Birnin Zana.

The “family members” in question turned out to be the elders of the family: great aunts and uncles, older cousins that had grown up with her parents, and so on.

The eldest aunt practically beamed at Okoye as soon as she walked through the door. “Nyarai tells me you’re a Dora.” Her eyes sparkled when Okoye nodded. “Your mother was a Dora, too.”

And then she pulled out picture after picture of Okoye’s own mother, dressed in the tell-tale red and gold armor Okoye knew so well.

“She’d be so proud of you,” the eldest aunt commented as Okoye stared down at the pictures like they held all the answers to life. “Of you and everything you’ve made of yourself.”

Okoye did her best to nod in understanding, even though tears were streaming down her cheeks of their own accord.

M’Baku put an arm around her shoulders. “It’s okay, it’s okay.”

“Fucking pregnancy hormones.”

“I know.” He kissed her temple. “I know.”

“How’d everything go?”

“Fine.” Okoye sighed as she changed into a more comfortable shirt. “Emotional, but good.”

She and M’Baku had headed back to her apartment after meeting the rest of her family, only to have M’Baku head right back out to the Jabari lands for some sort of impromptu council meeting that he wouldn’t be back from until close to bedtime.

Fortunately, Okoye had already planned to do some apartment hunting with Djabi’s assistance, so she wouldn’t be alone.

“That sounds like a ‘wine’ sort of day to me,” Djabi commented from the living area of Okoye’s apartment.

“You know I can’t have wine,” Okoye grumbled as she walked into the living area.

Djabi smirked and held out a cardboard box to her. “Which is why I brought the next best thing.”

Okoye snatched the box of pastries out of her friend’s hand, practically ripped it open, and shoved half of one into her mouth. “You’re my new favorite friend.”

Djabi threw her head back and laughed. “You’re forgetting that my sister’s on her fourth kid. I know that the fastest way to a pregnant woman’s good side is to play to her cravings. Speaking of which, I need to requisition some vacation time…”

“Done.” Okoye let out a groan as she swallowed another bite of pastry. “You have no idea just how bad I’ve been craving these.”

Djabi chuckled as she sat down on the couch. “So, tell me what you’re looking for in this new apartment. I’ve got three cousins and a nephew-in-law in real estate and renting, so if there’s anyone who can hook you up, it’s me.”

“Well, I appreciate your help.” Okoye rubbed her abdomen, where the barely there baby bump was starting to show through her shirts and uniform. “Growing this one’s taking a lot of energy. I thought going off coffee would be easy.”

“Going off coffee is never easy; eviscerate anyone who tells you otherwise,” Djabi said sagely.

Before she could reply, Okoye’s kimoyo beads started buzzing and chirping out the tune that she’d set for priority work calls.

She answered it, and Ayo and Aneka appeared in shimmering holographic form. “Commander. Captain. I hope everything went well?”

Ayo nodded. “The South Korea base is secured. It’s going to take… some serious time to get everything dismantled. I’ll send in a mission report as a soon as I can, but…” She sighed. “They had a lot stored here. We’ve been working for over two hours and we’ve barely scratched the surface.”

“Do what you have to do,” Okoye said. “Keep me posted if anything urgent comes up.”

“How did your family reunion go?” Aneka inquired.

“Well enough. Emotional.” Okoye stepped to the side so the camera would pick up more of the apartment space. “Djabi’s here with me. We’re working on finding a new apartment.”

“Sounds like fun,” Ayo said drily. “Just don’t gouge your eyes out when you can’t find anything.”

“Excuse you!” Djabi shouted, faux-outraged. “I’ll have you know I’m a miracle worker with these sort of things.”

Okoye snorted and shook her head. “I’ll be sure to restrain myself. Don’t hesitate to contact me if something comes up.”

Ayo nodded. “Yes, General.”

Djabi let out a huff as Okoye ended the call. “Honestly. Who does she think I am?”

Okoye smirked as she sat down next to her friend. “Well, now’s your time to prove her wrong. Let’s see what you’ve got, ‘miracle worker.’”

M’Baku chuckled as she recounted her afternoon with Djabi, hands never ceasing to work on soothing the sore muscles in her legs, ankles, and feet. “Well, it sounds like you have a good time.”

“I did. We did,” Okoye said around a yawn. “Bast, I’m tired.”

“You’re pregnant,” M’Baku pointed out as he gently massaged her calves. “You had a full day.”

“I’m aware of that. Don’t rain on my complaint parade.”

He smirked. “Forgive me, my love. Please, don’t let me stop you.” They both laughed, and he shifted his hands to her ankles. “Did you find any apartments you liked the looks of?”

“A few. I thought we could go check them out? I don’t want to pick something out without your input; you’ll be living there, too.”

“That sounds fine.”

Okoye settled back against the pillows she’d stacked up to support her body –then lurched forward when she felt the baby shift. “Oh!”

M’Baku put his hands on her shoulder to support her. “What? Are you alright? Is everything okay?”

“No, I’m fine, I just –I felt the baby move.” She moved one of his hands to her swelling stomach. “They’re moving.”

M’Baku’s eyes lit up as he felt the baby –their baby—wriggle around. He shifted down the bed so his face was positioned over her stomach and pressed a gentle kiss to the swell of her belly. “Hello, little one.”

Okoye chuckled as she felt the baby lurch excitedly. “They like that.” She sighed. “We need to pick a name. Two, actually, since we’re not doing a gender reveal before the birth.”

“I’m open to suggestions,” M’Baku said with a smile.

“I was thinking… maybe Mbali for a girl?”

“You know we don’t have to stay within the ‘first two letters’ naming convention, right?”

“I like the sound of it –plus, it means ‘like a flower,’ which I thought was fitting.”

M’Baku cocked his head to the side. “It could work. What about a boy’s name?”

Okoye let out a sigh as she settled back against her pillows once more. “Maybe something like… Khari? Or M’Bosi, if we want to stick to the naming convention.”

“I like the sound of M’Bosi.”

She snorted. “You just said we didn’t have to stick to the naming convention.”

“You picked it out. Besides, if it works, it works.” He leaned forward and kissed her before she could argue further. “We’ll figure it out.”

“We will. I love you.”

M’Baku pressed her forehead against hers. “I love you, too.”

[princesslov27]

Heart of Earth Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Mothering

He smiled as he opened the door for them. She walks in and sat on the bed with Angelica. Angelica gave her a shy smile. She smiles back and brought out the teddy bear. Angelica beamed a little and took the bear, hugging it. She pet Angelica’s head. Angelica gave her a shy smile.

“I’m your new Mommy.”

“You are?”

“Yeah.”

Angelica smiles. She smiles back and gives Angelica a little kiss. A few moments later the nurse walked in with the discharge papers and handed them to Soyara. She smiles and began to go through them. The nurse came back about ten minutes later for the papers and handed Soyara her copy along with a prescription for Angelica for the rest of her antibiotics. She nods.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Can she go?”

“Yes, the paperwork is all done now.”

She smiles and picks up Angelica gently. Danny smiles and waved at Angelica.

“Bye, see you later.”

“That you will. I’ll come by daily.”

He nods and then left. She walks downstairs and to the car. Angelica started to cry a little.

“Angelica?”

She glanced at Soyara and sniffed a little.

"Are you alright?"

Angelica nods. She sighs in relief and held the child gently. Angelica tried not to cry. She pet the child. She didn't know what had made her cry but she loved the child. Angelica gave a small smile. Doing her best not to cry.

"It's alright child."

Angelica nods a little.

"And we're not taking you away from the orphanage and your friends. You can see them everyday if you want."

Angelica nods with a small smile. She gives Angelica a little smile. Hakim opened the door for the as they reached the limo. She got them in and set Angelica on her lap with her doll and teddy bear. Angelica held the two toys tightly in her hands and Hakim told the driver to take them back to the palace. When they got there Soraya picks her back up and walks her inside and to the beautiful room they’d set up for her. It wasn’t as big as Soraya would’ve chosen but she got Hakim’s point that it would be bigger than Angelica would be used to so she set Angelica down in the room. Angelica looked around the room in shock, her eyes wide. The room was enormous. Bigger than any bedroom she’d seen.

"Your room young one."

“For me?!”

"Yes it's yours."

Angelica nods, stunned. It was so big. Soraya smiles at her. Angelica gave a little smile back, still stunned.

"What do ya wanna check out first? Clothes or toys?"

"I know what I have."

"No no. Come on and I'll show ya," she says with a smile as she went to the closet first and opened it, it full with nice clothes. Angelica's eyes went wide and her jaw dropped. And then Soraya went and opens up several chests of toys for Angelica. Angelica looked at them in shock. She had never seen so many toys.

"All yours."

"Really?!"

“Of course.”

Angelica nods slowly, it didn’t feel real.

“If you want something, my lil angel, just ask.”

“O...kay.”

Soraya smiles and then pulls out the tv across from the bed.

“TV too!?”

“And dvds and cable.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

She nods a little. Soraya gives her another kiss. Angelica gave a little smile. Soraya sat on the bed. Angelica slowly started to look through the toys carefully. There were all sorts of toys, all brand new. Angelica still couldn’t believe it, the toys were all very pretty. Soraya smiles as she watched Angelica. Angelica eventually found a coloring book and some crayons and sat down on the floor to color. Soraya smiles at that.

Meanwhile Luna had moved on to a new city and was doing her best to lay low. Before she’d rushed out of Incheon she’d managed to make it to the ship. She wanted to double check if there were any new messages. She knew that through the years they’d gotten a few messages from home. To her shock there was one message and it wasn’t good. It looked like the man who had attacked their home was now sending out assassins to track the royal family down. Maria got to searching for Luna again. There still had been no sign of her. Although Maria had noticed that a few things were out of place in the ship when they had gone. She headed back to the ship. Maybe there was a clue there. The ship seemed fine, although there was one open message and a receipt for a bakery in a small town just out of range of their natural sensors. She listened to that message as she picked up the receipt.

“Your highness, we just received word that Jabari has sent out assassins to find and kill you. Be careful as we are not yet sure what planets they are going to. If we have more word will will send it. General Wang out-”

She grimaces and sent the news to Hakim before she headed to that city. The city was small but still had a lot of activity going on. She began searching for the bakery. After a while and some asking around Maria finally got directions to the bakery. Maria went in and looked around at first, not just to see what there was but to also see if she could see Luna. The bakery smelled amazing and was full of all sorts of treats. She couldn't tell if she could scent Luna though.

“Can I help you find something?” A young man around twenty asked her.

"Um..." she really wanted to ask about Luna but... "What kind of tangy sweets do you have?"

“Do you want really tangy or just a hint of it?”

"Both. My husband likes really tangy and I like only a hint."

“Aw, then any of our lime, lemon treats would work for your husband and then I would recommend our lemon orange cream puffs and eclairs for you.”

She smiles a little at that and nods. "Can I get two of each lemon lime treats and three lemon orange cream puffs and three eclairs? To go of course."

“Of course.” He said and then started to package them up.

“Kangta where is that cream cake I asked for, I need to decorate it before the customer arrives to pick it up,” Luna said as she walked over.

Maria’s eyes lit up. “Princess Luna,” she says in Nasit.

Kangta looked from Maria to Luna and Luna stared at Maria in shock.

“Maria?! What are you doing here?”

“I’m here for treats and you. Come back. Please.”

“I already told you that I can’t.”

“You can. They’re not after you anymore.”

“You don’t know that.”

“Crown Princess Soraya and Queen Haeweon talked with the head of FBI.”

“You really think he’s gonna stop?”

“The Head of the FBI took that man off the case and with all of us you will talk to the Head of the FBI to get you off the list.”

“You actually trust him?”

“Until he proves that we can’t.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes.”

Luna sighed a little. She knew that she could trust Maria, it was the FBI that she didn’t trust. Maria gives her a little smile.

“Let me think about it.”

“And talk to your mother.”

“I have to get a new phone to do that. They tapped my last one.”

“You gonna come back with me? Oh and Crown Princess Soraya adopted a little two year old, her name is Angelica. She’s quite ill.”

“No, I’m not going to come back with you. I’ll think about it for a little bit.”

She nods at that.

“Don’t come back though. I’ll come when I’m ready. I tried once before and ended up getting someone killed.”

Maria sighs a little but nods. “Are you taking care of your other half of yourself? Getting enough swimming?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

She nods at that and then waited again for Kangta to ring up her order. Kangta rang it up and packaged everything up for her. She paid and gave Luna a little bow. Luna gave a half smile and waved at Maria as she left. Maria waves back before heading back to Seoul. Luna sighed in relief, she was gone. She’d told Maria before to stay away, couldn’t they take a hint? It wasn’t that she didn’t trust them it was that she didn’t trust the FBI. She’d trusted them once before and it hadn’t turned out well. Maria walks in and went to Hakim. Hakim gave her a little smile when he saw Maria. She hands him his treats and sighs.

“I found her but she’s still not gonna come back.”

“What? Why not?”

“She doesn’t trust in the FBI.”

“Oh…”

“She works at this bakery.”

“Makes sense, she always liked sweets.”

She smiles and nods as she picks up her treats.

“She okay?”

“It looks like it.”

Hakim sighed in relief. She smiles at him. He smiled and gave her a kiss. She blushes and smiles feeding him his treat. Hakim chuckles and took one. She ran her hand over his chest. He smiles and wrapped an arm around her.

“We have a little time right now if you want to into the tank....”

“Oh, is that what my lover is hinting at?” He teased as he picked her up with one arm and carried her to their room and set dropped her in the tank.

Her normal self came out and she swam around waiting for him. Her big strong warrior. Who would give her little warriors to care for. He closed the door and slid into the water. She rubbed against him as a tease. He chuckled and kissed her. Her webbed hands ran over his fins and back as she kissed back. He smiles and wrapped his arms around her. She opened up for him. He ran his hand down her back as he slid in. She wrapped her arms around him. It had been ages since they’d last had the time to be together as life partners in the physical sense. Hakim thoroughly enjoyed being with her. It had been too long since they’d done anything. She moans. He smiles and continued. After the mating session she nestles next to him. He held her happily.

"My life partner," she purrs. "My warrior. My Hakim."

He smiled and gave her a little kiss.  She kisses back passionately. Hakim smiles, Maria was always very passionate about everything and he liked that about her.  She curls up to him. He smiles and held his mate happily in his arms. She relaxes in his arms, content. Hakim smiles, happy to have this time with her. She started to fall asleep. He let her fall asleep, she needed it. She didn't leave his side though. She loved being in his embrace. He smiled and happily held her. She slept for several hours before awakening. Hakim smiled at her when she woke. She kisses him again. He chuckles and kissed her back. She looks him over.

“This is so nice.”

“Yeah, it is.”

Her smile lit up the tank. He beamed and held her close.

“You think you can handle an extended amount of time with your sister?” she finally asks.

“I don’t know.”

She gives a tiny smile.

“I still can’t believe she did that.”

“I know.”

“She may be gone by now though so I won’t have to worry about it.”

“You really believe that?”

“I don’t know.”

“I think your sister has made her own decisions.”

“And it’s not one our parents would ever agree with.”

“She’s young but you know here on Earth she’d be an adult.”

“Well we aren’t from earth are we?”

She sighs a little but nods finally.

“She’s still a child.”

She chuckles a little.

“What?”

“And how young were you when you wanted to be a warrior and how young do you think our young one will be?”

“I always wanted to be one.”

She nods. “Because both your parents are warriors and the lifestyle fit you. And I’m sure our young ones will be the same. So why do you not see that your sister is the same as you?”

“Cuz our parents didn’t raise her to be a warrior.”

“They didn’t?”

“No, they didn’t.”

“Then what did they raise her to be?”

“Lady’s maid.”

“Well I’m that too and I can tell ya it’s not as exciting as being a warrior.”

“But it’s more fitting for Tasmin.”

She raises an eyebrow.

“What?”

“And how can you decide that when you aren’t Tasmin?”

“Cuz I know her.”

“Obviously not. She wants to be a warrior and she is one.”

“She shouldn’t be. It’s too dangerous.”

She sighs a little but smiles. Her silly life partner. He gave her a little kiss. She kisses back and ran her webbed hands over him again. He smiles at her. She kisses his scales and fins. Hakim gave her a little kiss.

“Come on, time to get to work.”

She swam up and slid from the tank and then returned to human. He smiles and did the same. She was so pretty. She redressed slowly for him rubbing against him again before she left to go check on their Crown Princess and the child. He smiles and waved her off. She checked in on the child first. Angelica was still fast asleep in her bed, holding onto the doll and teddy bear that Soraya had gotten her. She smiles slightly and went over and tucked her in more. Angelica shifted slightly and was sucking on her thumb. She smiles even more. Adorable. Angelica held her teddy bear tightly. She gave the child a kiss.

“Mummu,” she mumbled.

“So sweet.”

Angelica smiled a little in her sleep. Maria left then to let the child sleep more. Angelica didn’t stir when she closed the door. She went to get up Soraya although she was sure she was already awake and heading out with Hakim. Soraya was just getting up when she walked in. She smiles at that and went to help Soraya dress. Soraya gave a little smile. Hakim was already waiting outside the door. Soraya got up and left with him then excited to go to the orphanage. He smiles a little and left with her. She began to help around when she got there.

“How’s Angelica doing?” Danny asked.

“She loves her room.”

“That’s good.”

“Currently she’s still asleep.”

“Aw, makes sense.”

“She did cry right as I took her from the hospital though...”

“It’s probably cuz she’s so young, doesn’t really get what is going on.”

She gave a small smile and nods. Danny smiles at her.

“What can I help with today?”

“You could try giving the triplets their bath.”

She laughs. “That sounds fun.”

“Good luck.”

She laughs a little and headed upstairs to their room. Upstairs was pretty quiet as the older kids had already left for work and the few babies they did have were still sleeping. She opens the door and went to the triplets’ bed. The triplets were pretending to be asleep although they were giggling and telling each other to be quiet. She shook her head and picks them all up out of the bed. They giggle. She tickles them before heading to a bathroom. Once she headed to the bathroom the three of them started to squirm and try to get out of her arms. She didn’t let go of them though. They squirmed more, they didn’t like the water. She closes and locks the bathroom door then set them down and began to undress them. They ran around trying to get away from her. She laughs a little but didn’t let them, working her way around till she got them naked and in the tub.  They didn’t calm down though, they tried to crawl out of the tub. She turned on the water and started filling the tub with toys for them and bubble bath. They still tried to climb out, but the water was making it slippery. She made sure they didn’t get hurt. Eventually the older one got out and tried to pull his siblings out. She gives him a little kiss and then picks him back up and set him back down in the tub. He climbed out again, now having gotten the hang of it. She laughs and shook her head and dried him off. He tried to get his siblings out again. She quickly finished washing both of them before taking them all out and drying them off. They curled up in the towels, happy to be out of the water. She shook her head. They giggle a little. She picks them up and took them back to their room to dress. The girl stayed still but her brothers started to jump around. She shook her head and helped the little girl first then. She smiled and sat patiently as Soraya dressed her. She pat the girl and looks over at the boys before dressing them.

“Be modest around your sister.”

They blink at her. She shook her head.

“You’ll get it as you get older.”

“I’m not growing up.”

“Me neither!”

She laughs. The boys grin.

“You will. You’re not aliens.”

“Alien?”

“What’s an alien?”

“I wanna be one!”

She shook her head. “Not at your age.”

They pouted.

“Plus an alien comes with big responsibility. If you can’t even handle a bath how can you handle being an alien?”

They looked at her puzzled.

She laughs and smiles. “Nevermind.”

They grin. She shook her head and pat theirs and went over to make sure the girl was alright before she left the room. The girl grinned at her brothers and then ran after Soraya. Soraya grabbed some water and drank it and then smiles at Danny.

“Mission accomplished. And I didn’t even have to use my powers.”

Danny chuckles. “Looks like you made a new friend too.”

She blinks and turns around. She smiles and leans down. “What’s your name?”

“Hari.”

She picks up Hari and smiles. “What do you want me to make you for breakfast Hari?”

“Pancakes.”

“Alright. I’ll get started on that. Hakim, call Maria and have her bring Angelica for breakfast.”

“Yes Soraya,” he said and texted Maria.

Maria immediately got an outfit out for Angelica and then got her dressed and into a car heading to the orphanage with her doll and teddy still. Angelica was still half asleep when Maria placed her in the car. Maria smiles a little at that and when they got to the orphanage she picks her up and walks her inside. Soraya took Angelica happily. Angelica curled up in her arms. Soraya gave her a little kiss and then proceeded to finish cooking one handed. As the pancakes finished Angelica started to wake up. Soraya smiles at her.

“Morning Angel.”

Angelica yawned a little.

“Morning.”

“Breakfast is ready.”

“Smells yummy.”

She gives Angelica a little kiss and set them down. Angelica held onto her doll and teddy bear as she tried to eat. Soraya smiles a little.

“Set them in your lap.”

Angelica tried that but still held onto her doll as she ate. Soraya smiles at her lovingly and then looks back at Hari and pat her head. Hari smiles at her.

“Where are your brothers Hari?”

“They’re probably under the table again,” Danny said. “Come on you two. Stop crawling under the table.”

“They would be troublesome aliens.”

Danny chuckled.

“They like to play around.”

“Indeed.”

“They’re just not big fans of water so being like you wouldn’t work for them.”

“I know,” she says with a little laugh. “But even the others have ways to clean themselves.”

“It’s not that, they just don’t like water.”

“Yes but you don’t have another way to clean yourself besides water.”

He nods. She gives a small smile.

“I think part of it is because of how they came to us. They’ve only been here a year.”

She grimaces. That didn’t sound good.

“But they’re doing pretty well, all things considered.”

She looks down at them. They grin at her. She picks them up.

"Wash your hands and eat properly."

They pouted as Danny came over with wet towels and washed their hands.

"Good boys."

They grin and started to eat again. She pet Angelica. Angelica gave a little smile as she picked up another pancake and started to eat it with her hands. Soraya let her. After her second pancake Angelica was all full. Soraya cleans her little hands. Angelica smiles at her shyly. She picks her back up making sure the doll and teddy were safe in Angelica’s hands. Angelica curled up to her, holding her doll and teddy. Soraya looks down at the others. Then she looked at Danny.

“I need to go to work now.”

“Alright, see you later then.”

She pet the triplets and then left with Angelica. Hakim and Maria left with her.

She looks at Angelica. “Do you want to come to work with me or do you want to go back to your room?”

“Wanna stay with you…”

“Alright,” she responds with a smile and went to work.

Angelica curled up in her arms. She got there and looks at Angelica. She was happy to have the child. Angelica was playing with her doll. She set Angelica on the desk to play as she worked. Angelica played with her doll happily. She smiles happily. Meanwhile Tasmin was walking around wondering where she could exchange her money for the kind that was used here.  She supposed she could ask.

Maria was walking by and gives her a little smile.

“Oh, hey, um...could I exchange some money with ya?”

Maria looks at her. “What do you have on ya?”

“50,0000 quickens, I just need enough for a month. After that I’m going back.”

“A human month or our month?”

“Our month.

“Ah well you’ll need to get a job and a home. You’re to be here on Earth for what they call a century. But 50,000 quickens would technically be enough to live on, it would just be suspicious.”

“Aw, well I just need something to start with then so I can get a place.”

She smiles a little and nods. “I’ll take you to my bank and give you the equivalent of the quickens.”

“Thanks.”

She smiles at that and took her to the bank. Tasmin was a quick learner so watching Maria do it once was easy and she’d be able to do it on her own later. Maria had her set up an account for herself and then Maria transferred the money into it for her.

“Thanks.”

“Of course.”

“Don’t tell Hakim please.”

“With all we’ve got, he won’t notice a couple billion gone.”

She nods a little.

“If he knows I’m still here he’ll try to get me to resign. I don’t plan on that.”

“Yeah I know he will.”

Tasmin gave a half smile.

“Thanks again, see you around.”

“Hopefully. I’m going to try with Hakim to have a warrior of our own.”

“Good luck.”

She gives a small smile. Tasmin smiled back and then left. Now she just needed to find a place and some sort of job. Maria waves to her and headed back to the castle. Tasmin waved back a little and headed into the city. Maria sat in the tank thinking. Hakim slid in a little bit later.

“What has got you thinking so hard?”

“That message we got on the ship. And the fact your sister is here. Something’s going on back in Elufma.”

“What message on the ship? And Tasmin is gone by now.”

"Did you not look at my text yesterday?"

"I'm not sure, I got a lot of texts while you were out."

“Ah.... well there was a message from our planet. A General managed to get it to us. It had two troubling things on it, one that Jabari has headed to attack Fompuna and two that there is a possibility of an assassin on the way. Plus.... whether she’s gone or not, Tasmin came here from Aclimentes in the first place.”

“Tasmin’s visit was brief, she’s probably already back on Aclimentes.”

She kept her mouth shut. “Will you focus on what’s worse than your sister being a Head Knight and coming to Earth at all?”

“Yes, I know what the problem is. But the bigger problem is getting Princess Luna back before the assassin realizes she is one of us and tries to kill her.”

“But we can’t go back to Nasitlam with nothing new. Sure we can pause time but who’s to say that’s a permanent power? We could get back to Nasitlam and have it vanish.... And then there’d be no way to make sure Crown Princess Soraya and Prince Eric survive. Or Princess Luna. We’re either gonna have to start trusting in humans or turning a bunch.”

“You think we should make an army here?”

“Where else are we gonna make one Hakim?”

“Venus is still our ally, we could ask them. You know what that FBI agent tried to do to Luna, I doubt the rest of the humans would act much differently.”

“I suppose... And I guess that’s true unless Jabari brought the fight to Earth.”

“I hope he doesn’t, the people here would be in a state of panic.”

“If Jabari finds out we are on Earth though he will definitely do it.”

“I know, even more important to keep Luna with us.”

“We need to get the FBI to get her off their list and we can’t do that if she won’t even come back.”

“We’ve both tried, it’s up to her now.”

“You tried? I was the one who found her twice unless you went and didn’t tell me.”

“I found her in the city shortly after the first time you saw her. I tried to catch up with her but she disappeared after she saw me. So, I kinda tried I supposed. I looked everywhere but she’d disappeared.”

She nods a that.

“I just hope she comes back.”

Maria nods. Hakim gave her a little kiss.

She smiles slightly. "You want to go talk to the Venusians?"

“We should inform Soyara first.”

“I suppose that is true.”

Hakim chuckled a little. She kisses him again. He kissed her back and went to go find Soraya. Soraya was now in Angelica’s room with Angelica. When Hakim walked in Angelica scooted closer to Soraya and away from him. She held her lovingly.

“Maria and I are gonna go try make contact with Venus.”

“You are?”

“We need to come up with an army somehow.”

“An army? We aren’t attacking humans.”

“No, of course not. To get our home back.”

She frowns a little but nods.

“You got a better idea?”

“No. You’re right.”

He nods.

“Don’t go anywhere until I’m back.”

She laughs a little but nods. He gave a half smile. It was no joke, if there was an assassin then she had to stay where it was safe. She kisses Angelica.

“Hakim’s not scary.”

“Yes he is.”

“Okay a little. He’s a bodyguard.”

Angelica nods a little. She waves Hakim off and then went back to playing with Angelica. Hakim left with a bow. Maria came up beside him.

“You gonna stay here?”

“If you want me to. We still have a few more tries before I’m positive I’m pregnant.”

“Well I’m not sure we should leave Soyara alone.”

“I know. I won’t then.”

He nods a little.

“Unless you think you’d be better at getting Venus to help.”

"No it's fine."

“Alright, hopefully it won’t take long.”

"I hope not. I'll miss you. And Princess Gyeong has to go to the garage by herself. Working with the outlaws."

“Someone should go with her.”

“I’ll get one of the human bodyguards to go unless you don’t want me to stay with Crown Princess Soraya.”

“A human will be fine, just make sure he knows to call in for backup if something happens.”

She nods and gives him another kiss before leaving to do so. He smiles a little and then headed out. She giggles at that. Tasmin was wondering around when she found the shop where the others were working. She watched from afar, she could sense that they weren’t human but they weren’t all Fom or Nasit either. Gyeong and her bodyguard arrived as did the filming crew. Dressed in shorts and a tank top she felt content. She was gonna have fun. She’d always felt at home with the aliens.

She stepped inside and waited for the cameras to roll before she spoke, “Gyeong ready for work.”

“Those clothes look fancy, sure you wanna get grease all over then,” Junhyung said.

“Please Junhyung we have spare jumpsuits,” Gikwang said from under a car.

She grins. “Where?”

“In the trunk over by the work bench. Not the silver one. The brown.”

She nods and headed over and finally found them. She then went and changed into it coming back out.

“Now what? Do all of you train me or does only one person?”

“Don’t look at me, I’m not training a singer who is doing a show,” Junhyung grumbled.

“Now now Junhyung, be nice,” Yoseob said.

“Fine I won’t look at you. Looks like you’ve got issues anyway. On top of the secrets. Yeah I can play at the quip game, don’t get me started, Mr. Grumpy Pants,” she responds putting her hand out towards Junhyung before smiling at Yoseob. He was cute. Not as hot and sexy as some of the others on the surface but he was an alien so of course he was perfect.

“Don’t mind him, he’s been grumpy since we left home, too cold for him.”

“So he must be..... Uh never mind,” she says with a smile. “Are you starting my training?”

“Sure why not, greasy pants is too busy apparently.”

“Greasy Pants? Are you referring to the airy and light looking man yelling from under the car?” She knew her choice of words was good. She could go into what they were with fun descriptive language that the fans would laugh at and only her and the aliens would know what she meant.

Yoseob laughed.

“Yes, I am.”

“I’m not greasy pants, I just work on cars more than he does,” Gikwang said from under the car.

She smiles at that. He was cool. And sexy. And funny. She looks back at Yoseob. "Let's get started."

“Sure.” Yoseob said with a grin. He opened up the hood of a car and proceeded to tell her all the different parts.

She nods and listened to it, repeating it to him.

Tasmin was watching when things got blurry and suddenly she was far away. Somehow she was in a hallway, which appeared to be a palace or a mansion of some kind. She could see one of the guys from the car shop and the girl just at the other end of the hall. The girl appeared to be talking to someone while the man was creeping up behind her. For a brief moment Tasmin could see the girl’s true self and then the man stabbed her in the neck.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

The scream was so loud that Gyeong looks over and outside. What was going on? Could she help the girl? Yoseob glanced at Doojoon, what in the world was going on with that girl? From where they would they could just see her but it didn’t even look like she was all there. Doojoon looks at him.

“It is Hakim’s little sister.”

“His sister? I thought she was back home, what is she doing here?”

“She probably lied to get him off her back.”

“Oh…”

After a few moments Tasmin finally came back to her senses. She tried to shake off what had happened. But she couldn’t. In the end she decided to wait until the girl was done filming and tell her to stay away from those guys. Gyeong noticed she was fine and went back to learning. Yoseob worked with her the whole time. After some time Gikwang came out from under the car and gut up to open the hood of the car. He was wearing a tank top and his jumpsuit was tied around his waist so he was just wearing the pants. Grease and oil were all over his hands and arms. Gyeong’s eyes roamed over him. His human look was delightful.

“Dongwoon and I are going to the sauna.” Junhyung said.

“Well I’m sure there are girls who will love seeing that,” Gyeong teased. He was fun to tease. “You must always be on fire.”

He chuckled a little. She smirks. He was definitely a heat alien. Dongwoon and Junhyung got into a blue ferrari and left. She went back to work. She felt the most comfortable with Yoseob, Doojoon, and Gikwang anyway. Hyunseung she was still trying to get used to but he was an oddity. She didn’t hate that but it was who he was. After a few hours she was done but Junhyung and Dongwoon were still not back. None of the guys seemed surprised though. She looks at the guys.

“Can I stay with you guys without the crew and just my bodyguard?”

“You don’t have to be somewhere else?”

“Nah. They’ve cancelled all our activities for the show. Which is nice except going home right now is boring.”

“Aw, well you can stay if you want.”

She grins at that.

“Yay! I can stay around the special boys.”

Yoseob laughed.

“Don’t go giving that kid any ideas,” Gikwang said glancing at Yoseob.

“I’m not a kid. I’m an adult. Just cuz I’m not as old as you are doesn’t mean I’m a kid,” she responds angrily kicking his shin. Hottie just went down a notch. Jeez he was rude.

“Aw, jeez I wasn’t talking about you. Yoseobie. I was talking about Yoseobie, jeez. You’ve got a temper.”

She blinks and looks at Yoseob and then gave them both a sheepish smile. “Mianhaeyo. I’ll make up for it. I’ll make you guys some food tomorrow for lunch okay?”

“Sure, sounds good to me.”

She skips into their living space to look around. It was nice and specious. Everything seemed to be from earth, no signs that they weren’t from earth. But she knew better. Her bodyguard followed them. He knew Hakim wouldn’t like it but Hakim wasn’t here.

“Something you looking for?” Doojoon asked.

She wanted to ask where their ship was but shook her head. “Just looking for indications of what you all might like.”

"Aw, well we eat just about anything."

“Yes but you all have preferences based on what you are.”

“Pardon me?”

She shook her head.

“The only people that have a distinct preference are Dongwoon and Junhyung.”

“Yes I get it. They’re fire. They need it burning hot.”

Her bodyguard looked at her like she was crazy but didn’t say anything. It wasn’t his place to speak up. She sighs and went into the cupboards and took down a glass down and then she created water in it out of his view and went over and sat down to drink it. The guys blink, okay she was clearly Nasit. Doojoon looks at her confused.

“When did you get here?”

“What are you talking about?” the bodyguard asks. “Obviously she was born here.”

“He meant when did she learn her magic tricks,” Gikwang corrected.

He looked perplexed and then she sent him on an errand to go get her favorite kind of water from the store.

“He’s right. I was born here. I’m pretty much human. As is my older brother. We have small fractions of power but.... We’re... I mean it’s to be expected when you’re 34 generations down from a pure Nasit.”

“Wait? The King and Queen are Nasit?”

“Crown Princess Soraya is my great many greats grandmother.”

The guys stared at her rather stunned.

“Wait I hadn’t been introduced as Princess Gyeong of South Korea, how’d you figure that out?” she asks in amazement.

“Oh that’s easy. Hyunseung can read minds.”

“Oh........ wow..... No wonder he’s so awkward. Reading all those thoughts must be tough..... But yeah Mom’s got a bit stronger powers and grandpa had stronger ones. It keeps getting diluted the further and further away it goes. I don’t even have a form like you.”

“So you wouldn’t be able to live back home.”

“Not unless I turned. And Great Grandma Soraya won’t do that. Even though she’s considering turning people. She says I need to have someone to protect and love me to turn me. Because I’m family.”

They nod a little. She sighs.

“But I feel out of place around normal humans. I showed someone once who I thought was a friend and they attacked me in fear. It doesn’t help that my big brother keeps trying to deny what we are. And mom doesn’t talk about it cuz Dad denies that aliens exist.”

“What about your grandma?”

“She and Great Great Uncle Eric talk about it but it always becomes sad of course.”

“Probably cuz they miss it.”

She nods a little. The others nod in agreement. They hadn’t been home for ages and they all missed it. She gives them small smiles.

“Nastilim sure is a sight to see.”

“It is?”

“Yep, the whole place is a big ocean.”

She nods. But it would be dangerous for her.

“You haven’t seen any pictures of it?”

“No.”

“Oh, what about your spaceship, surely you’ve been on it.”

“No. It’s underwater.”

“You can’t breath underwater at all?”

She shook her head.

“Oh…”

“Grandpa still could and mom can sometimes but I can’t. I don’t know about Gun Chul. He doesn’t use them at all after all.”

They nod a little.

“At this point I’m just a boring old human with powers.”

“Well who knows, perhaps you’ll turn one day.”

She gives them a half smile though she didn’t believe it.

“I doubt your grandma would leave you behind if she could go back.”

“She would, knowing Grandma. For several reasons, the first being I’d die.”

He nods a little. She stood up.

“So what are you all?”

“Doojoon is Nasit, Gikwang and Hyunseung are Fom, Junhyung and Dongwoon are Jahl and I’m Aciel.” Yoseob said.

She nods at that.

“Doojoon and I have it easy, for us we can adapt well to this world but the others things are too different for them.”

She nods a little at that.

“You guys all got here not very long ago. I think we arrived before you did.”

“Then again we did spend that time on Venus,” Doojoon pointed out.

She raises an eye.

“What?”

“Venus not Mars?”

“Why would we go to Mars?”

“Cuz.... people think of Martians not.... Venus people.”

“The Martians are no fun. Venus is much more fun.”

“So is that cuz of the women?”

“What?”

“No.”

“Of course not.”

“Just more entertaining things.”

“Oh I was just wondering if the old saying was true.”

“Well it is, but that’s not why we went there. At the time we left it would’ve been dangerous for Junhyung and Dongwoon to go to Mars. Their homeworld was at war with Mars.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“That’s crazy.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re in a different universe.”

"Aw, well they used to live in our universe.”

She raises an eyebrow. Mars and Venus hadn't moved from one universe to another.

“The people not the planet silly.” Hyunseung said.

She nodded at that. Just then her bodyguard returned without saying a word as he stepped in. She went over and took the water from him and sat back down to drink it.

"So what do you guys do?"

“I just came in to get some food, I gotta go pick up some parts,” Gikwang said.

“Still haven’t finished your car?” Hyunseung said.

“No, cuz I haven’t found all the parts yet.”

“That’s hard.”

“Well it’s an old car so yeah.”

“It is?”

“Yep, and old model T.”

“That is old.”

“Yep.”

“Then why are you still trying to fix it?”

“Cuz I like it.”

“Of course...”

“Plus it was his first car.”

“Ah. So.... ooo I’ve got a game I wanna play now when we have lunch tomorrow. Anyway I’ve gotta go get started on the food. And Hyunseung don’t say it. I wanna ask all the questions.”

“Okay okay.”

She got up and smiles at her bodyguard as she left. Tasmin spotted her leave the garage alone. She hurried and followed the car back to the palace, she even jumped the gate without anyone noticing. When Gyeong stepped out of the car Tasmin hurried over.

“Don’t go back there. Stay away from those guys. They’re gonna kill you.”

“What are you talking about crazy?!” she responds stepping away from Tasmin. “They wouldn’t hurt me. We’re similar. And I’ve got a show to do.”

“I saw them do it, stay away from them.”

“No! I won’t! I finally found people I belong with!” she responds angrily with tears in her eyes and started to storm into the house.

[iliketowrite1996]

Burn for Burn part 1- Challenge Day

THIS IS AFTER THE EVENTS OF ‘‘SPACES AND SECRETS’‘   Note- I imagine Adanya wearing something similar to what the Dora Milaje wear during the challenge day scene.

   Note- SO, I wanted to introduce some new characters that will be fleshed out in later chapters. I also have never written a fight scene, so I did my best. 

Note- I uses a translation machine, so if something is wrong, PLEASE let me know.

   Warning- mentions of violence, nothing too graphic. Mentions of insecurity and nerves.

The roar of the crowd chanting is the only thing that she hears outside of the quinjet. Inside of the quninet, the only sound that can be heard is the sound of her breathing, deep breaths to calm her nerves that have her shaking from her head to her toes.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   This is a day that Adanya, the next ruler of Wakanda, has been waiting for her whole entire life. Or, rather, it’s the day that her baba has been preparing her for, her whole entire life.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   There have been over a thousand hours logged into training her for this moment.

   She's read the books,attended the lessons, attended the events. Adanya knows how to behave,the behavior that is expected of her lines up with everything that her baba has been drilling into her head for the last twenty-one years.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   There if a fine layer of nerves sweat coating her skin, and it matches the fine layer of insecurity bubbling inside of her belly.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   ‘’You are brave,’’ she whispers to herself, closing her eyes and clutching the sphere and the shield tighter in her hands, ‘’You are smart. You are strong.  You are kind. You are beautiful.’’

   She whispers these words to herself. The same words that her baba has repeated to her just about every day since she was three years-old. For eighteen years, he has been promoting self-confidence in her. T’Challa has  always allowed her to make her own decisions, allowed her to be the one who decides her own life path.

   Exactly one year ago, he’d sat her down and asked her if she was sure that she wanted to be queen.

   ‘’With all due respect, baba… as amazing as Wakanda is, I do see some areas where we are in need of improvement. I believe that I have the ability to help change those. Along with the help of my council, of course,’’ she’d beamed at him.

   That was exactly one year ago today.

   Adanya tries to channel that confidence, to remember that she is a woman with a plan, with a heart that loves Wakanda more than anything else.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   ‘’Princess. Are you ready,’’ a member of the Dora Milaje, Kya,questions her.

   ‘’Yes,’’ Adanya opens her eyes the roar of the crowd seeming to get louder and louder as she does so.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   The quinjet door opens and she steps forward, out into the water and facing the crowd that has gathered for challenge day.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

She looks up to the crowd and sees hundreds of people, dressed in bright clothing. She sees her mother, and her brothers and sisters. Ado is watching on with a proud look, as is Abioye. Nyala, Abimbola, and four-year-old Afia are beaming with pride. Her mother has tears in her eyes, knowing that this day would soon come.

Adanaya notices Auntie Shuri and Grandma Ramonda, and her heart could burst with the joy and the love that she feels radiating off of eight of the nine people who love her more than anything.

The ninth person is her baba, the one that she must battle today.

‘’I, Aren, grandson of Zuri,’’ the young man begins, ‘’Present to you, Adanya Udaku. Princess of Wakanda.’’

The roaring and cheering and chanting of the crowd silences as Adanya kneels. She does the Wakanda salute as she rises, watching it be reciprocated by the citizens.

   ‘’I also present to you, The king of Wakanda, king T’Challa. The Black Panther.’’

   She looks over to see her baba, and Adanya has to hide the smile that is threatening to break free at the man standing to the side of her.

   He is smart, he is strong, he is brave. He is everything that she hopes to become as the next ruler of Wakanda, as the next Black Panther.

   Her dad kneels as well, before sending her a small smile and returning to his stoic facial expression.

   ‘’The king will now have the strength of the Black Panther stripped away.’’

   She watches as her baba has the strength stipped away as he swallows the heart-shaped herb. He rises moments later, looking every bit of a king as she knows he is.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   ‘’Victory,’’ Aren continues, ‘’In ritual combat comes by yield or death. If any tribe would like to put forth a warrior, I now offer you the opportunity to do so, A path to the throne.’’

   Each tribe shouts their cry before denying the chance to battle for the throne.

   ‘’The Merchant tribe, will not challenge today,’’ Chane's dad claims as he looks on.

   ‘’The Border tribe will not challenge today,’’ Bakari agrees, taking the role that his uncle once would have possessed.

   ‘’The River tribe will not challenge today,’’ Kamaria, Nakia’s youngest sister, exclaims.

   ‘’The Jabari tribe,’’ M’Baku begins, ‘’Will not challenge today.’’

   ‘’The Mining Tribe will not challenge today,’’ Ife’s dad states.

   She doesn't miss the grin and wink that Jelani, M'Baku;s son and her best friend, give her after he is finished.

   ‘’Is there any member of royal blood who wishes to challenge either our king or our princess for the throne?’’

   Everyone is silent, a stark contrast from the surprising battle for the throne that took place on T’Challa’s challenge day.

   The beating of the drums ensue as Aren places one Black Panther mask on T’Challa, and Kya places one on her.

   ‘’Let the challenge begin,’’ Aren proclaims, hitting his staff against the ground twice.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   T’Challa advances towards his daughter, trusting the fact that she has been trained well for this day. He and Okoye spent a lot of time sparring with her and teaching her how to battle. He remembers she used to have trouble staying focussed on the matter at hand, but she has improved. She now knows him well enough to calculate some of his moves before he does them. T’Challa taught her everything that she knows.

   But not everything that he knows.

   He swings his own staff at her as Adanya blocks the blow of the wooden instrument with ehr shield, moving to strike back.

   Blow by blow, she deflects hi , even landing in a couple of hits and sayings of her own.

   The crows is cheering and she is fully aware of it. T’Challa is definitely not going easy on her, letting her show her full ability. She’s good, and he knows it. In fact, she is a perfect match for him in this area, as he has not been challenged like this since his fight with…

   Not now. He’s not going to think of that now.

   Her knowledge in combat is impressive, and she is definitely holding her own. SHe has that same look of determination her face that her mother gets, and despite the bruises and blood, she’s not giving up.

   Breathe in.

   Breathe out.

   So it’s a shock to everyone when one blow lands her on the ground, unable to breathe and struggling to take in air.

   T’Challa’s resolve waivers as he watches her fight to stand.

   After all, she may the princess and a warrior, but this is still his daughter.

   She’s trying to force herself to her knees so that hse can stand, but it requires strength that she can not quite seem to muster up.

   ‘’Yield, Adanya. You have to yield,’’ T’Challa says quietly, so that no one can hear him.

   She knows that she is meant to be queen. Adanya wants to make an actual difference, to unite Wakanda with the rest of the world eve more than her baba has. To be even half of the ruler that he is. Even with so many personal moments inside of the walls of the palace, he kept his cool as king. He rules fairly. Adanya knows that she can do that as well.

Perhaps, though, now is not the time.

So she yields. She yields and her baba helps her stand, pulling her into his arms and pressing a kiss to her forehead.

‘’It is quite alright. The throne will be here when you are ready.’’

She ponders those words later in the night, when she is sitting in the palace garden, looking down at the water of the pond as it reflects the millions of stars shining above her.

‘’My princess, how are you doing?’’

Adanya looks up to see T'Challa striding towards her, a worried expression etched into his features.

‘’I am alright, baba,’’ she nods, looking back to the water and skimming her hand along the surface.

The tear sting he reyes as he holds them back. It is ironic, because these tears of disappointment hurt far more than the wound that she obtained today.

‘’Itomba,’’ T’Challa signs, bringing his daughter's face to face him so that he can look at her, ‘’Ndiqhayiya.’’

He is proud?

‘’Ngoba?’’

‘’Why? Because you have done everything I told you to do. You remind focus. You matched me hit for hit,  blow for blow. You were strong and toy were courageous. But, most importantly, you yielded.’’

‘’Baba,’’ she groans in disappointment.

‘’That means that you recognized what worked best for you, for your safety, and for your health. I have taught you well, as has your mother. She is every bit as proud of you as I am, Adanya. Just worried.’’

‘’I felt like I had disappointed you,’’ she reveals, blinking back the moisture in her eyes, ‘’I never want to do that. I just realized that maybe I am not ready to be queen. Not just yet. Wakanda deserves the best.’’

‘’Wakanda does deserve the best. And this country will find the best in you. I learned from my baba’s mistake, you will learn from mine,’’ he kisses her hairline, ‘’Ndiyakuthanda.’’

‘’I love you, too, baba.’’

He reaches into the bag that she hadn’t noticed he’d brought with him and produces something silver.

An exact replica of the necklace that he is wearing now.

‘’Your Auntie Shuri has been designing this for you since the day that you were born,’’ T’Challa places it around his daughter's neck, ‘’Fit for a warrior, fit for a queen.’’

‘’But baba, I-’’

‘’Will need it soon. You will be queen, soon,A danya. I have a feeling that you are more ready than you think you are,’’ he tells her, ‘’When that day comes, we will be ready.’’

Adanya allows herself to be pulled into another hug then, reveling in the warm embrace of ehr baba, something that has always comforted her ever since the time that she was a baby, the embrace that is full of love and pride.

She revels in the fact that her baba believes in her.

And, for now, that is good enough.

You watch out of the palace window that leads to the garden as T'Challa escorts your baby girl back to you, her eyes trained on the ground before meeting yours.

She’s grown so much in the last twenty-one years. She's a remarkable young woman, someone who is so determined that it often leaves you in awe. She has the biggest heart, and she is similar to both you and her baba in that way. She has an eye for politics, a mind for making things better. It’s way you are not worried about her.

You tell eh this as he brings you into a hug and you press a kiss to her weary face.

‘’I love you, Adanya. Do not worry, You will make an excellent queen when the time's right for you.’’

You know quite a bit about timing. TIming had to play a part in your marriage to T’Challa, in the way that you helped him rule the country and in the way that you handled messes in your personal lives. It was all about timing, how and when you reacted. It’s a lesson that took years for you two to learn, and now Adanya must do the same.

She thanks you, bids to you and her baba a good night, and heads off to bed.

‘’Ah, my queen,’’ T’Challa kisses your hand, ‘’What are you doing up?’’

‘’I could not sleep. I’ve been nauseated,’’ you grimace.

He raises an eyebrow, knowing what tends to be the source of your nausea in most cases.

‘’Stop that,’’ you laugh, ‘’It is not for that reason.’’

He places a hand on your stomach, chuckling as well,’’Can you blame me?’’

‘’I can,’’ you jest, ‘’I don’t, but I could. Anyway, I am not pregnant. I am sure of it. I believe that we stated that six children are enough, eh?’’

‘’I believe so,’’ admit, ‘’Although,w e did say that five children was enough. Then Afia was born.’’

You laugh then, throwing your head back and giving him the sound he loves more than almost anything else in the world.

‘’Come on, my love,’’ he pulls you in and lifts you up, carrying you bridal style, ‘’Let’s retire to our suite.’’

‘’Oh?’’

‘’Mhm,’’ he presses a kiss to your lips, and you let yourself fall deeper and deeper in love with this man, from the graying hair on his head to the wedding band made of vibranium on his finger.

The only thing that’s stronger than vibranium is his love.

At the moment, you’re perfectly happy with that knowledge as you drift off to sleep in his arms, wondering what he next day will bring.

The next day, Adanya is walking though Wakanda with Jelani, arm looped through his as two members of the Dora Milaje follow the pair.

‘’How are you feeling,’ he questions, looking to wear her purple dress is covering up the injury that she sustained.’

‘’I am doing better. I feel a bit sore and a bit weak, but Aunt Shuri knows what she’s doing. The worse of the injury is over,’’ she reminds him of her aunt’s use of kimoyo beads in healing others.

‘’I am glad. You did not see the look of worry on your baba’s face when you fell.’’

‘’I can only imagine. The man is so overprotective,’’ she rolls her eyes with fondness, ‘’I can’t wait to see what he does one day when I get married.’’

Jelani swallowed thickly, ignoring the heaviness of those words on him. He’s in love with her, his best friend, and he’ll never admit it. Not just because she’s stated that she doesn’t want a relationship right now, but because they both know it just isn’t in the stars for them right now.

Maybe someday.

But not at the present moment.

Adanya is content with her life at the moment. She has been doing a lot of volunteer work with you, enjoying the time that she gets to spend with her mother. She volunteers at Afia’s school a lot,teaching the children about their history and other great things about Wakanda.

Ado works with baba more in the way of charity work, but Adanya works with T’Challa in politics. He is always asking her opinion.

She has a hand in helping Ayo and Okoye begin to train Abioye, and she even play fights with Nyala and Abimbola in her rare free time.

In the last five years, she’s become very good friends with Chane of the Merchant tribe, Bakari of the Border Tribe, and kamaria of the River tribe, and Ife of the Mining Tribe. They are all set to take over as the heads next, right, except for Bakari, who has already taken over since his baba passed away three months ago.

She remembers words that her baba told her when she was sixteen, ‘’You are a good woman, Adanya. You have a good heart, and a good head on your shoulders. The good head on your shoulders will help you make wise decisions. Your heart will make you an empathetic queen. It may also make things hard on you. So, please, surround yourself with people that want the best for you. Even if it is not what you want.’’

She’s done that, surprisingly. While she is more withdrawn, Jelani is very social. He likes to be around others. He introduced Adanya to the others, and she’s found that she has a group of people who want the same thing for Wakanda that she does- a future just as bright, if not brighter, than the present.

‘’Just know that you always have someone on your side, my queen,’’ Jelani presses a kiss to her hand in the most platonic way.

At least in Adanya’s eyes.

Jelani will never admit that he’s in love with ehr. Not in words, at least. He’ll never let her know that he wants the best for her and that he believes that is him, because, quite frankly. Their friendship is not worth ruining this friendship. If it’s meant to be, it’ll be.

He’s not pushing anything. She’s got enough on her plate.

And what he entire nation of Wakanda is unaware of is that things are about to get a lot harder for the future queen.

And that the Udaku family better be aware. 

Disclaimer- I do not own any of the Marvel Characters listed. I only own T’Challa and Reader’s children and a few other original characters- Nisa (not mentioned), Adanya, Ado, Abimbola, Abioye, Afia, Nyala, Jelani, Ife, Chane, Bakari, Aren, and Kya. All Marvel characters and fictional universes associated with them belong to their rightful owner

@ashanti-notthesinger @destinio1 @afraiddreamingandloving @starsshines-blog @airis-paris14 @syreanne @chaneajoyyy @90sinspiredgirl @shemiahsmelanin @zillmonger @skysynclair19

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Fifty-Two

Welcome back!

Last time, we got the ultimate girls night of our dreams with the Dora Milaje and Natasha Romanoff.

This time, we get to see M’Baku and Okoye move into her new apartment --and celebrate Shuri and Dewani’s engagement!

Rating: PG for language.

Pairings: Okoye x M’Baku and Shuri x OC.

@skysynclair19, @the-last-hair-bender

No two parts of the river are alike. Some stretches may bare semblance to one another, while some parts will be so vastly different that you’ll barely recognize them as part of the same river.

It’s okay to be disquieted by –even afraid of—change, my dears, as long as you don’t let it hold you in one place.

***

The new apartment was far more spacious than her old one.

Two bedrooms instead of one. One and half bathrooms instead of just one. A bigger kitchen and separate dining and living areas, instead of the single room space she’d been using for entertaining, eating, and relaxing for the past several years.

Okoye narrowed her eyes as she surveyed the space. “I think we might need more furniture than what I had.”

M’Baku wrapped his arms around behind her, hands settling on the swell of her stomach. “We’ll get it figured out.”

“I know, I know, it’s just… weird.”

“It’s change.”

“I said what I said.”

M’Baku chuckled and kissed the top of her head. “Come on, ‘koye. Let’s at least get the essentials unpacked.”

***

“What’s wrong?”

“What do you mean?”

M’Baku sighed, quickly smothering a smirk, and walked over to where his lover stood in the kitchen. “You’re glaring at the cabinets like they’ve personally wronged you.” He started kneading her shoulders, carefully rubbing the tension out of her muscles. “What’s bothering you?”

“I’m just… I’m not sure what the best way to organize things is,” Okoye admitted as she surveyed her new kitchen.

“Well, things are bound to change as we get settled into the space,” M’Baku pointed out. “I think we’ll find the best set up after a bit.”

“A lot of things are bound to change,” Okoye retorted, dropping one hand to press against the swell of her stomach. “I’d rather not have everything up in the air all at once.”

“I’m not sure we can avoid some of that, in the long run.” M’Baku kissed her temple gently. “Let’s just focus on unpacking the essentials right now. It’ll be easier to deal with everything else if we aren’t rifling through boxes every single day.”

Okoye sighed, then smiled. “Okay. You’re right.”

“I always am.”

“Debatable.”

***

“This feels weird.”

“What feels weird? Is the baby okay? Do we—”

Okoye chuckled and held up a hand before M’Baku could start panicking. “No, the baby’s fine; I’m fine. I meant… being here feels weird.”

They were settled in the bedroom; Okoye was sat upon the bed, supported by a mound of pillows as she opened and sorted suitcases of clothes, while M’Baku worked on putting things away in the closet and dresser.

He regarded her for a moment, leaning against the doorframe and cocking his head to the side. “I take it you’re not talking about being in the new apartment.”

“No, not really.” She sighed and tossed a shirt onto the growing pile to her left. “I mean, it’s weird to be in a new space… but I meant being here. In Wakanda. I’m not used to being separated from my team, especially when they’re in the field.”

“Ayo has everything handled.”

“Oh, I know. I have complete and total faith in Ayo. I’m just… used to being there for them. I’m not used to running things from afar and having everyone else do the dirty work.”

The corner of M’Baku’s mouth turned up in a soft smile as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You know it’s not like that.”

“I know,” Okoye admitted, resuming her work in sorting through the clothes. “It just feels like it.”

***

The banquet hall of the palace was cast in a soft, golden glow. Boughs of flowers and greenery hung from the walls, making the room look like an ethereal, fantastical garden.

Fitting, Okoye thought with a slight smile as she watched Dewani and Shuri greet guests in turn, for an engagement party.

The two young women, despite the fact that they were supposed to be greeting the various guests, couldn’t take their eyes off each other. Their expressions were that of lovestruck smiles as they mooned over each other; every spare second that they weren’t talking to someone was spent holding each other’s hands or whispering in each other’s ears.

It was sweet, innocent.

And yet, Okoye couldn’t help but notice the gaps where Ayo, Aneka, and the other Dora Milaje off on the mission ought to be. She couldn’t help but feel disconnected from the moment, almost as though she didn’t belong there.

Because she didn’t. She was supposed to be leading the team to recover the biological warfare weaponry; she was supposed to be keeping her friends safe.

Did Ayo feel like this every time she had to stay behind on a mission? Did Aneka feel the same sense of detachment in the face of soft music and cultured conversation?

“Okoye!”

Okoye smiled and came back to the present as Dewani pulled her into a hug. Sense of displacement or not, she was genuinely happy for the two young women. “Congratulations. I feel like this has been a long time coming.”

“It has,” Dewani agreed with a grin. “I basically knew from the moment I met Shuri that I wanted to marry her.”

“Stop!” Shuri smiled bashfully. “You did not!”

“I did too! I knew there wouldn’t ever be anyone as wonderful or beautiful as you in the entire world.”

Okoye couldn’t help but beam, swept along in their excited energy. “You two will do well together. I can’t remember the last time I saw a couple that connects and communicates as well as you two do.”

“Thank you, General,” Shuri said. “How’s the baby?”

“Growing well; they really like when I eat mangos.”

“Do you have any ultrasound pictures?” Dewani asked excitedly.

“Actually, yes,” Okoye said, reaching for her kimoyo beads. “We had the latest ultrasound a few days ago.”

Dewani and Shuri both cooed at the still image of the baby.

“It’s hard to believe that I’ll be an aunt in less than half a year,” Dewani remarked as she studied the ultrasound image. “And you will, too, through me.”

“Actually, we’ll both be aunts twice over,” Shuri pointed out. “Since T’Challa and Nakia are having a baby, too.”

Dewani’s expression sobered. “Shit, we’re going to be on babysitting duty, aren’t we?”

“Bast, I didn’t even think about that.”

Okoye chuckled as she closed out of the picture. “You two will have everything handled. I have complete and utter faith in your abilities.”

“You’re going to be completely and utterly disappointed, then,” Dewani muttered, half-sarcastic and half-serious.

Shuri nudged Dewani in the shoulder. “Come on. It won’t be that bad.”

“What won’t be that bad?” M’Baku practically materialized behind Okoye, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine,” Okoye reassured him. “And we were just talking about how Princess Shuri and your sister’s future babysitting capabilities.”

“You’ll have your hands full,” M’Baku teased. “Jabari babies can present quite a challenge to the… uninitiated.”

“I’m sure my technical know-how and modern sensibilities will suit me just fine,” Shuri retorted, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Hanuman, are you two going to be like this for the rest of our lives?” Dewani asked, smirking despite herself.

“Probably,” Okoye said.

“Definitely,” M’Baku corrected. “And I think your brother’s nearly ready to start his speech, so I thought it best we find some seats.”

“Finally!” Shuri hissed. “He’s always late for everything!”

Dewani snickered. “It’s because he spends so much time looking at Nakia.”

***

The engagement party was lovely. Tasteful. And tasty –both she and the baby had been fond of the buffet choices.

T’Challa’s speech was equal parts heartfelt and humorous –and led to about five minutes of sibling banter afterwards, which had everyone in attendance thoroughly entertained.

All in all, it was a relaxing, enjoyable evening.

And yet, Okoye still felt oddly on edge. She couldn’t shake the nagging sensation that she wasn’t in the right place –or the lingering worries about her friends and team were doing in Brazil.

She opened the door to her new apartment –she’d almost gone to her old place out of habit—and immediately sighed at the sight of all the boxes strewn across the space.

No, “displaced” didn’t even begin to cover what she was feeling.

“What’s wrong?” M’Baku asked, ever sensitive to her moods.

“I want to go back to field work,” Okoye blurted out. “Once the baby’s born.”

“Okay,” M’Baku said after a moment. He led her to the couch –one of the other things they’d gotten set up during their first wave of unpacking and organizing—and gently helped her sit down before taking off her shoes for her. “If that’s what you want.”

Okoye craned her neck to look at him as he put her shoes away by the door. “Really? That’s all you have to say about it?”

M’Baku shrugged. “I know not being there with your fellow soldiers is eating at you, ‘koye. I know how much your team means to you. If you need to be more involved after the baby’s born… I don’t see what right I have to deny you.”

Okoye frowned. “You don’t like it, though.”

M’Baku sighed as he sat down next to her. He scrubbed his hand over his face, then carefully lifted her legs into her lap and started massaging at her feet, ankles, and calves. “I’ve never liked the idea of losing you, Okoye. My father lost both his wives… the idea of raising our child without you doesn’t sit well with me, but the idea life without you doesn’t sit well with me either. That didn’t stop you from doing your job before the baby came into the picture, so I don’t see why it should stop things now.”

“But the baby changes things,” Okoye insisted.

“They do and they don’t. I take it there are other Dora who have kids and serve on field missions?”

“Well, yes.”

“Then I don’t see why it should be any different for you.” M’Baku gave her a serious look. “I’ll support whatever choice you make, ‘koye. You know I will.”

“I do.” She latched onto one of his hands and gently kissed his knuckles. “I just… I don’t like not being there. I don’t like not being able to help. I’ve always taken an active role as General. Sitting back and letting everyone else do everything feels… wrong.”

“I know.” He leaned forward to kiss her gently, then ran his thumb up and down the length of her neck. “Look, we still have four months to figure all this out. We don’t have to solve everything tonight.”

“True.”

“Besides, there are other, more entertaining things we could be focusing on right now.”

Okoye smirked as she looped her arms around his neck. “Such as?”

M’Baku’s hand slid suggestively up her thigh. “The fact that we both need to shower, but we only have one full bathroom.”

“Goodness.” Okoye pressed a kiss against his jaw. “I suppose it would be best to share and conserve water.”

“My thoughts exactly.”

She chuckled as she leaned in to kiss him properly. “Lead the way, my love.”

[master-sass-blast]

Strong as Stone --Part Forty-Six.

Welcome back!

Last time, we got to see Okoye start the process of reuniting with her biological family!

This time, we’re setting up the last bits of plot for the story --and we get our first introduction to the baby! Yay!

This chapter is rated G. There’s adult language, some mentions of political happenings, and that’s basically it.

Pairings: Okoye x M’Baku.

@the-last-hair-bender, @skysynclair19

In the span of your life, you will face challenges that you will believe to be the end of you. For one reason or another, you will be certain that you will never get through them –that you’ll either die trying or that the obstacle you’re facing down will never fade.

And then you’ll overcome it and reach the other side, and everything else will seem trivial compared to your greatest struggle. Which isn’t to say that there won’t be further trials or unique struggles attached to those trials, just that they will pale in comparison to your greatest moment of pain.

You are stronger than you’ll ever know or believe, my dears. Never forget that.

One month later

Walking back into her office felt like a breath of fresh air. They’d all needed time off after Thanos and Dewani’s trial, but Okoye was raring to get back to work.

Not that work would ever be the same, in light of being pregnant with M’Baku’s child, but still.

Besides, there were loose ends that needed tying up.

Or, technically, one very large, very dangerous, very annoying loose end.

She couldn’t help but smirk when she saw that Ayo and Natasha Romanoff were already waiting for her. “I’d say we have to stop meeting in situations like these, but I doubt that’ll ever come to fruition.”

Natasha smirked back. “Girls night, bar hopping, rom coms… it’d all seem kind of mundane compared to saving the world, wouldn’t it?”

“Agreed,” Okoye said as she sat down behind her desk. “Where’s Miss Singh?”

“Late,” Ayo muttered, raising an eyebrow disdainfully. “Again.”

“Oh, fuck off.” Jhanvi darted into the office, travel mug of coffee in hand and hair in a messy bun. “Some of us have night shift, you know.”

Okoye refrained from rolling her eyes. “As long as you’re here. Let’s go over what we know so far.”

Hydra was still kicking. Despite the Avenger’s efforts before the Ultron incident and the most recent takedown of Thaddeus Ross, there were still a handful of major cells active around the world.

As long as Hydra was around, the world wasn’t safe. Aside from the obvious –nefarious organization with a history of inhumane experimentation and mass weapons production—the recent uprising of various Neo-Nazi movements around the world would make it all too easy for the organization to rise back to the surface, to hide in plain sight.

They had to act now, before Hydra could start amassing more followers, and take the operation out once and for all.

“So, we’ve only got five major cells to track down,” Jhanvi said as she examined the latest intel map they’d assembled. “Brazil, Russia, Austria, Australia, and South Korea. That’s not a lot.”

“These are only the cells we know of,” Natasha interjected. “There could be more that escaped our notice. And since there’s such a low number of known cells, that means that they’re liable to have a more concentrated number of members, which means taking them down will be more difficult.”

“Way to burst the bubble,” Jhanvi muttered. “I could always do a full sweep of the Internet, see if we’ve missed anything.”

Okoye shook her head. “At this point, we need to get moving. Trying to go through that much information and double check everything would take months. We have our first set of targets, we hit them now.”

“My team is ready to move out,” Natasha said, focusing on Okoye. “What help can we expect from Wakanda?”

“I will be sending Ayo, along with some members of the Dora Milaje and a handful of War Dogs to help facilitate the dismantling of the remaining Hydra operatives,” Okoye said. “As for me, I’ll be tracking and reviewing any new leads and all mission data here along with the rest of my team so that all you have to do is ‘point and shoot,’ as it were.”

“Miss Singh and Adesina will also be joining my team,” Ayo said. “To assist with the field work.”

Jhanvi rolled her eyes. “Heavy lifting. My favorite.”

“Are you sure about letting Adesina on the team?”

Okoye looked over her shoulder as she rearranged a few active files on the shelf that sat behind her desk. “I’m not following.”

Agent Romanoff and Jhanvi had long since left to update the rest of Natasha’s team and start prepping for the first trip –to Australia, no less—of the mission, which just left the two best friends alone in the room.

Ayo crossed her arms over her chest and looked pointedly at one of the historical armor pieces Okoye had hanging on the wall of her office as a decoration piece. “Do you think she’s trustworthy?”

Okoye mulled the question over for a moment, then shrugged. “As much as she can be. She helped us with Thanos, she helped Dewani with her trial, and her entire story checks out. At this point, we have nothing other than religious stigma to hold against her, technically.”

“I know, but she’s never been on a mission before,” Ayo pointed out. “Why even have her on the team?”

“Her powers could come in handy –but, candidly, this was more about political strategy than tactical strategy,” Okoye admitted. “Even though the Jabari tribe pardoned her, none of the elders are willing to let her live with the rest of the tribe, if only because the amount of distress she’d cause the regular tribe members would be cataclysmic; we can’t continue housing her in the palace with a new royal baby on the way, and none of the other tribes want to deal with the stigma attached to her. Her only option is to leave Wakanda.”

Ayo cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes as she studied Okoye. “You’re hoping the Avengers will pick her up once they see her abilities.”

Okoye nodded. “Frankly, it’s probably the best option for her. And, with any luck, they’ll sweep up Jhanvi too, and then we can wash our hands of her as well.”

“Bast willing,” Ayo grumbled. She was silent for a moment, then added “What happens if she goes rogue?”

“Well, push come to shove, Jhanvi can just dismantle her,” Okoye pointed out. “But I trust your abilities to handle the situation; I wouldn’t have put Adesina on the team if I didn’t think you were capable of dealing with any potential fallout.”

Ayo shoulders relaxed a little, and the corner of her mouth turned up in a small smile. “Thank you.” Her smile broadened. “Best of luck with all your baby business.”

Okoye smiled back. “Thank you, Ayo.”

The shift from her office to a doctor’s office was almost mind-boggling. In missions past, Okoye had been in the thick of them for nearly every single one; if she wasn’t in the field, chasing down villains, she’d been in her office from dawn to dusk, pouring over data and coordinating things from the palace.

Her hand came to rest on her lower abdomen of its own accord. How things change.

M’Baku’s hand curled around her free one. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah.” She smiled reassuringly at him. “Just… contemplating how much things have changed –and how easy it all feels. After tracking down Ross and defeating Thanos, finishing off Hydra and impending motherhood almost feel like they’ll be a walk in the park.”

M’Baku chuckled. “I’ll remind you that you said that when you’re in labor.”

“Remind me of that when I’m labor and I’ll stab you.”

The doctor in charge of the check-up walked in just as M’Baku doubled over with peals of raucous laughter. They smirked as they took in the scene. “Well. I definitely came in at the right time.”

The gel for the sonogram was cold. 

The doctor, at least, had had the decency to admit it was going to be cold regardless.

There was a brief pause –a moment of nothing that had Okoye’s heart racing and stomach dropping.

And then there was a heartbeat. Fast and strong.

M’Baku’s face lit up as the sound echoed through the room. “That’s… that’s our baby,” he whispered, awestruck.

Okoye couldn’t help but beam along with him.

“That… that was our baby.” 

Okoye chuckled as she let her head rest against her partner’s chest. They’d been back at the palace for over an hour, had gone from her office to M’Baku’s suite, but he was still stuck –rightfully, understandably stuck—on having heard their baby’s heartbeat for the first time. “It was. They’re gonna be beautiful.”

“I know.” M’Baku wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. “I love them so much already.”

They were seated on the couch in the ‘living area’ part of the suite, relaxing with each other and contemplating the future.

“Have you thought about baby names yet?” Okoye asked as she gently rubbed her thumb against M’Baku’s side.

“Jabari babies aren’t traditionally named until two weeks after their birth; a priestess usually resides over the naming ritual and dedicates the child to Hanuman before the parents assign a name.”

“That’s well and fine, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have names you like.”

His lips pressed against the top of her head again. “I hadn’t given it much thought, yet. I suppose I should now, all things considered.”

Okoye chuckled. “Probably.”

Some of it was still impossible to believe. After facing down F’Tendi, tracking down Jhanvi, and dealing with Thanos, the thought of having a child seemed so… simple. So domestic.

And, sure, Okoye knew there would be challenges to come; no child was free of them. But after the past couple years, it felt like the proverbial walk in the park.

She smiled as M’Baku’s hand rubbed small circles over her stomach. The best is yet to come.

[finallygaveintothesirencall]

#I LOVE THEM THEY ARE SO CUTE AND ALSO TRAGIC FIGURES#the hexbuds#naddpod#naddpod eldermorne#jabari hightower#tarragon snakeroot#corbeau babineaux#HOLDING THEM IN MY ARMS#the way they egg each other on and race at the end of episode 14...#when corbeau makes fun of tarragons crocs and calls her 'terri'#and jabari is always just beaming that he gets to be with his friends#THEM!!!! tags via @keemitthefeog

knowing that there are people that relisten to eldermorne but skip the hexbuds. how

these stunted old people with love in their hearts and blood on their hands are dear to me ;-;