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chaneajoyyy · 4 years

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Do you know any images that has plus size characters and Erik in them that I can read? I’m kind of new to the whole fan fics!

I sure do!

PLUS SIZE CHARACTERS WITH ERIK FICS (UPDATED)

- how i feel, right now, animal, chains series, purple herbs & gardens, risks & new beginnings series, better with time, let’s play, without a doubt, sizzling pans & slow jams, misinterpretations, visions of gold, out business, come through and chill series, nights, slow burn, a siren’s allure, venom, the one, maybe they’re right, sore loser series, i’ll be alright, spooky cookies & vampire fangs, screams in the night series; knock, knock series; imagination, the cure series, poptart man series, this must be our song, conversation starter, heaven is a place on earth, twins?, say it, i’m there, his princess, his for the night, sugar baby series, authority series, baby shark, lemme try, take our time, say the word, sudden reunions series, memories of you, more ways than one, lemme try it again (that’s my face), not in budget, i would like to see it, pease mama bear, she likes me, guess what, times like these, tell me your secret series, he gets it from me, baby see baby do, see what had happened was, who me?, so relax, three kings of dreams, deck the b-…halls?, do it again, be quiet, you so crazy, how that sound?, you’re so handsome, sit still, leave me aloneee, don’t hide, or maybe, send it to mommy, but i’m sick.., you thought i wouldn’t find out, he’d make you his, ballet baba, ain’t that right?, he wasn’t having that, being honest, that’s all it took?, then stop ignoring me, since you can, but i thougth…, jealous, i won’t tell you again series, hit me, no reply, i’ve alway been, you sure?, no more tummy time, toss ‘em, you done now?, sing it baby, doped up, battle it out, for however long, bath time, bedtime stories, i’m sorry, was that so hard?, i owe you that, whatchu say?, hard headed, it should’ve been you, take our time series, baba’s day, whatever she wants, nope, can’t even look at you, not again, nose wide oen, just a bit longer, come on over to my place, fences & bullriders, right now, designated command strips,mr. telephone man series, autumn leaves & cookie thieves, one way or another, you ain’t hear that?, open up, better?, huh? nuh uh, cute enough to eat, she likes me- @supersizemeplz

- all erik fics and headcanons- @nahimjustfeelingit-writes

- all erik fics and headcanons- @eye-raq

- teach me series, when you’re mad series, waffles series, slow ride series, movie night series, let’s talk about sex series, mines, thunderstorm, girl fuck you, eat your breakfast seres (with eat your dinner), secret admirer, amusement park fun, displays of affection, night at the movie theaters, silent hearbeats series, kissing strangers series, worship, loving the way you love it, day drunk, smile for me daddy series, just like you, we goin to hell, breeding time- @thehomierobbstark

- late again, halloween party, imprint, a man in love, v.i.p (includes m/baku), daddy’s home, y’all again?, okay? okay, prisoner of love, family cookout, kiss, what’s cooking good looking, expecting headcanons, food headcanons, crying headcanons, nsfw headcanons, foot fetish series, halloween headcanons, lingerie headcanons, jealous headcanons, kevin’s heart series, untitled series- @madamslayyy

-carnal stimulation series, next lifetime series, hoe ass erik series, dirty little secrets series, hennything is possible, sunday dinner series (with payback), a.d.i.d.a.s., green goddess, suddenly stevens, beauty is her name, it’s complicated. i’m sorry, the great reveal, neighbors know my name series (part 2 to @hearteyes-for-killmonger‘s story of the same name), the devil speaks xosha, mile high, trap card, act up, let me smell it, up late, i’ll take your man, carry on, dreams & nightmares- @goddessofthundathighs

- headass youtube couple series, fix my crown series (with ‘the puppy’), all skate, cutting ties series, #tsrbaewatch- @apantherinmypastlife

- all erik fics- @wawakanda-btch

- all fics- @hearteyes-for-killmonger

- say my name series, beg for it, the coat room, charley horse, full court press, house party, boyfriend makeup challenge, gumby, the let out series, disorderly, token, all i wanted for christmas is you, hit the showers, neo, erica; veni, vidi, vici, i will be here, trick or treat, the wakandan boys when they’re sick (includes t’challa and m’baku- @sonofnjobu

- mine, unravel me series (includes belong to you), i missed you series (inlcudes you a’ight and if they ain’t looking), rated e, on braodway, no average bitch, @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers (scroll for erik killmonger x reader and erik killmonger imagine)

- all tasting mellow fics- @tastingmellow

- laid up series- @pastelastronomy24

- come lay with me, house hunting series, stretch marks, the footbal jerseyy, you sure?- @marvelmaree

- the deal series, nuggest of truth, girlfriend, all i want is you, care for you- @wakandamama

- rated e for extra petty, elbow deep series- @puffmamaa

- she got game, where’s the smoke, s.d.m., from paris with love, where the hoes at? (with t’challa and m’baku), written all over your face, baby bump series (wit cuddle buddy,, and hc: chubby!erik trying old clothes), not in that way, here kitty kitty, computer blue series, chunk series- @ghostfacekill-monger

- all erik fics- @stripper-patrick

- he spills series (with t’chala and m’baku)- @captainsaveasmut

- i’m cleva series, do me baby (part 2 of @killmongersgurl‘s serieserik’s created a monste)-, @killmongerdispussy

- sorry he’s gone, mad issues series, curiosity happy weight- @curls-and-crosses

- nah baby i got you- @inxan-ity (scroll for erik killmonger)

- all fics- @writerbee-ffs

- paragone series- @dynastynoire

- all fics- @eriksjournal

- the sweetest taste series, late night drive- two of a kind series (includes ‘03 bonnie and clyde prequel), beyond the lights series, mad love series- @wakandaforeverwrites

- all erik fics and headcanons- @plussizeappreciationfics

-thanksgiving w/ mr. stevens and the udakus series (with valentine’s gumbo), @mermaidchansons

- all erik fics- @muse-of-mbaku

- all fics- @eerythingisshaka

- all fics- @artisticestheticreads

- return the favor series,”you wake up to find your bed void of your sick boyfriend erik killmonger and you’re not very pleased- @taint3dvirgin

- a day at the beach with erik, prompt 19 “what’s cooking, good looking”, stay here tonight, greater purpose of chaos, sharing disney movies with erik, 90s disney movies with erik- @hidden-treasures21

- new year’s surprise series- @thefantasyride

- for the love of money?, my first & his only, the big chop, braid my hair, short staffed, visiting hours- @bakarilennox

- insecure series, “erik x wakandan!reader where he says ‘you are your own perso. you are not mine. but i hope you will let me love you.”, sabotage, sweet like honey series- @erikslulbaby

- kissing strangers series- @halcyonscry

- baby bump series (with cuddle buddy, hc:chubby!erik trying on old clothes) (chubby!erik), chunk series, special delivery, here kitty kitty, s.d.m., she got game, computer blue series, where’s the smoke, from paris with love, where the hoes at?, written all over your face, not in that way series- @ghostfacekill-monger

- not enough, a little insecure - @maybecoolwords

- french inhale series- @jewelofwakanda

***PLEASE HIT ME UP TO ADD STORIES***

#the bp plug #bp librarian at your service #let's chat #sip tea #talk fanfiction #erik killmonger x black!plussize!reader #erik killmonger x black!plussize!oc #erik killmonger fanfiction #black panther fanfiction #marvel fanfiction #anonny asks

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celosiaa · 4 years

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Hi Connor, I hope you’re doing okay!!!!! 💖Thank you for letting me write this lil fic for your post about leaf pile shenanigans!!!!!! Everything you write, draw and headcanon for the Emmaverse is so perfect and I am so excited to write something within this beautiful AU. This got away from me a bit, but I hope it brings you some joy and you can vicariously enjoy the great outdoors through Jon, Tim, Martin and Emma’s mischief 🍁

From the front window of their new house, Martin has watched the tree turn from a bare-boned thing to blossom to vivid leaves firm even against summer storms. The tree has grounded him through sleepless nights with Emma since her arrival last year, through Tim and Sasha’s return to their lives, through Jon’s nightmares. A lighthouse against the Lonely. The house surveyor had told them to cut it down, unsure of how deeply its roots might reach, but Martin couldn’t bring himself to make the arrangements. He feels that he should give it something back, a repayment for its solidity, and so he has tended to it through the seasons with gentle dedication.

Alas, the leaves are a hazard now that they’ve turned orange and fallen. The rain turns them slippery, and Martin doesn’t want Emma to trip on them when she bundles him out of the door on the mornings he gets to take her to nursery, excited to have her Dad there after a long stint of nightshifts. Nor does he want them to disrupt Jon’s journey to the car on the days that his joints are stiff and he needs his cane. So he sees raking the leaves as part of his duty both to the tree and his family.

Martin falls into a happy and methodical reverie, until Tim interrupts: “You missed a spot.”

Tim is sitting with Jon on two rickety camping chairs they’d dragged out of the garage, ostensibly so they can watch Emma and an off-duty Iris play on the lawn. They’re both holding cups of tea, steaming in the cool, clear autumn air, and they have—until now—been catching up about work. It’s a busy time for them both: Jon is welcoming the new students, and the fire department are running their usual campaigns about safety with Halloween decorations and fireworks. Recently, Tim’s team even payed a visit to Emma’s nursery school to give a presentation, which she had gushed about for weeks afterwards.

Now, though, they seem to be up to something. As glad as Martin is to see them getting along, after so much and so long, he’s not sure he likes the matching mischievous looks on their face.

Martin pauses, leaning on the rake. He’ll humour them, just this once. (It will happen again, of course, but Martin always likes to pretend it’s a one-off.) “What do you mean, I’ve missed a spot?”

“He’s right,” Jon says, schooling his expression into one of seriousness, although the roguish glint lingers in his eyes, “By the drain.”

Martin doesn’t look, still playing along with his most petulant expression. “I started by the drain. It’s spotless.”

“We would never criticise your immaculate raking technique, Martin,” Tim promises, as if offended by the implication.

“We just wouldn’t want Mrs Jenkins complaining about her driveway flooding again,” Jon adds solemnly, placing down his tea, “Are you sure there are no leaves by the drain?”

“I’m one hundred percent sure,” Martin insists, trying not to smile and let on that he’s onto them.

“Because I can count at least seven from here,” Tim says, also balancing his tea on the concrete by his feet.

Jon tilts his head. “I would say eight.”

Tim nods exaggeratedly. “Jon says eight. And he remembered to wear his glasses today, so I trust his judgement.”

Only because Martin physically put the glasses on Jon’s face this morning, while Jon was going through the process of making cinnamon porridge half-asleep and on muscle memory alone. But Martin doesn’t mention this to Tim. Not that Tim isn’t well aware of Martin’s fussing, having—along with Jon—been bundled into a coat and scarf and gloves before being allowed to sit outside, justified by worried mentions of asthma flare-ups and ear infections and setting a good example for Emma.

Martin places a hand on his hip, still leaning on the rake. “Eight, you say?”

Tim and Jon nod in unison.

“That does sound like quite a lot of leaves,” Martin continues.

“You can never be too careful,” Jon says.

“Sometimes, the worst hazards start off small,” Tim tells them, “I would know.”

Martin quirks his eyebrows. “Perhaps I should check the drain, then.”

Jon nods, just once, managing to still look very serious. “Perhaps you should.”

“Well, then,” Martin sighs, taking his weight off the rake and beginning to turn towards the drain at the end of the driveway they share with their neighbours. He makes sure to speak loudly with his back turned. “Where on earth are these eight stray leaves?”

There’s the sound of a scuffle behind him, the camping chairs creaking and skittering on the concrete driveway, and a breathless laugh as Tim and Jon’s feet hit the ground in unison. There’s not much space between the camping chairs and the leaf pile, so Tim and Jon’s run-up is short but effective.

Martin turns just in time to see them launch themselves into the leaf pile, and he’s glad he constructed it on the grass rather than the concrete, because Tim and Jon don’t always think things through when they’re being competitive. Their landing is significantly cushioned, at least, and they end up on their backs, pillowed by red and orange leaves. Jon blows one out of his face and Tim laughs, loud and carefree, the sound echoing against the house.

“I won,” Tim declares.

“You did not,” Jon protests.

“Oh, I very much did.”

“Tim, if you are suggesting that—”

“If I’m suggesting what? That I was the county best at long jump between the ages of eight and eleven, and that gave me a natural advantage in this particular competition?”

Jon props himself up on his elbows on the leaf pile and looks imploringly at Martin, his glasses askew and a leaf stuck by its stem in the left hinge. “Martin.”

“I couldn’t possibly have seen who won,” Martin says, “I was busy inspecting the drain, which—like I said—is spotless.”

It’s at this moment that Iris lets out a slightly confused woof, as Emma abandons the mudpies they’ve been making together to copy her Baba and Uncle. She squeals, her little legs moving at full speed as she waddle-runs towards the leaf pile.

Martin’s too far away. He drops the rake, shouting, “Emma, no!”

But, of course, she doesn’t listen. She has a very specific mindset when it comes to times like this, an unshakable determination: Emma, yes. She runs to the leaf pile, stops clumsily in front of it, and then promptly jumps into its depths. Or, more accurately, she falls face-first into the pile, arms outstretched, her red wellies only just leaving the ground, and disappears through an Emma-shaped hole between where Tim and Jon are lying, looking somewhat dazed by the turn of events.

There’s a breathless moment, a frozen snapshot when the chilly late-afternoon turns momentarily sinister, all long shadows and suspended breezes. Martin doesn’t move, doesn’t hear the echoing clatter of the rake, until there’s a flurry within the leaf pile and then Emma emerges with a raucous giggle.

Everything rushes back into motion, the autumn colours warm and the moment welcoming again. Emma has popped up from the leaf pile like a meerkat from the ground, inspecting her surroundings, an image that is reinforced by her knitted hat with the attached bear-shaped ears. There’s a bright grin on her face, and a lyrical quality to her laugh that tells Martin she’s excited rather than hurt or afraid. Iris is circling and snuffling around the leaf pile, somewhat confused but not overtly concerned, and Jon smiles fondly as he picks leaves from the wool of Emma’s hat while Tim shakes with the force of his own laughter.

Martin’s breath whooshes out of him in relief and he finds himself laughing too, a little breathless. “God, Emma, you—please be careful, sweetheart.”

“I win, I win,” Emma says, clapping her hands together. Her mittens make her applause sound padded and soft.

Martin gives Jon a long-suffering look. Jon looks back, half-apologetic, half-look how happy she is, habibi. And it is true, Emma looks happy, rosy-cheeked and still laughing as Iris now makes her way into the leaf pile, too. It’s adorable. Martin’s losing sight of the possible dangers in favour of the cuteness, the fact that everyone is just fine. Better than fine. They’re happy, all of them.

“Alright, I concede defeat,” Tim announces, “Emma gets the title of Ultimate Leaf Leaper.”

Emma squeals in delight again. Jon pulls her further out of the leaves so she can sit on his lap, giving her a kiss on the cheek before he goes back to picking leaves out of her hat. Tim lifts his hand and Emma reaches across to give him an enthusiastic high five. Martin thinks he is going to melt into a puddle from the joy of it all.

“Stay right there,” Martin says to them, all thoughts of raking abandoned now, “I’m getting the camera.”

Later that night, they’re propped up in bed—Jon reading a battered library book about syntax in 19th century literature, and Martin clicking through the photos he’s uploaded from the camera to his laptop. Emma is fast asleep in her bedroom, after a bedtime story about a hedgehog making a home from leaves that Martin hopes will dissuade her from jumping into any random leaf piles she sees out and about, although he promised she can still play in the ones they make outside together.

“I’m definitely emailing this one to Sasha,” Martin says, angling the laptop towards Jon.

Jon folds the book carefully closed and looks at the photo. Tim and Jon are both half-engulfed by the leaf pile, with Emma sitting in Jon’s lap and Iris doing her best to likewise perch on Tim. They’re all grinning at the camera, bundled up in their coats and scarves and hats. It’s adorable.

“She’ll love it,” Jon agrees.

“It’s a shame she couldn’t come today.” Martin chews his bottom lip, shutting the laptop. “I don’t think we have any recent photos of her.”

“You’re not in it either,” Jon murmurs.

“Oh, well, I—someone had to take the photo.”

“Remind me, then,” Jon says, leaning over and kissing Martin’s hair, “To ask someone to take our picture when we go pumpkin picking.”

“Since when are we going pumpkin picking?”

“Since Emma told me she wanted to and I spent two hours Googling places nearby.”

“Not spooky—?”

Jon gives him a withering look. “Not spooky Google, no.”

“Good.” Martin smiles, a little shy. “We’ll get a family photo, then. At the pumpkin place. And we can frame it. And put it on the wall next to this one, and the one I’m going to take of Sasha and Tim next time they come over, and—oh, and that one of Emma on her first day at nursery I keep meaning to get printed!”

Jon smiles softly. “Our family.”

“Our family,” Martin agrees, “I’m really happy, Jon.”

He’s so happy he’s not sure what to do with it. He’s scared it will disappear, like fog through his fingers. He’s scared he doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t tell Jon any of this, but Jon seems to understand, to feel it too.

“So am I, Martin,” Jon says, “So am I.”

Martin thinks of the tree, of its changing leaves, its vulnerability to the seasons, the way it antagonised the previous tenants of the house. And yet it’s still there. Martin thinks of his contentment in the same way, as he falls asleep next to Jon: a thing that might change, might grow, might retreat sometimes while blossoming at others, but it has deep roots, and he has no plans to cut it down any time soon, not anymore.

There we go!!!! I played Emmaverse bingo with myself with how many headcanons I could remember and get in here, but I’m sorry if I forgot anything or if the ages/order of events are a bit muddled!!!!! Thank you again for letting me write this, I had so much fun!!!!💖💖💖

#tma #the magnus archives #tma fic #jonmartin #emma #SKJDEJDJEKDJDJJ AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! THIS IS INCREDIBLE #your writing style is amazing my god it’s perfect #I love love love the detail about Martin not being in the picture #and the fear of happiness slipping through his fingers oh god #Jon and tim sitting outside together my HEART #oh my god and iris is the goodest girl I cry #emmaaaaaaa she’s so cuteeeeeeeeeee I can’t #so I’m gonna reread this 1000 times thank you so so so much #submission

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wehavethoughts · 4 years

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Educational Children’s Books Review!

Media Titles: Jambo Means Hello, Swahili Alphabet Book by Muriel Feelings; K is for Kwanzaa by Juwanda G. Ford; Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang; and Feast For 10 by Cathryn Falwell Reviewed By: MargeMod Content Warning/Spoilers: None Rating: Full Bouquet out of Full Bouquet

How many alphabet, counting or first word books are on your child's bookshelf? Now, how many are in a different language or show people that don't look like you? Don't be shy, in fact be aggressive in making sure that these simple learning books contain representation of people and places that are like your family as well as those that are not like your family. What can be more basic in forming your child's view of the world than learning the alphabet, counting and language? This review includes four books that show African-American heritage, language and faces.

Media Title: Jambo Means Hello, Swahili Alphabet Book Author: Muriel Feelings Pictures By: Tom Feelings Media Type: Soft Cover Children's Book (ISBN: 0-14-054652-9) Genre: Alphabet, Swahili people, Kiswahili language, East Africa

Summary: Adults are failing their children if we do not expose or teach them a second, or third or even fourth language. What better way to introduce another language than through the alphabet? The full-page Introduction explains where Swahili is spoken and how there are no Q or X sounds in Swahili. Each letter presents a word in Swahili, and gives the pronunciation and a bit of explanation. This book is wonderfully illustrated with everyday scenes of activities that happen in an African village and in a child's life. Just about any age group would find something to catch their interest.

Review: The illustrations are superb. At the end of the book there is a "A note about the art." The end result of the seemingly complicated process is stunning. Having traveled in East Africa myself in 1974, I can say that Tom Feelings' illustrations perfectly convey the look, feel and experience I enjoyed during my trip. Some of the Swahili words selected for the alphabet seem familiar (baba means father) and anyone who has seen Lion King should not be surprised that rafiki means friend.

Media Title: K is For Kwanzaa, A Kwanzaa Alphabet Book Author: Juwanda G. Ford Illustrated By: Ken Wilson-Max Media Type: Soft Cover Children's Book (ISBN:0-590-18995-6) Genre: Children's alphabet book, Kwanzaa traditions, Swahili words

Summary: As the title clearly shows this book presents the traditions of Kwanzaa using the alphabet. The origin of Kwanzaa and its seven principles are explained in the first pages, and then the alphabet begins with A is for Africa. Some words highlighted are in Swahili and the short text on each gives its proper pronunciation. The book uses the familiarity of the alphabet to teach a tradition that began in 1966. Older children would enjoy the information provided and younger readers would like the vibrant colors.

Review: This lively book could be at home on a child's bookshelf or on a classroom reference table. Familiar english words like harvest and neighborhood are included with Swahili words like gele and lapa. The illustrations use bold vibrant colors that complement and support the text. I agree completely with the back page description that "the brilliant pictures bring to life all that is central to Kwanzaa: cultural heritage, family, and community."

Media Title: Ten, Nine, Eight Author: Molly Bang Media Type: Soft Cover Children's book (ISBN: 0-590-45583-4) Genre: Children's counting 1 to 10 book, bedtime

Summary: This bedtime countdown book is made up of only views in the child's bedroom. A friendly black cat and familiar items hold the reader's interest. The text is gentle and rhythmic. What family hasn't at one time or another said "1 big girl all ready for bed"? Intended for very young children, beginning readers would enjoy it as well.

Review: Because it was read so often and carried all over the house by my daughter, this poor little book is stained and torn. I've included it in this review because the colors and illustrations are soft, wonderful and the phrasing seems to come straight from the heart. I love all the room details from the flowered wallpaper to the chair upholstery pattern.

Media Title: Feast For 10 Author: Cathryn Falwell Media Type: Soft Cover Children's Book (ISBN: 0-590-48466-66-4) Genre: Child's counting book, shopping, meal preparation, inter-generational

Summary: This counting book is fun because it counts up to 10 twice! The first time the happy group goes shopping for the makings of a feast. The second counting is the preparation of the ingredients. Throughout it shows helpful children interacting in a common activity. Very young children would enjoy the drawings and how the children participate.

Review: Kudos to anyone who takes five children to the grocery store, but in this book it works. Any family with multiple children would enjoy seeing the hustle and bustle of a grocery shopping trip and then the meal preparation. A one-child family would be delighted as well. The white background allows the action and colors to shine and I particularly like the clear lines and wonderful detail.

Conclusion: I am a (very) white woman. In fact, I've been known to describe myself as alabaster. Truth be told, a more accurate description of my skin tone might be pink with lots and lots of freckles. But I loved and married someone decidedly not pink and our child has only two freckles. Her strength of character and tolerant, open world view, I believe was formed because she grew up with a large and loving family from many countries and cultures and with lots and lots of books.

Tags: education, parenting, children, teaching, languages, children’s book reviews, multicultural, MargeMod, bedtime stories, children’s books,

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nightmaretyrantvantas · 5 years

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Ok guys its finally finished!!

Introducing the last two main families in my anxciet au!

Please meet the princes

The Prince family

( from left to right)

Rebecca Prince

The boys’s Mother, goes by the names Mother, Ma, and Bec-bec

Her and Diana have been married for 7 years at this point, and been together for about 10(they met and started dating on and off since high school until they got back together permanently during college)

Punk mom punk mom punk mom punk mom punk mom-

She raised roman on her own for his first year before remus was born, in which she started dating Diana again more seriously

She majored in nursing and later in sociology in college before dropping out to take care of her boys and raise them right

Shes currently going back to school for the sociology degree inbetween her current job

She works as nurse and receptionist at a doctors office in town

Shes in her mid forties current time( where roman is 22, remus is 21, and kingley is 14)

Shes a pretty tough love kinda parent, and doesnt mind rough housing with her boys when they get too out of line and rowdy( they all enjoy the playfullness of it)

But compared to Diana she is not the scary when angry parent, and she can actually be pretty lenient with the boys depending on the situation

She also tends to be the one who gives into their requests and in kingley’s case, puppy eyes, though she puts on a tough front when she does

Rebecca is such a softie for her family I just i cant she loves them so much

She makes dad jokes just to annoy and embarrass her sons, but only makes either classic dad jokes or purposely really bad ones

100% supportive of her older boys’s relationships, and loves to tease Roman about Patton all the time

She also enjoys building things, and helped build the play structure and treehouse that are in the backyard.

Shes probably the reason Remus has no filter, as she has little filter herself

Her hair is naturally honey brown but she dyed it recently to make a statement to a shitty coworker so currently her hair is purple blue and pink

Shes usually pretty reserved around anyone thats not her family, so its a bit of a shock when people see her playful and rowdy compared to her reserved, professional front

Remus prince

The middle child at 21 but hey he can (legally) drink!

Wild feral trash man no matter what, but now hes got a switchblade and two brothers hed fucking kill for( though he wont admit it about roman)

Hes dating Logan and shows a slightly softer side to him only, and hes ride or die with his boyfriend

He tried college but it didnt suit him, so he ended up dropping out and instead getting two part time jobs: one as a vet assistant and one as a bartender, both located near his current apartment

Hes been best friends with Ethen for as long as he can remember, they grew up together and he considers Ethen a brother practically, and remus would probably be in a bad place without him and Remus recognizes this

He has a love for theater and acting that he shares with his older brother Roman and was in pretty much every school performance growing up, and even majored in theater for a bit when he was in college

He also writes alot of original short horror stories

Hes an adrenaline junkie and loves doing reckless things for the fun of it( usually dragging Ethen or Logan along with him)

He doesnt have a youtube channel of his own but he pops up frequently enough on Ethen’s channel when joining him for explorations that Ethen’s subscribers know him well, and love seeing him in videos

Hes only got two filter and their names are Logan and Ethen

He wants to get a snakes as pets just as much as Ethen but Their apartment has strict rules

That did not however stop him from bringing home a in rehabilitation small fresh water turtle home from work one day, and its the only exception to the no pets rule because Remus fought tooth and nail over the fact it was part of his JOB DAMMIT HES KEPPING THE TURTLE IT NEEDS CONSTANT CARE--

ahem. anyway the turtles name is Sir snappy and he adores her

He LOVES teasing both his brothers, even if it means getting teased back he can usually take what he dishes out

usually.

He also has a drivers license but does not currently have a car as he is trying to save up to buy a motorcycle

Kingley “King” Prince

The youngest of the family!! The also the shortest!!

He goes by the nickname “ King” and has for a couple years now

Hes fourteen and hes very upbeat and cheerful!

Hes also one of Andy’s best friends( He isnt crushing on andy dont listen to remus) and theyve been friends since second grade

Did I mention that they have sleepovers as often as they can? Because they try to. Usually King, andy, and Liam are nearly glued to the hips unless they cant be

Hes got a wild imagination and lots of ideas that he loves to share and try to put out as songs, stories, drawings, etc

He has severe ADHD and takes medication to help him narrow his focus more, as well as to keep his energy levels more consistent so he wouldnt be hugely energetic in the morning and dull and falling asleep by noon. But the medication doesnt effect his creativity sometimes it even helps boost it because he can focus better on his ideas instead of getting too many ideas at once to focus on and work on

His hair has blonde highlights in the winter and looks nearly fully blonde in the summer

Hes got his mama’s caramel brown eyes and tanner skin, as apposed to his ma’s more peachy skin and green eyes

This boy loves to wrestle and roughhouse, hes got alot of energy that needs to be ran out by bedtime and what better way then wrestling his older brothers for the tv remote when they visit? Or playing games at the park or in the backyard until the sun goes down

He also loves to sing and draw, he can usually be caught humming and you can find doodles all over his homework and school assignments

He also got braces when he was 12 and he loves them and always gets new colors for them as often as he can convinces his parents to agree to

Roman Prince

The eldest brother at 22!

He works at the local theater as a theater tech and assistant director and also performs in a good chunk of the plays put on as well

He loves his job, especially when they put on musicals

He has a college degree in directing and one in music composing

Hes known his boyfriend patton since they were kids since their families are really close,

He also writes his own short plays and stories that are sometimes performed at his work!!

Oh and this boy our boy roman can cook, hes learned all his cooking from his parents and absolutely loves cooking and learning new recipes and experimenting with old recipes! He also brings extra food into work to share with his coworkers and the actors in case someone doesnt have food with them or the money to buy something( as some of the workers there are broke college students or high schools trying to get experience) He and Patton share this hobby and sometimes have playful cooking competitions in their kitchen!!

Hes got a huge dvd collection that fills tree shelves of a bookshelf in their apartment

He also holds some acting lessons to younger workers at the theater in the case someone is struggling with a role or performace

Roman is also a very smooth motherfucker in the romace department when he wants to be. Hes romantic and pays alot of to little details and goes all out for date nights, whether theyre at home dates or going out dates he tries to make it as perfect to you as possible

Also he speaks spanish and likes to sing to Patton in spanish to swoon him on a bad day

Diana Prince

The boys’s other mother! Goes by Mama, Mum, and baba

Shes in her late thirties early fourties

did I mention theyve been married for years? I did? Good good

Diana is a blunt sweetheart with a bubbly, snappy personallity and a fiery temper

Shes really good with kids and has a degree in child psychology and works as a guidance counselor at the local high school

She also helps out at their neighborhood’s church with events and sometimes helps with services as an organ player

She plays piano and has been since she was young, she can also play the guitar

She absolutely adores her family but watch out if they break a rule or get themselves into trouble she is the stern one and does not let them get out of trouble. Puppy eyes are wasted on her you do the crime you do the time and the extra chores no arguing.

That is not to say that she wont listen and hear her boys out though, its just normally after hearing them out theyre still in the wrong( pray for remus is he ever got arrested for anything cough cough the homecoming incident cough cough)

Shes been friends with Emile since high school and sees his boys almost like her own, and cares for them as such.

She speaks spanish and told Roman and the others from a young age, but Roman is the only one who kept with it strongly, Remus only uses it when he angry and King is still learning

Shes an amazing cook, on par or even better than Emile( a statement that has been yet to be confirmed)

She is also a confirmed lover of making big meals

She loves being outdoors and playing with her kids

She also enjoys doing embroidery as a relaxing hobby

And lastly introducing...

The Daniel family!!

(from left to right)

Olivia Daniels

Logan and Liam’s mom! Shes a psychology professor at the local college!

Shes been going by the name Olivia for about 16 almost 17 years now and shes never been happier!

Olivia is technically their step mother, as she joined the family after Logan and Liam were born, but very early in their lives( Logan was 10 and Liam was three)

shes in her mid thirties

Her and richard have been married for 12 years and are still going strong!!

olivia is more of a gentle soul kinda person, shes peppy and softer spoken and has a very soothing and trusting presence to her. Shes easy to make laugh and loves making people smile

She also enjoys bringing treats to her classes for her overworking students

Shes not much of a cook but she does try dammit

Looks super sweet but shes a force to be reckoned with if you fuck with her children let me tell you

She wouldve made an excellent therapist had she gone into that field, shes good at listening and offering solutions

She also paints in her spare time!! And sells her paintings at local art shows!!

Shes got the worst sweet tooth ever Richard has to hide sweets in the house

She also works at the same college Logan attends, same with his father

Shes the only blonde in the family with green eyes

Logan Daniels

Out sassy skeptic! He’s 20 years old and currently attending college with a biology major and a astrology minor!

Hes pretty reserved at first glance, being the calm and common sense to both his best friend Virgil and his boyfriend Remus

But hes such a dork when you get to know him. He could go on for hours and hours about his interests(something Remus loves listening to)

He lives in a single person dorm on campus and works in the student union as well as does tutoring sessions for high schools for extra credits

Hes been dating Remus for a good four almost five years , and they met in freshman year of high school

His dorm room is covered in various posters for astrology and bands he enjoys, as well as a few old theater posters from Remus’s old performances

He was goddamn punk during high school, and Virgil loves to bring this up to embarrass him

He likes to always wear business casual unless hes staying in, and even then sometimes he keeps to his fashion habits a little too hard

Hes a decent cook, but he doesnt refuse the offer of someone else cooking for him either( or even going out to eat now and then)

Hes a very large and firm skeptic and greatly enjoys debating with virgil different aspects of his beliefs and paranormal experiences, and functions as the one between them to reason away happenings with logic as a way to ease Virgils nerves.

But he IS willing to see his best friends side of things if he is provided solid proof.

He also makes plenty of appearances on Virgil’s channel for a variety of reasons, and his fanbase really likes him

Hes also a very protective older brother, and is not afraid to verbal destroy anyone who hurts his little brother(much to Liams angsty horror)

He does have a car that he put Remus on his insurance for, so if his boyfriend ever DID need to drive it he would without complications

Logan also does join the boys on explorations, though this is a more rare occurance as he’d rather help them edit the videos and put them out in a timely manner

Hes pretty good at managing his student budget, but he has those moments of splurging randomly for things( as we all do sometimes)

Hes got a really REALLY nice laugh that not too many people outside his inner circle have heard

His eyes are a dark blue just like his dads, and he keeps his dark brown hair messy but practical

Liam Daniels

Logan’s baby brother! Our boy is 13 years old!!

Hes andy’s other best friend, and the final link to their little trio

Hes the more stoic of the three, as he is entering his rebellious angsty teen years a couple years early.

He loves space and the ocean, and wants to be a marine biologist someday.

Hes not the best at being social, thats why hes got King as their talker and hes the snarky fighter

This boi is alot fiestier than he looks but only his friends and family know that, and he will throw down if you even just look at his loved ones the wrong way( despite his height)

He doesnt always get social cues either which makes him come off kinda rude in situations but I promise he doesnt mean it

Someone got his mothers sweet tooth but cant have too much sugar because it messes with his body too much

like when he crashes from a sugar high he crashes hard and its BAD

Hes the shortest of his friends, just barely half an inch shorter than Andy

He always looks half tired and like he needs coffee but he cant have coffee so...

he loves to read and his room is filled with so many books!!

He also has a stuffed animal collection but shush about that its a secret

Hes also a spicy food lover( at least to a point, nothing too extreme)

He likes baggier clothes because theyre more comfortable, and he prefers comfort of fashion

His eyes are a brighter blue and he keeps his hair alot neater than his brother’s

Hes also very snappy, with a comeback for almost everything

Richard Daniels

The dad!! He works as a chemistry professor at the college and a part time physics teacher at the local high school( switching days)

Hes very tall at 6′2(compared to the rest of his family)

He looks really strict but hes surprisingly laid back about alot of things( though rules and discipline are NOT one of those things)

He is in his early fourties

He took care of the boys on his own for logans first ten years and Liams three before he met Olivia

Hes got the scolding parent look and The Tone mastered and sometimes even uses both on his students to get them to behave, with wildly successful results

Hes very logical and skeptical of things “unrealistic”

Was a stressed out stick in the mud before he met his wife, as he was a new single father trying to secure tennure in a teacher job

Hes the cook in the house, and is really good at it.

hes a more silent understood supporter of his children, as he is much more reserved than his wife

But he as the biggest soft spot for her

He always tries to raise his boys with a strong balanced set of values and manners

He also can play lacrosse, and was considered the best player back in school

He doesnt have a good relationship with his family aside from his mother, so the boys have only met their grandma on that side, as he doesnt want any toxic mindsets or ideals influencing his children( especially Liam)

compared to Olivia he isnt soft spoken at all but he would rather dissolve issues with communication and clarification, not anger or violence( yeah LIAM)

He also enjoys watching documentaries and doing casual photography from time to time

And its finally done!! All for families are complete and posted!!

Im really proud of these!! Especially the prince family photo! It took me days to figure out the poses...

All art referenced is credited to @aimasup @underdog-arts and @fangirltothefullest !!

Anyway i hope you guys enjoy! And hopefully soon ill be posting some writings for this au too! And posting more drawings! Enjoy!!

Taglist

@phantommoonpeople

@sweetsweetemo

@leesacrakon

@amazable01

@starbucks-remy

@jemthebookworm

@max-is-tired

@seriously-a-dragon

@sar-kasstic

@soupspam

@strawberryjellystuff

@aimasup

@unsocialchapeau

@underdog-arts

@fangirltothefullest

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apprenticeofcups · 5 years

Note

Hey o! Can get the main 6 when there baby saids “Dada/Mama as there first word

heyo! you bet 😎

👶Main 6 + Baby’s First Word

Asra

You know, he hadn’t really thought about what your kid would end up calling him until you had the baby

Now, he’s kind of curious to see what they come up with

He talks and babbles to them all the time, but he doesn’t try to bait them with anything

One morning, as he’s feeding them, they grab for the spoon and chirp, “Zaza!”, and that’s that

Julian

He talks to the baby constantly. Not just baby-talk; he narrates his day, thinks out loud, has one-sided conversations where he asks their opinions on things

When the baby finally talks back, interrupting him with a squawk and a “Dada!”, he freezes

He rushes to show you, cooing to them until they say it again, practically jumping up and down with excitement

Somewhere between points A and B, he started crying

Nadia

She’s very worried about spending enough time with the baby, so when she does have time with them, she tries to make the most of it

She talks, she sings, she reads to them, she gives them baths

She’s still shocked when their first word is “Mama”, in a string of baby-chatter while she’s trying to read their bedtime story

Every time they do it, she giggles and showers them with kisses

Muriel

Talking to the baby took some getting used to, but he’s gotten better at it

Actually, there’s no better way to calm the kid down than laying them on his chest while he talks to them; his voice is so low and rumbly it basically rocks them to sleep

One night, he’s just about to put them down when they yawn and squeak out a “Dada”

You have to take them from his arms to the crib, because he’s bright red, and totally frozen

Portia

She has a habit of repeating the baby’s babbling back to them, to make them laugh

So she almost doesn’t notice when they babble out a “Mama!” when she’s giving them a bath one day

When they do it again, though, you can hear her squealing from the Palace

You’re both Mama/Dada/Baba/etc. full-time, now, whether the baby’s around or not

Lucio

Full disclosure, he’s been determined to be his baby’s first word

Carrying them around the menagerie while he talks to the animals, so all they hear is “Daddy loves you” “kiss for Papa?”, etc.

When they finally do, grabbing at his face and squeaking out a “Dada!”, he shrieks

He drags them all over the Palace, showing it off to anyone who’ll listen, and a few who won’t ☕

Requests Are Open | Ko-Fi | My AO3

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asrastea · 4 years

Text

MAIN 3 + Faust: Children HC (Arcana)

This is my first time making a headcanon so... bare with me! Also REQUESTS ARE OPEN! merci and gracias.

Asra:

Asra with kids?! Oh boy... as calm as he may seem on the outside, he can be about as chaotic as Julian on crack

For instance, once you went out to the market to get some of that scrumptious pumpkin bread for breakfast to find your whole kitchen and precious husband + spawn covered head-to-toe in flour

Let’s admit, he’s kinda embarrassed when you walk in

Lots of naps and cuddles

Those children are attached to him at the hip

They’re always cooped up with him, reading books on anything: alchemy, goldilocks, botany, it doesn’t matter. They just like the way Baba’s voice sounds

Tells lots of stories of his travels during bedtime

Forehead kisses and tuck-ins too :)

Best believe Aisha and Salim are always at Chez Al-nazar

Lots of magical incidents... good and bad, mostly bad ;)

Let’s just say the teapot situation had a reprise

Spending lots of time at the palace with Nadia and Portia

And getting into heaps of trouble with Uncle Ilya

And those times when Baba has to go on those long trips, they beg to go with him just like Mommy/Daddy used to

Julian:

Sometimes you think to yourself, who let this man have children???

He’s already a big baby

But, deep down he’s always wanted a big family

And that’s what he’s got!

Many, many, many rounds of piggyback rides

Broke a couple of vases and pictures frames. Oh well.

Julian does everything with them

Leech collecting? Hell yeah!

But don’t get too close, darling

Playing as pirates for a day? You betcha

You’ll be sick of, “ARGH, SHIVER ME TIMBERZZZ” by the end of the day

Julian is more conscientious than you’d think when it comes to his children

And is definitely more cautious about your welfare as well

Those Devorak children do enjoy seeing Auntie Pasha beat the shit out of Julian on a day of bad judgement.

“THE RED MARKET ILYA?! HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND YOU-”

Don’t let Mom/Dad know though, that’s a new type of hell

Nadia:

Polite, well-behaved child

At least, when she’s not looking

With Julian being at the palace so often, being troublesome just rubs off on you

When Nadia’s not busy, she gives your child personal piano/organ lessons

She feels it’s more intimate that way

On a cool spring day, tea and your bambino’s favorite biscuits at the gazebo

Hide the alcohol! It’s not juice!

Lots of fancy outfits

Is a cool mom, but stresses that their wealth is a privilege

Will NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES have Lucio 2.0 be brought up under her roof.

Not. on. her. watch

Stories with the fam on holidays are a must

Auntie’s always keep the kiddo on their toes

There’s never a dull moment

Especially when Asra teaches the two magic

Life really couldn’t get any better, could it?

Faust da bootiful snek:

Lots of “Squeeze!”

Faust likes to play with them

Brings lots of gifts in the tots favorite color, smell, etc.

Don’t ask where it came from.

Just don’t!

Faust is generally open, except that one time your child threw her across the room with their magic, accidentally

“Ouch” was definitely said. You felt pretty bad.

Some distancing was put in place for sure

But it didn’t last long

Faust is literally with them almost all the time

Did I mention her favorite nap-place is on your kid’s neck?

It is

And whatever you do, DON’T MAKE BAMBINO AL-NAZAR ANGRY OR SAD!

Faust will show up to that person’s doorstep with a knife.

Gladiator Faust Activate!

Faust really does love them, enough to make Asra a teeny-bit jealous!

Just a bit.

#the arcana #The Arcana Game #the arcana julian #the arcana lucio #the arcana portia #arcana headcanon #arcana #arcana hc #arcana headcanons #asra alnazar #asrathearcana #asra the magician #asra headcanons #julian headcanons #nadia satrivana #julian devorak #nadia headcanons #faust headcanons #Muriel

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ororowrites · 5 years

Text

T’Challa x Ororo - Sparks

Characters: T’Challa x Ororo

Word count: 2,504

“What are you saying, Ororo,” T’Challa questioned, wanting to make sure his hearing wasn’t failing him.

“I think we should get a divorce,” Ororo repeated, this time sounding certain that this is what she wanted.

Two months later, Ororo and T’Challa were still living separately part-time and on two different continents. The Queen of Wakanda had moved back to the States and T’Challa stayed in Wakanda. Before any divorce was finalized, counseling was required by the Council if there were children involved. Their four-year-old baby girl was stuck in the middle of her parents’ feud. Azora wasn’t old enough to understand what was going on but even she could feel the tension. She was fussier than usual and clingy when she usually liked to be independent. It was difficult keeping the pending divorce quiet from nosey media outlets looking for a story. But, Ororo and T’Challa managed, continuing to attend royal events together as a couple and keeping the buzz down.

T’Challa was in town for a royal engagement and thought it would be a good time for them to discuss the living arrangement for Azora. Ororo invited her soon to be ex-husband over to help tuck in their princess and have the weighted discussion.

“Babaaa,” Azora shrieked as soon as she heard the familiar voice in the living room. Her tiny feet hit the hardwood with light smacks until she leaped into her father’s arms.

“There’s Baba’s princess! I missed you,” T’Challa added with equal enthusiasm. Azora was the perfect mix of Ororo and T’Challa. She had her father’s smile, her small gap matching his, but she had Ororo’s eyes. Her personality matched more with her Aunt Shuri, which meant many jokes from Azora’s end.

“I missed you too,” Azora exclaimed, hugging the King’s neck. “Can you read me a bedtime story?”

T’Challa looked to his wife for approval, earning a smile and nod. The parents were escorted to Azora’s room after she forced to hold hands on the way. “Read this one,” Azora demanded, holding up Amazing Grace. Even though she had heard the book many times, Azora couldn’t get enough because she thought the young black girl on the cover “matched her”.

“Okay, okay. We’ll read this one. That alright, mama,” T’Challa chuckled, directing his question to Ororo.

“That’s alright with me. This is one of my favorite books too,” she stated, sitting beside her husband. “Is it okay if we take turns reading?”

“Yes,” Azora shouted, pumping her fists in the air.

They followed her instructions until the princess could barely keep her eyes open. Once her eyes had fluttered shut for the last time that night, T’Challa and Ororo quietly left the room.

“That didn’t take long,” Ororo whispered, making sure they were fully out of earshot. “I need to talk to you about her, by the way.”

Worry etched itself on T’Challa’s features until Ororo eased his nerves. “I think...actually I know she has my abilities. She’s quite young and that scares me because you know how hard it was for me to control my emotions then.”

The King placed a hand on Ororo’s shoulder, stopping her in her tracks. “Hey, we talked about this being a possibility when you were pregnant. We’ll handle it. You know Azora will always be in good hands with us. I’ll have Shuri do some research.”

Not even thinking about his statement or how it could be received, T’Challa followed Ororo back into the living room.

“So you don’t think I’m capable of taking care of our child,” the Queen questioned, handing him a glass of wine.

“You know that isn’t what I meant,” T’Challa sighed in frustration. Everything he said got a reply when he wasn’t looking for one. Ororo always got offended each time he made a statement.

Ororo sighed in return, “But you were implying it. That’s one problem we have. Every time I voice my feelings, you get defensive.”

He could appreciate her effort in being honest but it was still irritating. Thinking about their counseling sessions, T’Challa took a deep breath and thought through his answer, “I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant, but clearly, I hurt your feelings. I apologize.”

She nodded and decided to change the subject, “All I want is for this process to go easy for Azora. She shouldn’t feel the tension between us,” Ororo stated. “But she’s already questioning where you are and why you don’t live with us.”

“This is what you wanted.”

Tears were threatened to spill over, “And you don’t?” Confusion was one hell of a feeling and it was hitting hard. Not being around T’Challa made the divorce pill harder to swallow. Now that he was present, Ororo began reminiscing on their good moments. T’Challa was her first love, a love that she never thought would sour.

T’Challa refused to ignore Ororo’s tears, even when she quickly wiped any evidence of her emotions away. But it was too late. He saw them.

“Are you sure this is what you want,” T’Challa questioned, moving from his chair to join her on the sofa.

Quite frankly, this is what made it hard for Ororo. Even when they were at odds, T’Challa still cared. She wanted him to be the cold man he was after the snap, but even then she’d have a hard time.

“Ororo,” T’Challa repeated, this time taking her face between his hands.

After gathering her emotions, Ororo was able to speak, “No,” she admitted. “But is it for the best? Yes.”

“What makes you think that,” T’Challa countered, not understanding the double-edged sword of an answer. “Because we argue?”

They had many disagreements but the past year they were arguing several times a day. Their disagreements went from petty spats to screaming matches over royal matters. When their marital issues began to affect how they worked as King and Queen, Ororo knew they had a major problem. Ororo felt like they were far too gone to save, especially when some members of the X-Men attacked Wakanda, putting the couple at odds. Words were exchanged that should be been left unsaid.

“We don’t just argue, T’Challa. We don’t work. How can run a country together when we can't even run our marriage,” she explained with tear-streaked cheeks. “I will not destroy a country because I can’t work with my husband. Do you see how troublesome that is?”

He had to think fast. What could he possibly say to save their marriage and talk Ororo back from the ledge? Finally, he got out of his head and decided to speak from his heart. Taking Ororo’s hands in his, T’Challa began, “Remember when we first met?” The memory caused Ororo’s face to light up. “That’s a day I won’t forget. Those men almost kidnapped me but this beautiful girl with white hair scared them away because she had lightning in her fingers. I’ve never seen a group of grown men run that fast.”

Their first encounter came at the tender age of 14. T’Challa was on a voyage to prepare him for his future as a King. Poachers in the area attempted to kidnap him, thinking he was there to kill their plan. Ororo emerged from a nearby bush with flashes of light coming from her fingers, running the men off and leaving T’Challa safe and untouched. His country held the secret of vibranium, but what secret did this girl have?

“I didn’t even know how to control my abilities then,” Ororo smiled. “That was out of fear.”

“Well, you saved me, my love,” T’Challa grinned. “I was in unknown territory and outnumbered.”

“You were training to be the Black Panther. I’m pretty sure you would have managed without me,” she added, relaxing back against the couch. Memories were bittersweet. They reminded Ororo of the times that led to the deep love they had shared.

“Maybe...maybe not. My whole point is, we’ve gotten away from what’s truly important. Why we fell in love with each other in the first place,” T’Challa explained. “I’m guilty of it too. I could have done better making sure we had time to ourselves outside of work. I took advantage of you simply loving me and I stopped dating you.”

“Dating me,” Ororo raised a brow in confusion.

“I stopped trying, Ororo. You should still feel like I’m courting you but I became too complacent,” he answered, bearing his heart to Ororo in a way he hadn’t done in a while.

Hanging her head to look at their intertwined fingers she agreed, “We’ve both been too complacent. I’ve noticed the distance between us for a while but just didn’t attempt to fix it. I’ve felt unloved and abandoned but kept those feelings to myself because of my pride. I hate when we fight and it seems like the only way I can get my points across. And I know I haven’t been the most pleasant person to be around, after…” Ororo trailed off, her mind drifting back to the fateful day they returned to Wakanda.

After the snap, Ororo and T’Challa were left to deal with the aftermath. Several Wakandans had vanished, including members of the Council, Dora Milaje and countless civilians. The Avengers vowed to get the lost back and tracked Thanos down to reverse the snap. They had succeeded at the expense of losing Okoye and that tore T’Challa to pieces. He’d never forgive himself for losing someone so precious to the kingdom. Okoye was more than his General and protector, she was his sister. T’Challa considered Okoye family and hated that he couldn’t protect her. Her death sent T’Challa into a depression as he struggled to handle his grief. He had never reached acceptance and it left him in an angry state.

“Neither of us have been. I’ve been a terrible husband like you said,” T’Challa added. “I’ve been cold and closed you out when I’ve needed you the most. I’m sorry.”

“T’Challa…”

“I want my wife back. I want my family back,” the King admitted. When Ororo served him with papers, he was shocked. They didn’t make rash decisions without discussion but clearly, Ororo had her mind set on ending their marriage. “Baby,” T’Challa pleaded. “We can work through this. I’m willing to do whatever it takes but signing those papers would be the biggest mistake we make.”

He begged with everything he had in him and poured his heart out as much as it would allow. Losing his family would tear him apart, ruin the last pieces of sanity he held on to after the war against Thanos. Guilt was already eating at his soul and signing those papers would open up a lifetime of regret.

Ororo used the opportunity to open up about her truths and feelings, something she had a difficult time doing herself. It made her feel too vulnerable. “Can I be honest with you?” T’Challa nodded. “Remember that big fight we had after the gala?”

How could either one of them forget that night? That was the night T’Challa had to do a speech in front of world leaders about opening Wakandan borders to exchange students. It was the night he also had to do a speech about the loss of a Wakandan General. He was tense the entire night, dreading the moment he had to talk about Okoye to the world. There were certain things he liked to keep private and his grief was one. That night, he had snapped at his daughter when she got too wired. He never yelled at Azora and she had never even heard her father raise his voice at anyone. That’s when Ororo stepped in and only made matters worse. They went for the jugular, both saying things they didn’t truly mean but only meant at that moment in order to hurt each other.

That night, Ororo told him he was a terrible husband and he stated he should have married a Wakandan woman instead. They regretted the statements as soon as they left their mouths. For the rest of the night, they were forced to put on a front and Ororo planned to file for a divorce.

“At times I wished it was me instead of Okoye. I thought you wouldn’t feel as guilty and you’d be happier if it was me instead,” Ororo admitted, watching T’Challa’s eyebrows smooth out as his face softened. “Things were rough that night. I thought about leaving right then and sending the papers later on. Then I thought about Azora and how unhappy it would make her.”

“Why would you think something like that, Ororo? Losing you would have killed me,” he reassured. “Come here.” Pulling his wife into his lap, T’Challa held her close. The close proximity seemed to relax them and provided a comfort the couple had been missing. “I can’t imagine living without you or Azora. After Okoye went down that day, my life flashed before my eyes. I just knew I was next and I didn’t want to leave you here alone. That day was the first time I’ve been afraid of dying. Because I had so much I’d leave behind.”

Moments from that terrible day haunted both of them due to the loss they experienced. Haunting T’Challa more than anything. When he was finally able to recognize his depression, his relationship with his wife had already fallen apart.

“Now I’m afraid of losing you,” he added, placing a finger under Ororo’s chin, forcing her to look at him. “I’m sorry for abandoning you two and making you feel like I don’t care about you...about us.”

“It’s not all on you. I haven’t been the best partner to you when you needed me. And I’m sorry for that,” Ororo apologized. “I want what’s best for our daughter. I’m tired of fighting with you and she doesn’t deserve to see us like this.”

T’Challa agreed, “Me too and I want to fix this. Please,” his eyes were pleading.

Was love truly enough to stick this out and hope they could repair what had been damaged? Could it be repaired? “What if we can’t fix this?”

“Baba,” a tiny voice interrupted. They looked up to find Azora, rubbing her eyes after a bad dream had disturbed her sleep.

“Bad dream, sweetie,” Ororo held out her arms, inviting their daughter to join them.

“Yes,” Azora sniffed, snuggling into T’Challa’s side as he comforted her.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about those monsters getting you. Baba has that all under control,” he offered, kissing Azora’s forehead. Glancing over at his Queen, he attempted to read her current thoughts since they didn’t get to finish their conversation. Ororo nodded, letting him know that their discussion could wait until the morning and there were more important matters to handle at the time.

Within a matter of minutes, Azora and T’Challa had fallen asleep, their light snores the only sound in the silent living area. Gazing at her family as they slept, those familiar butterflies fluttered in Ororo’s belly.

This was home.

A second part may or may not be in the works.🤔 Okay, it probably is!

Taglist: @oceanscorazon, @heybriheyyy, @superhoeros, @90sinspiredgirl

@champagnesugamama @ashanti-notthesinger @maddistundentwritergaines

Azora Faceclaim:

#black panther #black panther fanfiction #t'challa x ororo #t'challa x storm #fanfiction #storm #ororo munroe #wakanda

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sarcastic-sunshines · 5 years

Text

Letters for my Love - Chapter 2

A/N: So it appears I don’t know how to do a one shot lol. But that’s okay, because I have a vision for this story and I am excited to share it with you all as it unravels. I appreciated all your reactions to the first part and tried to tag as many of you as I could remember who liked it. I hope you enjoy the story as much as I did writing it.

Warning: It pulls at your heartstrings a bit’

Pairing: T’Challa x Black Reader

Chapter 1

________________________________________________________________

My Love,

Yesterday was Nobomi’s fourth birthday. To think out little girl is growing so fast. It also marks 4 years since I lost you, the time has gone fast yet I still miss you like it is the first day. Though things have changed since then, especially considering I spent the end of our daughter’s first birthday in tears.

Yesterday I was almost brought to tears again when I thought about how my baby is no longer a baby. She is a talkative, inquisitive, beautiful child. Her face hasn’t changed since the day you brought her into this world. Her eyes still hold your glow, and each time it steals my heart.

It is hard to think she will be starting school in a week. She is so excited, meanwhile I haven’t felt this nervous since the day I proposed to you. She is not going to need me as much anymore and I am not sure how to feel about that. Since the day she was born, everyday has been consumed in making sure she is happy and loved. If she is spending most of her day at school what am I supposed to do with my day now.

Its moments like this that I miss you most. I still imagine the shared nervousness we would have had leading up to this milestone. I often think about all the moments I wished I had been able to hold your hand through. It makes me think of all the love we shared for each other, the love I held so strongly for you and accepting I will never experience that again.

I do not have too much time to dwell on the ifs and maybes of life. I have a little girl who needs help picking out a backpack for her first day. I am quite excited to be apart of this process.

Yours Forever,

T’Challa.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T’Challa sat on his office chair with a smile as he watched the newest four year old in town model different backpacks, hoping to pick the best one for her first day at school. He sat completely shocked by his child as she did spins to give him the full experience.

“Okay Baba which one do you like better?” He made a face making it seem as though he was deep in thought making the little girl giggle.

“I think the one with the blue rhino is the better choice Nono. It seems to be the perfect size for you and I think it will hold all your books.” She stared back before picking up a completely different napsack from the one T’Challa recommended.

“I like this one better Baba.” T’Challa chuckled. Just like her mother, he thought.

“Well was I any help to be you”

“Yes! You were the audience in my fashion parade” He let out a boisterous laugh while Nobomi crawled into his lap giving him a big hug and a kiss.

“Baba are you gonna be the one to take me to school on Monday?”

“Of course Nobomi wam. I wouldn’t miss this for the world. You are growing so big you know.” he said smoothing out the two big puffs on her head.

“I know Baba, Auntie Shuri says I will be so grown up soon, I will able to go on trips all by myself like you” The thought scared T’Challa. He was barely coping with her being 15 minutes away for 6 hours of the day, let alone think about her being halfway across the world for Bast knows how long.

“Why don’t we focus on school first?” She nodded absentmindedly as she searched for games on her Baba’s kimoyo beads. There was a knock on the door drawing T’Challa’s attention away from Nobomi. The door opened and the mining elder strolled in.

“Hello Kumkani, I was hoping to have a few words with you?”

“Of course.” He placed Nobomi on the ground leading her to the door. “Nono, why don’t you go find your Auntie Shuri and I will come get you in a little while for dinner”

“Okay, but only if we can have french fries”

“That’s fine, I will see you soon okay” The little girl nodded giving him a hug goodbye before her Dora led her to Shuri’s lab. T’Challa smiled closing the door. The mining elder smiled too.

“She is growing so quickly, to think I remember blessing her during the naming ceremony” T’Challa smiled at the memory while picking up the backpacks that had been abandoned for Nobomi’s preferred option.

“I know, now she is starting school and making demands, I am sure she has me fully wrapped around her finger.” He took his seat waiting for the elderly woman to begin discussing what she came here for. “How can I be of service to you”

“I actually came to discuss you kumkani”

“What about exactly?”

“My King, I and some other members on the counsel think it is advisable for you to take another Queen.” She said slowly gauging his reaction, which was complete shock.

“Why is that any of your business? Or anyone on the counsel? I have an heir and my mother is Queen regent so I do not see-”

“My King, if you will allow me, this is why I was asked to approach you privately. It is more than just an heir. Your mother is aging and is not as active as she once was. When your wife was here she was able to handle Queenly duties. Since her passing, those duties have not been getting done as quickly as they should be. Which is understandable, considering you are already wearing yourself quite thin my King”

“I am not complaining am I” the King retorted.

“No, but your efficiency is evidence you need help. The princess is starting school soon, and I know you have discussed going on less missions to be able to be with her since she cannot travel with you anymore. But that is not a responsible decision for a King, especially as a nation that is still forming its placement in the international community. If you had a Queen you would not have to divide yourself so much.”

“I can send representatives, many countries do so.” T’Challa felt cornered. How long had his counsel felt he had been doing an inadequate job. He was trying to make sure Nobomi was able to have him as the parent she deserved as well as being a good King. Now he feared he may be struggling at both.

“My King, there is one more thing” T’Challa was more than ready for this conversation to be over. He waited for her to continue with less enthusiasm than he once had.

“This is more of a personal check on you if anything. You have not been yourself since your wife passed. And of course we can never expect for you to return to your old self, but your only joy has been your daughter and now that she is going to school, we have noticed your mood has dimmed again. Perhaps if you had someone you could share these emotions with-”

“I have a wife”

“Had. And it may be time for you to start moving on. That child needs a mother figure and you the companionship.” T’Challa was seething. Was she implying he wasn’t enough of a parent for Nobomi? Moreover, how did they expect him to be able to love another even one quarter of the way he loved his wife. How could he give his heart to another when it died with his morning glory.

“I would like you to leave. “

“My King I didn't mean to offend you” T’Challa’s stare was cold and empty of emotion.

“This discussion is over. Thank you, and you can let the other council members know they will be hearing from me about their, suggestion” He declared.

He waited for the door to close behind the mining elders before leaning back and letting this new stress overtake his body. How dare she? How dare they? Could they not see how hard he was trying. How everyday he prayed to Bast for the tranquility of mind so he could continue to do his job. To be here for Nobomi. He wasn’t sure how much more of himself he could give. He wasn’t even sure if he had anymore to give.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

T’Challa slowly moved the little girl off my his body before leaving her bed quietly for the night. He closed the door softly before rejoining Shuri on the couch. His body melted into the couch and he closed his eyes, the stress of the day was still lingering.

“Are you okay brother? Or did Nono ask for sixteen different bedtime stories again” he let out a little chuckle.

“No she is not the reason for my strife. She never is really”

“You say that now until she starts telling you she is going to parties and dating” T’Challa groaned making his sister laugh. “Alright then, what is the issue here”

“I got a visit today from one of the council elders. She was speaking on behalf of the whole council though”

“What about?”

“Apparently, the council would like me to take a new Queen. Mama is getting older and is not as good at the job as she once was. They think it will also help me not feel as though I am doing too much all while giving Nobomi a mother figure.”

“Okay, so what is the issue”

“I don’t need a Queen” T’Challa said slowly.

“You don’t need one, or you don’t want one. Because those are two vastly different things” T’Challa scowled at his younger sister.

“Both, I have been managing fine on my own and there isn’t anything a woman can offer me in my life right now”

“Managing, yes, but not as efficiently as you once were. Also is there nothing a woman can offer you or perhaps nothing another woman can offer you that you haven’t already received from -”

“Shuri stop.” T’Challa felt his anxiety rising. He didn’t like talking about her so openly. Let alone the thought of replacing her.

“And that right there is the problem, you never want to talk about her, so I am not sure how you expect to heal. Mama and the council may be right” T’Challa turned, taking in Shuri’s words. Was his mother behind this as well.

“Wait, Mama thinks the same thing?” Shuri felt like she had already over shared but her brother’s menacing look let her know she wouldn’t be able to leave without filling in all the holes in the story.

“Well Mama is part of the council so, she definitely gave her opinion. She thinks that you having a girlfriend of some sorts would be good for you. But first she thinks you need to see a therapist because she is tired of seeing you sad.”

“I am not sad.”

“She also she says you can’t spend all your free time with Nono because that will never mend your heart, and you are spoiling her.” T’Challa was annoyed.

“I guess everyone in this palace has something to say about my parenting, ruling, or love life. It seems all three is the preferred option”

“Brother, I know it hurts but they are not wrong. Mama especially, you have been with Nono since the first day. You fired her nanny when she was only six months old and haven’t been away from her since. You take her on every trip you have and are planning to stop going so you don’t have to be away from her.”

“I am only trying to be a good father” he said exhaustingly

“And that is fine, but you are crippling her and yourself at the same time. Nono can’t go to sleep unless you hold her and ever since her first day at school has gotten closer you have become more of a downer”

“And what is that supposed to mean”

“It means, maybe a little space between the two of you is healthy. She definitely needs the independence and you the chance to find your footing outside of being a father”

“What if I am not ready to reopen that part of my life? What if I am never ready?” He finally said it. It had been boiling in his chest for four years. And although he was being forced to analyse this part of his life, it was something that had to happen.

“Well, you don’t have to announce yourself as the most available bachelor in Birnin Zana. But, it also means you can be more open to the idea.”

“Perhaps” T’Challa said quietly. He turned his head to the television, putting the movie in play.

“Perhaps is a good place to start” Shuri said filling her mouth with popcorn. T’Challa smiled at his younger sister, always amazed at the wisdom she held.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Children ran all around T’Challa and Nobomi. Some were excited for their first day, while the tears of others made it very clear they didn’t want to be anywhere near the school. Nobomi held on to her father’s leg looking around at all the new faces. She was always one to take in her surroundings before joining in. She hadn’t seemed nervous this morning and he still didn’t think she was. He hoped not, because if she cried he wasn’t sure how he would react.

The headmistress rang the first warning bell, which was followed by the kindergarten teachers coming out and waiting for their new classes. T’challa knelt down in front of Nobomi. He smoothed down the two big puffs before making sure her uniform looked okay. He held his hand to her cheek trying to hold his himself together. He didn’t want her to think she couldn’t go and discover new parts of the world by herself.

“Okay Nobomi wam, it is time for you to go into the school now. You are going to have a good time and learn so many new things. Which I can’t wait to hear about later when I pick you up.” he said with a kiss to her hand.

“You promise you will come back for me?”

“I promise with all my heart” he said rubbing their noses together making her giggle. He would only be picking her up today though. He had gotten a new nanny to pick her up and watch her so he could get more done and feel comfortable going on missions. When he had told her, she cried and it nearly broke him. But after meeting Miss Adanna, Nobomi barely noticed him leave the room.

The second bell rang and T’Challa noticed only one more class was still waiting. He was sure it was Nobomi’s. “Okay Nono, your class is waiting for you. Have fun okay.”

The little girl gave him a big hug and a kiss making him smile. “I love you Baba”

“I love you more” and with that she ran to join the line. He noticed she immediately made friends with another little girl. They held hands as they walking to the building. Nobomi turned once more to wave goodbye to her Baba. T’Challa waved goodbye before catching a singular tear that had fallen.

“Are you okay Kumkani” Okoye asked

“No, but I will be” He said turning to go back to the car.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My Love,

To say watching our daughter walk into that school was easy would be a huge lie. It took everything in me to watch her go off and create memories without me. But it had to be done and I am so proud of her.

I know you were watching over her as she navigated this new milestone. A milestone that she is enjoying if I may add. She has even made a new friend. Every story begins with ‘Fatou and me’. She really is a character. Just like you were. Everyday I see more of you in her. And it is for that reason I have to let her be independent. To let her create her own path, just as you would have wanted.

It is going to be hard for me to create a life outside of Nobomi, but I know it is the right thing to do. I am not sure if that will ever include me dating again, and I am not sure if I am ready to find out. My heart is still so tethered to yours it is hard to tell if it will ever happen.

What I am sure of though is that you wouldn’t have wanted for me to let life pass me by. You always lived everyday to the fullest and I intend to do just that. I have been blessed to be able to love and to have been loved and for that reason I will make sure to thank the ancestors by smiling everyday. It has been hard to do so without you but I know your love continues to guide me and I refuse to let it go wasted.

Yours Forever,

T’Challa

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Taglist:

@writingmarvellousimagines @chaneajoyyy @abrunettefangirlnerd @ashanti-notthesinger @lewatigress @sarcastic-sunshines

#t'challa x reader #T'Challa #sunshinewrites #black panther fanfiction

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queenmorgawse · 5 years

Text

i’m coming home now (right where i belong now)

a canon-divergent mdzs fic ft. jin ling + fierce corpses xuanli, partially inspired by the cursed discord crew. read on ao3 (+ end notes).

Jin Ling is three when he puts a hand through his father’s chest. It’s an accident, really, but there is something morbidly comical about his little chubby fist sinking into the fabric of Baba’s shirt, first somewhere slightly off-center in his ribcage and then deeper. He has just enough time to frown and babble the beginning of a question before a chair scrapes against the ground and he is taken from Baba’s arms, gathered into Mama’s instead, and promptly shushed.

“Ling-er, don’t push too hard, we haven’t fixed Baba’s stuffing yet,” she chides, and his eyes immediately fill with unshed tears.

“It’s all right.” Something is being rearranged, fabric rustling, but he’s buried his face in the crook of his mother’s neck and stubbornly refuses to look, sniffling. Baba’s voice is hesitant when he speaks again. “A-Li, do you think we should…”

“Isn’t he too young?”

“We’ll stop if he doesn’t understand. I just feel like we ought to try.”

Jin Ling is three when he learns his parents aren’t like any other parents. (Not that he’s ever met other parents. Or other children, for the matter.) “I know,” he says, puffing his cheeks. “Better...better than other babas and mamas.”

Baba pats his head. “Not like that, A-Ling.”

They are, as they put it, dead, as opposed to jiujiu, who is alive. He, too, is alive, as Mama demonstrates by holding his little fingers against his neck and asking him to look for the thump-thump-thump. When he finds it, she brings his hands to her neck instead. No matter how often he changes spots, he cannot find the little drum under her skin. Her throat is as cold as the rest of her, and utterly silent.

She shows him how his chest rises and hers doesn’t. When she holds a mirror before their faces, the surface turns a milky white in front of his mouth and remains limpid in front of hers. There are a lot of differences like these, Mama explains, that make her and Baba different from living people like him.

It all seems simple enough for Jin Ling, but— “I thought you slept after me. And you...” His little face scrunches up with the effort of looking for the word need. “Wasn’t hungry.”

“For three years,” Baba snorts, right before Mama gives him a pointed look that reads don’t make fun of him, and it peters out into an awkward grunt. Jin Ling huffs and clings to her, glowering at his father so hard Jin Zixuan tries (and fails) to roll his eyes, muttering something about taking after his uncle too much.

Knowing doesn’t change much, if anything at all. Baba and Mama are still themselves, prompt to indulge him, to spend time in the garden with him to catch butterflies and lull him to sleep with stories at bedtime. He still listens to the rhythm of their dancing steps in the kitchen when sleep evades him, and the muffled rumble of their laughter.

( It is no coincidence the first sentence Jin Ling spoke was I love you. One cannot hear it as often as he does and not remember. )

When he grows older, he is given an explanation he can understand. He is told of a war, the Sunshot Campaign, of a now-extinct sect. Of the man called the Yiling Patriarch, who rose bright as a star only to crash and burn just as quickly. The story is vague after a certain point : Jin Ling only knows it ends with Baba and Mama as they are today, not living but not properly dead either.

He is not told of brothers and burning homes, of what was lost and never found again ⎯ not yet. That is a story for another time, Baba tells him as he tucks him into bed.

You should not have to know yet, is what he says. These words stay with Jin Ling long after the conversation ends.

In six years of life, Jin Ling has never seen his mother smile.

He has, however, felt her smile countless times as she rubbed her hands together in an attempt to warm them up before cupping his face between them and gently tugging the corners of his mouth up. “There,” she’d chirp every time. “I gave you a smile.”

Then he would reach up, she would bend to his height, and he would do the same, pressing his little fingers against her lips. “For you too,” he’d say, and Mama would make a hoarse sound like laughter and smother him in kisses until he was rolling on the floor giggling.

All in all, Jin Ling is far from an unhappy child. He is, however, a restless one.

There are three rules his parents will never let him bend, regardless of circumstances. The first, Mama says, is that he must always be as kind as he can be. Fortunately, the wording of this is vague enough that he can argue about whether what he did fits in that frame or not. Just do what your mother would do, is what Baba usually adds to this. It makes Mama shake her head and hide her face in her hands, which Baba seems to find entertaining and endearing in equal measures.

The second, Baba tells him, is that he must never mention his parents’ names to someone he hasn’t seen in the house before, or even imply the existence of this place and its inhabitants to people from the outside. In this situation, and this one only, they say, he is allowed to lie bold-facedly. There is no or else, but their somber looks were enough to frighten Jin Ling into obedience.

The third, they remind him, is that he is not to go beyond the limits of their house alone. It isn’t so big a deal when Jin Ling is still small, content with crawling around in the grass and chasing butterflies on stumbling legs. The world seems endless then, and he usually tires himself out before he reaches the limits of their domain.

But as all children, he grows older, and the last row of charmed trees planted at the edge of their garden, once a shield against the world and whatever danger might be lurking outside, becomes a source of frustration. He’s tired of waiting.

He tells his Nie-shushu as much the next time the man takes him out for an afternoon in town. It is the day after his seventh birthday, which was celebrated at home, with lotus-shaped lanterns in the garden (the nicest ones made by Mama’s deft hands, and the slightly lumpier ones by father and son’s best efforts) and the largest bowl of longevity noodles he’s seen in his life.

( “He acts like a rich auntie,” jiujiu said once, snorting. Jin Ling doesn’t see anything wrong with that, especially when he gets honey cakes and new toys out of the deal nine times out of ten. )

According to shushu, today is meant to make up for his absence yesterday. According to Jin Ling, shushu wants an occasion to bring him to a fancy tea parlor and tell him about Qinghe, about the people passing by, about the news of the cultivation world, about whatever crosses his mind right as he speaks. Jin Ling doesn’t blame him ; it’s always nice to know someone is listening to you with all the attention they can muster, and what shushu says is usually interesting besides.

He loves him for it. Nie Huaisang always treats him seriously, despite other cultivators’ claims that he never values anything besides his own comfort. The deal is the following : he gets one more uncle in his motley family, and Sect Leader Nie gets, as he puts it, someone to dote upon and instill some good taste into. When Jin Ling asks him what he means by good taste, he flutters his fan and tells him he’ll show him when he’s older. For some reason, it always seems to get a rise out of jiujiu whenever he’s present.

“I’m so bored!” he complains on one of their days out. The statement is accompanied by a rather dramatic sigh, especially for someone whose feet don’t even touch the ground when up on a chair yet.

“I thought you had lessons,” Nie Huaisang replies. The corners of his mouth quirk up a little. “Surely they take up a good share of your day.”

Jin Ling pouts. “There’s reading and calligraphy with Baba, and mathematics with Mama. She’s showing me how to make a kite, too.” She’s also been carving a new wooden sword for them to train with, but since he saw her look around before carefully stashing the unfinished toy into one of the chests in hers and Baba’s bedroom, he figured he’s not supposed to know yet. “But I want to go outside some more! Can’t you ask jiujiu for me? Please? He listens to you.”

Nie Huaisang chuckles. Jin Ling would have missed the slightly pinker tinge of his cheeks if he didn’t know any better. “A-Ch...Wanyin only listens to himself ⎯ and to your mother, obviously. What makes you think I could succeed where she didn’t?”

“I haven’t asked her yet,” Jin Ling admits. Now that it’s been brought up, though, why hasn’t he? It’s not as though Mama is the type to scold him without reason.

He understands, however, that his parents’ reluctance also has to do with the people they used to be. It has to do with Grandmother, who visits from time to time and dotes upon Jin Ling endlessly, pinching his cheeks and asking him ten times over if he wants for anything. She also always talks at length with Baba before she leaves, and though Mama usually chooses this moment to steer him away with the promise of a new game or a walk in town, he still manages to catch snippets of the conversation.

The words heir, bastard, Koi Tower, watchtowers are the most frequently heard, and they must mean something special to Baba. He always looks frustrated the rest of the day, and even after he’s gone to bed, Jin Ling can still hear him and Mama talking among themselves, when the very same words surface again (except bastard, which seems to be replaced with the name Jin Guangyao).

He could ask shushu what they mean now, Jin Ling ponders. But even as he entertains the thought, part of him realizes this may be one of the subjects Nie Huaisang is unwilling to bring up with him, at least for now.

Instead, he barrels forward. “But I will! I really want to train and be a cultivator like Baba and jiujiu, I’ll tell her!” he adds, with as much determination as he can muster. “And if you ask jiujiu too, he’ll definitely agree! He really likes you!”

And oh, that is definitely a blush on shushu’s face. It is promptly covered up by his fan (maybe he should ask his parents to get him one, given how many uses it has in shushu’s hands), but Jin Ling knows what he saw. Nie Huaisang takes a conspicuously long sip from his teacup before speaking again. “What a clever young master you are. Fine! I will give your uncle a little nudge about it, but don’t blame me if he disagrees.”

The little boy beams at him. “You will? Thank you, shushu!”

Shushu grins back and reaches out to give the top of his head a light smack with his now-closed fan. “Now, now, don’t get so excited when we’ve hardly done anything.” He glances at the sun outside and gives an exaggerated start. “And it’s getting late, too! I haven’t even given you your birthday gift yet. Not right now!” he hastily adds, seeing Jin Ling’s mouth open in excitement. “First you’ve got to help me surprise your father, and then I’ll give you your present. How’s that?”

Jin Ling shrinks back, his eyes wary. “What’s the surprise? Mama said not to trust you too much with surprises for Baba.”

Shushu snorts. “She’s not wrong. We really were a heap of young fools back then, eh…” For a moment, his gaze seems lost in time, before he snaps back to the present. ( You’re not that old, Jin Ling wants to say, but it is true that sometimes, all the adults around him feel that way – older and more tired than they should be. ) “If you still won’t trust me, let me tell you this…”

It must be the barking that alerts Baba and Mama. When shushu and Jin Ling arrive within sight of the house, both of them are standing at the door, Baba looking both excited and on his guard, and Mama sporting the long-suffering look of someone who’s resigned to see things happen regardless of her input.

The noise Baba makes when he sees what they’ve brought with them is worth it, though. “Beibei? Xiao Yue?” He crouches, holding his arms out. “Is that you? C’mere, c’mere!”

The two older dogs shushu has been leading along hesitate, dragging their feet. They shuffle toward Baba all the same, cautiously eyeing him and sniffing at his outstretched hands. Then something clicks into place, and they pounce on him, barking their lungs out. One mastiff and one shih tzu aren’t enough to knock down a fierce corpse, but Baba topples over all the same, until he’s lying in the grass with two dogs methodically licking at his face and nudging his hands for pets.

Mama howls with laughter, her hands clasped together. Baba looks as though he could cry, hugging the dogs to his chest, his face half-buried in their fur. “It’s me, it’s me,” he keeps repeating. “You’ve grown so big! Who are the most beautiful pups? You are, yes you are!”

Shushu hangs back, looking rather proud of himself. When he catches Jin Ling looking, he winks at him. “Come here, A-Ling. Now that you’ve helped me, here’s your gift.” He takes the little boy’s hand in his and slips the leash he’s holding into it. At the end of it is the fluffiest puppy Jin Ling’s ever seen, wiggling its tail, its little pink tongue hanging out of its mouth.

Jin Ling looks up at his shushu with wide, slightly watery eyes. “It’s really for me?”

Nie Huaisang pats his head. Jin Ling’s tempted to tell him he’s not the puppy. “She is. She doesn’t have a name yet, though, so you’ll have to pick one out yourself.”

Jin Ling kneels and holds out his hands toward the puppy like he’s seen Baba do. After an initial moment of hesitation, the pup toddles towards him and butts her head against his palm.

I would die for you, he decides immediately.

While he lets the dog climb into his lap, Baba has finally managed to stand up. Mama hands him a wet cloth to wipe the slobber from his face, but his hair’s still mussed up from rolling around on the ground. Somehow, his ever-pristine father doesn’t look like he minds. “Thank you, Sect Leader Nie,” he says hoarsely. “It...means a lot to me.”

Shushu inclines his head. “You’re welcome, Jin-xiong. I thought it would make a nice gift, is all. There were some transactions between our kernels recently, so I took the occasion.” He shrugs. “I remember that dog you brought to the Cloud Recesses, poor thing. Yapping outside the walls day and night. The pup I brought A-Ling is part of a litter, but it’d probably be best not to dump all of them onto you at once, so...”

“Your father raised these dogs himself back when we lived in our old house,” Mama explains to him in hushed tones, as Baba and shushu strike up a conversation about the virtues of Koi Tower’s hunting dogs versus the Unclean Realm’s. “Xiao Yue and Beibei were still quite small when we...left.” Her gaze grows fond. “I didn’t think I’d ever see them again, but I’m glad they’re here.”

She joins him in cooing at the pup. It seems to love Mama as well, if the way it tries to lick another stripe onto her cheek when she lifts it into her arms is any indication. “What are you going to name her?” Mama asks, scratching the small patch of fur between the dog’s ears.

Jin Ling hesitates, his face scrunching up in effort. “Princess?” he ventures after a while. “Or Fairy.”

Mama snorts, then immediately schools her expression into something more dignified when she notices her son’s pout. “I really like Fairy,” she reassures him. “It’s a lovely name.” Under her breath, she adds, “Wait until your jiujiu hears about this.”

She passes the dog back. Jin Ling cradles the newly-named Fairy in his arms until the pup grows restless and wriggles out of his grip, choosing to go explore his new surroundings instead. He follows her, occasionally throwing small sticks at her to see if she knows how to fetch them yet. ( She doesn’t. )

In the periphery of his senses, he hears Mama invite shushu to stay for dinner, which he graciously accepts. The evening is cool around them, peaceful silence broken by the occasional yipping from Xiao Yue and the low chatter of conversation. Jin Ling forgets his grand declarations in favor of one more quiet evening at home, surrounded, as always, by family.

As it turns out, convincing his parents to let him study cultivation isn’t quite as difficult as he thought it would be. It does necessitate some arrangements with jiujiu, but in the end, everyone agrees that it’s about time for him to study in a proper sect.

The first time Mama walks Jin Ling and Fairy up to the gates of the Lotus Pier herself, she fusses endlessly. “Come home whenever you need anything, you hear me? Be nice to your jiujiu, and to the other disciples too. Treat everyone with respect like I taught you, but don’t let them walk all over you. And⎯”

He lets her talk, not bothering to point out he’s only a short distance from home. He could walk back for lunch and dinner everyday if he wished, but Baba said something about how it’d be good for him not to cling to them forever and spend more time with other children his age instead.

( Really? Mama had commented then. A-Cheng told me you barely ever even talked to disciples who weren’t from your own sect when you were studying together in Gusu. She’d said it jokingly, but Baba had still spluttered. Jin Ling was sure that if he could blush, he would have turned bright red. )

It’s not like he’s never been here before. He knows the residence of the Yunmeng Jiang Sect third best out of every place he’s been in in his life, first being home, and the second the town of Yunmeng itself.

This time is different, though. There’s a world between visiting once in a while to spend the day with his uncle, and living here for real. Mama might be the one fretting over him right now, but Jin Ling himself feels a little pang of homesickness rearing its head inside his chest. It’s stupid, he knows, especially as he can still go home whenever he wants, but it’s the first time he’ll potentially be away from his parents for days at a time and maybe he’s a little scared, what of it⎯

In no time at all, they’re standing in front of the gates to the Pier. He can hear the sounds of training inside, and children’s laughter too. It really won’t be so bad, he tells himself. It’ll be great, even, and I’ll get to see jiujiu everyday. Besides, he asked for this first, and among all things Jin Ling’s inherited from his father, he’s definitely taken after a fair share of his pride. There’s no way he’ll be the first one to regret his decision.

He doesn’t ask for comfort, mind you. But he still slips his hand into his mother’s and gives it a gentle tug.

Mama bends down, lifts her veil and beckons him underneath it to press a kiss to his forehead. As always, her lips are cold, but Jin Ling leans into her touch all the same, burying his face in the crook of her neck. “I’m so proud of you already, Ling-er.” Her voice is shaking a little. “But I’m telling you this now, because you won’t hear it among cultivators. I wish I’d known when I was your age.”

She brushes a few stray strands away from his face. There is endless tenderness in her golden eyes. “It’s all right if you don’t turn out to be good at cultivation. It’s not all there is to life, and you know neither Baba nor I would ever love you any less for it.”

It doesn’t feel like that much then and there, but Jin Ling will remember these words when he’s older, and feel more than grateful for them. Right then, though, he obediently bows his head and says : “I’ll keep it in mind. I’m still going to be good, though!”

Mama puts her hands on his cheeks and tugs the corners of his lips up, the gesture familiar. “I know. You’re too stubborn not to. Now go, before you’re late to see jiujiu.”

“You’re not coming with me?”

“No. It’d make too many problems if someone inside recognized me.” Her lips move, not unlike a sigh - if she still had breath. Mama stares up at the purple banners embroidered with Yunmeng Jiang’s nine-petaled lotus, and wistfulness casts a shadow over her face.

It disappears almost as fast as it came, but it still makes Jin Ling reach up and give her hand one last squeeze. “I’ll say hi to everyone for you!”

She squeezes back before letting go of his hand and nudging him towards the tall wooden gates. “Good boy. You’ll tell me how your first day goes, won’t you?”

“I promise!” As if to emphasize the point, Fairy lets out a high-pitched yip and bounces along Jin Ling, all the while throwing glances back at Mama to see if she’s looking properly. She’s readjusted the veil of her weimao over her face, her expression out of sight, but she raises a hand and waves as her son disappears into the Lotus Pier.

Jin Ling finds his uncle on the training grounds, running a bunch of weary-looking disciples through a series of sword stances. “Is that how you’ll hold it faced with a walking corpse?” he hears jiujiu chide. “Forget a corpse, a strong enough breeze would knock it out of your hands!”

He clears his throat. Jiujiu looks behind him, and despite his gruff tone, something in his expression clears. “A-Ling, there you are! Took you long enough!” He turns towards his disciples, who mostly seem relieved to have someone else take up most of their Sect Leader’s attention. “Everyone, this is your new shidi. Treat him well.”

Jin Ling can see his uncle struggle not to add an or else. Here, they’re not supposed to be so closely related, and so he has nothing that should warrant special treatment. Zhao Ling, he mouths to himself. This is the name he should answer to, from now on. He still likes Jin Ling better, but he’s also old enough to understand how dangerous it might be.

The older disciples crowd around him with interest, asking him about his life before he came here, his parents. He replies with the practiced lie his parents explained to him : he’s the son of one of the Jiang family’s cousins and her husband, both of whom have now retired from the cultivation world. Sect Leader Jiang had the kindness to reach out to his relative even after she’d left Yunmeng Jiang Sect to ask her whether she wanted her son to become a disciple here, and she’d accepted the offer.

It’s simple, and apparently delivered convincingly enough that no one seems to bat an eye at it. Before long, jiujiu reminds everyone a new arrival doesn’t mean they’re exempt from wrapping up practice for the day, and they’re left alone for the time being.

His uncle looks him up and down, as if sizing him up for a new set of robes. ( Maybe he is ; Jin Ling’s excited for that, given how pretty the Jiang Sect’s purple clothes are. ) His gaze lingers on the boy’s head. “These are new,” he says in an oddly choked-up voice.

It takes Jin Ling a moment to figure out what he’s talking about. When he does, his hand comes up to touch the new symmetrical braids along the sides of his head, running into his ponytail. “I asked Mama to do them for me!” He beams at his uncle, fidgeting where he stands. “Do you like them?”

Jiujiu’s expression goes through several complicated stages before it settles into a smile. He reaches for Jin Ling and draws him to his side, gently ruffling his hair. “I do like them. They’re...they’re neat.”

A little bit of his homesickness dissolves as he leans into his uncle’s side. He’s pushed away pretty fast (still, always gently) and shooed off to pick up a few sets of uniforms and settle into his new rooms.

Jin Ling adjusts the sash of his purple robes, ties Yunmeng Jiang sect’s silver bell to his belt and sticks his tongue out at his reflection in the mirror. In that moment, everything feels like it’s as right as it should be.

Father, Mother,

You were right, the Cloud Recesses really are very pretty. But did you know they added another thousand rules since you studied there? There’s four thousand and nineteen of them now. I had to copy them once and I thought my wrist would fall off. Before you scold me, it was because of that idiot Jin Chan! He’s so self-important, I couldn’t let him keep talking about how his sect is the best and the greatest and we’re all idiots for not licking Jin boots all day. ( Obviously, it doesn’t apply to Baba. But Jin Chan’s still the worst. )

Lan Qiren is still teaching here. The rules are quite boring, but it’s funny to see everyone try not to fall asleep. I made some new friends too! Their names are Lan Sizhui and Lan Jingyi. Sizhui’s very sweet, he reminds me of you a little, Mama. And Jingyi gets into a lot of trouble, but he’s also talented, so it evens things out.

I found Ouyang Zizhen here too! He said we could maybe go on night-hunts together when we’re both back home, since we’re old enough now. ( Do you think Uncle will let me? He’s friends with Sect Leader Ouyang, right? ) We went into Caiyi to buy sweets after training. I got a new tassel for Suihua and toys for the dogs, I’ll show you when I’m home.

I miss you both a lot, though. It’s not the same knowing I can just go home if it gets too much. Even if it’s interesting here, and I’m glad for the people I met, I look forward to going back to Yunmeng.

Please say hi to Uncle for me, and tell Beibei, Xiao Yue and Fairy I miss them.

With all my love,

A-Ling.

Jin Ling is fourteen on the night that pitches the world off-balance.

“A-Li,” Baba says. They’re in the middle of dinner — meaning all three of them sit at the table, but only Jin Ling is eating, shoveling spoonfuls of warm soup into his mouth as fast as his parents’ keen eyes over his manners will let him. “Do you...do you hear it?”

“Hear what?” Jin Ling asks between two sips. On any other day, he would have been scolded for it and reminded not to speak with his mouth full. Today, Baba and Mama only exchange a haunted look.

“The flute.”

There’s no flute, Jin Ling want to say, but the expressions on his parents’ face are enough to dissuade him. Their features barely change, still frozen in death, but Baba’s eyes harden in response to whatever he’s hearing, and Mama throws a worried look out the window.

Jin Ling feels somewhat out of place. To him, the night is what it’s always been, only disturbed by the occasional rustling of wild animals in the grass...

...No, that’s not right. He, too, can feel some kind of new tremor in the air, though it mustn’t be anywhere as acute as what Baba and Mama are experiencing. Something - or perhaps someone - is calling from the outside.

“It’s him,” Mama whispers. She clutches Baba’s arm, a mixture of dread and anticipation swirling in her eyes. “I’m sure of it, A-Xuan. I’d know him anywhere.”

“Wei Wuxian is dead! How could it be him?”

Mama retorts something (he catches the words don’t know and return and help), but Jin Ling’s mind has blanked out. Wei Wuxian is one of the names Mama has advised him to never bring up outside, and only with extreme care to the people they know. ( Shushu, for example, will usually barely flinch, while jiujiu is much more likely to clam up, Zidian crackling at his finger. )

After all, Wei Wuxian killed his parents. It is because of him Baba’s heart is missing, and Mama keeps her throat wrapped in silks regardless of the weather.

Jin Ling finds he doesn’t hate him as much as one should hate their beloved parents’ murderer. Perhaps it is because despite it all, Baba and Mama are still here to raise him, even through their unusual circumstances. Of course it matters that they’re dead, but Jin Ling’s had enough nightmares in which they were truly gone, vanishing from his life before he had the chance to know them at all, not to mind too much. The very thought makes a shiver run down his spine, even now.

In the time it takes him to ponder the matter, Baba rises from his seat. Mama accompanies him, her hand still clamped tight around his arm. It doesn’t look like they’re moving of their own free will at all, though. If anything, the jerk of their movements reminds him of puppets pulled along on a string.

Jin Ling asks the first question that successfully shoves his way through its dozens of adversaries. “How do I help you?”

His parents look at each other, then back to him. “There’s nothing for you to do, A-Ling,” Baba says.

“I think we’re just meant to follow the call,” Mama adds.

“Then I’m coming with you.” It’s simple as that. He fetches Suihua from where it’s hanging on the wall and hands Mama and Baba their respective weimao, which they quickly pull over their heads. The long veils obscure their features ; it will have to do, given the summon has already made them reach the door, and it’s visibly taken much of their self-control to stall this long.

Mama makes a helpless noise, as though she wants to tell him no but understands she cannot make him budge on this one. “Put on something warm, Ling-er!” is what she settles on instead. “You’ll catch a cold on a night flight.”

“Really?” Jin Ling still obeys her, clumsily throwing on a set of outer robes. He runs after his parents, whose steps have already led them out of the house, inexorably pulling them towards the enchanted borders of the garden. They’re heading East, whatever it means.

“Be careful!” Baba orders. “Keep close to us, you hear?”

“I know! It’s not like we’ve never done this before!” Not in these circumstances, he’ll admit. Still, his parents’ fussing provides him with a sense of familiarity, keeping his fear at bay.

Fairy gives a distressed yap as Jin Ling rushes past her, sword in hand. He pauses just long enough to rub her head. The gesture is soothing, even as his heart threatens to burst out of his chest.

“You can’t come this time, big girl,” he tells her, giving her one last pat for good measure. “Be a good pup and look after the house, okay? And don’t give jiujiu trouble when he comes back!” Not that he’ll be back anytime soon. Last thing he knew, Sect Leader Jiang was somewhere near Dafan Mountain, dealing with the threat of a soul-consuming monster.

He wastes another minute giving Beibei and Xiao Yue similar recommendations before they let him go, not without a last good-luck lick on his cheek. By the time Jin Ling straightens, Baba and Mama have disappeared from sight. Shit!

He wastes no time mounting Suihua and rising into the evening sky. Fierce corpses may run too fast for an average mortal to catch up, but a cultivator on a sword stands a fairly good chance. Before long, he’s found his parents again, following the blur of their progression from above.

He loses track of how far he’s flown, or how much spiritual energy he pours into his sword. The moon rises and falls behind the horizon again before Baba and Mama stop. He steers Suihua towards them and almost collapses when he touches the ground, caught just in time in Baba’s arms.

“He shouldn’t have come with us! He hasn’t slept a wink and he’s exerted himself all night, it’s a miracle he’s still standing.”

“Good luck stopping him from following along, he’s as stubborn as you are!” Jin Ling feels Mama’s soft hands patting his cheeks, checking him for other signs than simple fatigue. “Sleep if you want, Ling-er. We’ll carry you.”

“‘M fine,” he mutters, trying to extricate himself from his parents’ hold. He succeeds, but has to lean on Suihua for a moment to blink sleepiness out of his eyes.

“A-Ling?”

Oh, damn it. That’s jiujiu’s voice, and he doesn’t sound pleased.

The scene clears into something his brain can process. He and his parents are still standing away from the heart of the action, as is their habit, but for some lost forest at the foot of a nondescript mountain, the place is crawling with cultivators. Not only from Yunmeng Jiang Sect, but also - by the look of their robes - Lanling Jin Sect, a handful of other minor ones, and too many rogue cultivators to count. Most don’t pay attention to them, too busy clearing out the remnants of what looks to be a rough-hewn statue. A lot of the surrounding trees also look like they’ve taken their fair share of blows, sporting burned branches or deep scratches across their bark.

He’s got absolutely no idea what the hell happened here, but it must have been a lot.

Jiujiu catches up to them, his expression half-furious, half-concerned. “A-Jie! And you two!” he hisses, glaring towards Baba and Jin Ling. “What are you doing here? There’s some Jin cultivators here, do you want them to see you?”

Mama steps in front of Jin Ling, effectively hiding him behind her. “We didn’t know!” she protests. “I...We heard…” Her voice falters. “A-Cheng, is A-Xian here?”

Jiujiu’s face turns a very interesting shade of red. He looks, for a few moments, as though he wants to say no. “I don’t know,” is what he finally grits out.

Baba blinks at him. “Someone played the flute and summoned us here. It couldn’t have been any demonic cultivator.”

Jiujiu pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’d swear it was him, but⎯” In halting sentences, he tells them about the statue of a nameless goddess come to life, the cultivators it killed, right up until some stranger - not even a cultivator! - turned up, and soon in his wake, the Ghost General himself, who’d broken the goddess to pieces and disappeared before anyone at the scene could catch him.

Shuddering is too subtle a movement, but Baba’s grip on Jin Ling’s shoulder tightens. “Who was he, that man?”

Jiujiu shrugs. “Never saw him before. Some of the Jin Sect cultivators recognized him as one of Jin Guangshan’s bastards. Lost his marbles, they said.” Belatedly, he remembers who he’s talking to. “No offense meant.”

“None taken. What happened with him? Shouldn’t you have kept him here?”

“I would have, if I could! But no, Hanguang-jun had to show up and of course no one’s going to argue against him⎯”

“A-Cheng,” Mama interrupts before jiujiu can get started on a tirade about whatever grievance he has against Lan Wangji. “If A-Xian is back, I need to see it for myself. Where did they go?”

His uncle sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose against. You’re gonna rub it off someday, Jin Ling almost says (it is what Mama would do, after all), but perhaps this is not the right moment.

“Lan Wangji said Mo Xuanyu would be coming back with him to Gusu.”

#mdzs #mo dao zu shi #grandmaster of demonic cultivation #jin ling #jiang yanli #jin zixuan #xuanli #mdzs fic #kim's fics

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halfrican-heat · 6 years

Text

A Nest of Stars (3.2)

Pairing: T’Challa x Black!OC

A/N: Heyy! I’m back, my loves. I did not mean for chapter two to be so damn long! But hey. It’s whatever. I honestly can’t think of anything to say except like...I don’t even know. I cannot think. Believe it or not, this story takes so much damn brain power!

Warning(s): Google translated Xhosa; LGBT+ Themes (If you don’t like it leave my blog and block me); Long chapter; Mentions of an absent mother; Mentions of Major Character Loss;

Song Reference: Call Out My Name by The Weeknd

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Chapter Two: Call Out My Name (Continued)

“I helped you out of a broken place…”

The girl smiles brilliantly before running off to frolic in the gardens. Tiana steps out cautiously and startles when the wall slams shut behind her, becoming no more than a tall rose wall. She then looks out at the expansive garden before her and a feeling of familiarity dawns on her. Tiana looks up to see the walls of the palace. From her viewpoint, she can see right into the room where everything changed for her. She sees the balcony where she made her final decision.

This is the place she vowed never to return to.

“This cannot be right,” Tiana mumbles. She begins to search for Nailah, panic coursing through her veins. There was no Earthly way this child could live here. However, Tiana hesitates. Perhaps…

But no. She shakes her head. Nakia had not wanted children as far as she knew.

“Nailah,” She whispers sharply. “Child, where are you? We’re supposed to be out here!”

She hears the child giggle and whips her head in the direction of the sound. She runs quickly through the grass archway to find Nailah. Tiana hears rustling just around the corner and whips around quickly only to be met with the sharp end of a spear.

“Who are you and what is your business here,” The Dora asks.

Nailah tugs on the Dora’s arm, trying to get her attention. But the woman remains in her guarded stance, never taking her eyes off of Tiana.

“Go, princess. Go find your father,” She orders the child.

“But Ayo! This is my friend. She brought me home,” Nailah cries. “Please don’t hurt her!”

Tiana’s eyes widen. “Ayo? My friend, is that you?”

The Dora squints in confusion. She circles Tiana, observing her. Tiana stares back as a slow smile takes over her face.

“Ayo, you must remember me! We used to train together,” Tiana says. “What was it we used to say...ah! ‘War is a bad chisel--’”

Recognition flashes in Ayo’s eyes and she lowers her weapon.

“‘--with which to carve out tomorrow,” Ayo finishes with a wide grin. “Tiana!”

The two women embrace one another happily. When Ayo releases Tiana, she steps back and takes a look at her. Her face is full of surprise and awe. It’s almost as if Ayo expects Tiana to disappear.

“After you left we did not know what to think,” Ayo exclaims. “Oh, Okoye was so disappointed.”

Tiana smiles ruefully.

“We all know I couldn’t stay, Ayo,” She says. “It was...too much.”

Ayo nods in understanding and both women look back at the child humming quietly as she admires a bush of african violets. Tiana remembers the day those were first planted. She doesn’t take the time to reminisce however and instead locks eyes with her old friend.

“So this is--”

“Yes,” Ayo responds. Her eyes are apologetic. “She is.”

Tiana nods.

“It’s okay, Ayo,” Tiana reassures her. She smiles at the child. “She is beautiful. I can’t believe I didn’t see it before. Her need for adventure, the gapped toothed smile. Her bravery and wise nature. She is the perfect mix of T’Challa and Nakia.”

“She is. Nakia was so hesitant to have her but T’Challa was so happy to finally be a father,” Ayo explains. “The pregnancy was difficult for Nakia but she endured it.”

Guilt floods Tiana. She knows she should have been around for her best friend but in a match against her mind and heart, the brokenness she felt back then won out. She blocked any and every piece of news that came from the palace for months. Nakia sent her letters for a while but Tiana couldn’t bear to look at a single one. Then, they stopped coming altogether.

She looks at the little girl and a question crosses her mind. She steps closer to Ayo and lowers her voice.

“Does she know?”

“About Nakia? No. She can barely remember her,” Ayo supplies sadly. “Her mother left a year after she was born and never returned...but you know that story.”

A sorrowful silence falls over the two women. Their eyes once again travel to the oblivious and joyful small girl.

“How does T’Challa do it,” Tiana murmurs.

Ayo blinks before glancing to Tiana. She scrutinizes her with a small grin. Tiana looks at her with suspicion.

“What is it, Ayo? I don’t like that look on your face.”

“T’Challa would be pleased to see you, Tiana. You must come with me right away,” She says, taking Tiana’s hand.

“Oh no, Ayo! I have to get home. There is no way I can see T’Challa right now!”

“What better time? Come, Nailah. Would you like to introduce your utata to your new friend?” Ayo asks.

Nailah look over with an elated smile.

“Yes!”

Nailah rushes over and takes Tiana by her hand. For the second time this evening the girl drags her away. Tiana throws a glare at Ayo, who smiles with a shrug, as she and Nailah disappear around the corner. Nailah expertly weaves her way through the garden maze, tugging Tiana through various twists and turns. Before either of them realize, they are standing in front of the palace.

Tiana regards the place with anxiety, memories of the past catching up to her.

Nailah, however, gives Tiana’s mind no chance to settle as she drags the woman up the stairs.

“Up this way! My baba is here!”

“Nailah, wait! Perhaps we shouldn’t bother your baba,” Tiana pleads. “It’s time for me to go home, Nailah.”

“No! I want you to meet my baba!”

They struggle up the stairs arguing back and forth when a shrill voice pierces through the air.

“Oh my gods!”

Both girls whip their heads to the figure standing atop the stairs. Shuri is there with a relieved and tearful look on her face. She races down the stairs and scoops Nailah into her arms, cuddling her close.

“Ndakuxelela ukuba uhlale usondele,” Shuri scolds. She hides her face in the child’s hair. “Have you lost your mind?!”

“But Titi!”

“No buts! My brother would feed me to M’Baku if anything were to happen to you, child!”

Shuri rants and rants until Nailah grasps her cheeks in her small hands.

“Titi, listen! The lady brought me home. I showed her our special way.”

Shuri tilts her head in confusion and Nailah clicks her teeth, urging Shuri’s face in Tiana’s direction. Shuri’s eyes widen and light up.

“Tiana!” The girl exclaims. She pulls Tiana into a tight hug. “Thank you so much! I’m glad it was you who found her and not some random-- oh! Thank you, thank you!”

Tiana pats the girl gently on her head and sighs before pulling away.

“Shuri you must learn to be more careful. I was expecting you for your brother’s paperwork,” Tiana admonishes. “You know I expect you to come on Fridays. What were you off doing?”

Shuri bites her lip and scoots around Tiana. Tiana squints at her, following her up their stairs.

“You were with Patina again. Weren’t you?”

Shuri groans and sets Nailah down as they walk into the palace. As Nailah scurries off giggling, Shuri looks at the doors to the throne room before opting to look at her feet instead.

“I was terrified today, Tiana. I had no idea what could have happened to Nailah,” Shuri admits. “But I just wanted to see Patina.”

“I know, Shuri but there are other ways. You have been after this girl since you first stopped by my class. Do you not think she deserves more than brief session between my class and your duties as royalty? As an aunt?”

“I didn’t mean to leave Nailah for so long! I swear,” Shuri exclaims, wrapping her arms around herself. “I just... I don’t know what to do, Ti. But I know I acted selfishly today. You don’t have to tell me that.”

“It’s not easy being in love, Shuri. Especially when the world seems against you,” Tiana says. Shuri looks to her with sad eyes.

“You would know that better than anyone. Wouldn’t you?”

Tiana rolls her eyes.

“Bast, you and Patina are perfect for each other,” She mumbles. She glances at Shuri and cracks a smile. “Come here, girl.”

The two laugh lightly and embrace one another.

“I do know how to pick them. Don’t I,” Shuri teases. “My ladies have a certain quality about them.”

“If by certain quality you mean a knack for tough and annoying questions then yes, you do know how to pick ‘em.”

They laugh once more and release each other. Immediately Shuri’s eyes connect with someone over Tiana’s shoulder. Tiana turns around and her breath gets stuck in her chest. Her heart pounds roughly as their eyes meet for the first time in a long time.

There stands T’Challa with his little girl by his side. He looks as regal as the last time Tiana saw him. He regards her with an impassive stare but the slow exhale that leaves his lips is proof that she is the last person he expected to see tonight. Shuri looks between the two and quickly walks over to Nailah, taking her by the hand.

“Come on, Nailah. It is past your bedtime,” Shuri says, ushering her down the hall.

“Can I play with baba and my new friend?” She asks as they walk away.

“Ms. Tiana and your baba have some business to talk about,” Shuri explains.

Tiana watches the two of them as they disappear down the hall. With them gone, Tiana feels as if her only lifeline has vanished. Her stomach drops as her eyes trail to T’Challa’s. She swallows thickly as his gaze seems to penetrate every defense she has built over the last several years. Tiana takes a shaky breath.

“Your highness,” She begins, saluting him. “It is an honor.”

T’Challa lets out a small huff of laughter.

“Come on, Tiana. Drop the formalities. You know me,” He says directly. “Let’s not waste our time dancing around the elephant in the room.”

“It’s only right, T’Challa.”

“Ah, yes. That’s why you left? Because it was right?” He laughs mockingly. He shakes his head at her. “You are a funny woman, Tiana.”

“T’Challa, please,” She sighs. “Listen, I really have to go. I apologize for intruding.”

“No, Tiana. Please, why don’t you step into my office,” He responds, gesturing down the hall.

“T’Challa--”

“I insist, Tiana,” He speaks firmly. “I insist.”

He doesn’t wait for a response as he turns on his heel and heads towards his office. Tiana groans quietly before following him. Worry tingles in her veins.

“Oh, Bast,” She mutters. “I’m so going to regret this.”

“Falling for you was my mistake...”

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A/N: Hey! So a few things, I used the little star symbol to mark transitions in time, scene and the end/beginning of the chapter because the line break has not been transferring over to mobile. Also, if you have any questions about the story PLEASE ASK! Your questions help me as an author. Thanks to @airis-paris14 and @royallyprincesslilly for asking me little things about my story. I hope y’all enjoyed. Please lemme know if I forget to tag you or if you would like to be tagged!

Xhosa Translation: Ndakuxelela ukuba uhlale usondele means “Have you lost your mind?”

Tags: @youngprodigy15 @brianabreeze @harry-hears-a-who @laauurreennn @royallyprincesslilly @babygirl-bri @blue-ishx @hutchj @wakanda-shit-is-that @mermaidchansons @reignsxjackson @turn-thy-paige @ask-janelle-reynolds @airis-paris14 @sisterwifeudaku @kumkaniudaku

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miss-fox116 · 6 years

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Baba’s Night Off

A/N: Hey guys, I know I'm falling behind on updates in my other stories, but I wanted to write this oneshot because it's very close to my heart (seeing that Black Panther radically changed my perspective on my role as an African-American in America). This oneshot follows T'Challa as a workaholic father who simply makes time for what matters most to him. I hope you guys enjoy it! Also, featuring, T’Challa and Nakia’s daughter.

Disclaimers: I do not own any of the characters from Black Panther except for my OC, Natila. Also, the Xhosa language was translated from English using Google Translate so it might not be that accurate. I do not own the Thula Baba lullaby.

Baba's Night Off

The night was young. The wind whistled through the trees and the stars formed an exquisite crescendo in the violet sky. Wakanda's Golden City was winding down for the evening. The citizens were entering into their abodes while various vendors were closing their shops in the marketplace. In the royal palace, Princess Natila, (daughter of King T'Challa and Queen Nakia), was getting ready for bed. Her mother tucked her in under the blanket and began to serenade her until she was ready to sleep.

"Can you sing our song, mama?" Natila asked as she shifted under the massive blanket.

"Alright, usana (baby). I'll sing our song, but after this you need to go to sleep,"Nakia said as she sat down at the foot of the bed.

Natila jumped into her mother's arms, nearly knocking them off of the bed.

"Natila!" Nakia exclaimed as she kept herself from falling.

"Sorry, mama," the young child said as she slowly moved away from the edge.

Nakia gave a small chuckle as she picked up Natila and sat down near the pillows. She placed Natila between her legs and wrapped her arms around the child's tiny shoulders. She started humming while she rocked her daughter from side to side.

"Thula thul, thula baba, thula sana,

Thul'u babuzo ficka, eku seni.

Kukh'in khan-yezi, zi-holel' u baba,

Zim-khan yi-sela indlel'e ziyak-haya,

Sobe sik hona xa bonke be-shoyo,

Be-thi bu-yela u-bu-ye le khaya,

Thula thula thula baba,

Thula thula thula sana,

Thula thula thula baba,

Thula thula thula san."

(Keep quiet my child

Keep quiet my baby

Be quiet, daddy will be home by dawn

There's a star that will lead him home

The star will brighten his way home

The hills and stones are still the same my love

My life has changed, yes my life has changed

The children grow but you don't know my love

The children grew but you don't see them grow).

Natila started to blink slowly at the sound of her mother's melodious voice. She gave a long yawn at the end of the lullaby.

"Alright, my sweet girl. Time for bed," Nakia said as she rested Natila on the pillow and tucked her in once more.

"But I'm not tired, mama!" Natila whined as she gave another yawn.

"Yes, you are, my love. Now go to sleep," Nakia said as she placed a soft kiss on Natila's cheek and headed for the door.

"Mama?" Natila called.

"Yes, Nati," Nakia answered as she turned around to face her daughter.

"Where's Baba?" she asked as she sat up straight in the bed.

Nakia frowned slightly. She walked toward Natila's bed and kneeled down in front of her. "Baba's working tonight," she said.

"Again? This is the fourth night in a row! I've been counting," Natila said with a pout.

"I know, sweetie. Your father has a lot on his plate right now. He has to fulfill his duties as the King of Wakanda. He's trying to do what's best for his people and for us. Do you understand?"

"I do understand, mama. I just miss him so much," Natila said as her eyes began to well up with tears.

Seeing her daughter's moist eyes caused Nakia to blink back some of her own tears. "I'm sure he misses you too, mntana oyimtombazana

(baby girl)."

"I want to see him," Natila demanded as she tried to get out of bed.

"Not tonight, Nati. It's already past your bedtime."

"But, mama-"

"You need your rest, nobusi (honey). You'll see him in the morning, I promise," Nakia said as she gave Natila another kiss and left the room.

An hour passed and Natila was still awake. She turned over and saw that her clock read, 10:00pm. She turned onto her back and stared at the ceiling. She gave a hard sigh as she sat up in the bed. She glanced over at her clock and saw that the time was 10:01pm. She took off the blanket and pushed on her sound-absorbent panther slippers (courtesy of her aunt Shuri). She opened the door with a gentle tug. With the door opened slightly, she pried her head through the small crack of the door and surveyed the hallway.

There was a shuffling of footsteps outside her door. She saw a few Dora Milaje pacing the hall. As soon as the coast was clear, Natila dashed down the hallway and turned the corner. She found her father's office, which was guarded by another set of Dora Milaje. Before she walked up to the door, she hid behind the wall that was on the opposite end of the entrance. She rested her back against the wall and took a deep breath. She walked up to the guards with confidence.

"Nkosazana (princess), how may we help you?" one of the guards asked after she gave Natila the Wakandan salute.

"I want to see my father," she demanded.

"I am sorry, Nkosazana yam (my princess). The king requested that he not be disturbed," the other guard explained.

"Please let me see him," she pleaded.

"I am so sorry. He said-"

"Mvumele umntwana abone uyise (Let the child see her father)," Okoye said as she walked over to the area.

"Kodwa sanikwa imiyalelo, ngokubanzi (But we were given orders, General)," one of the guards protested.

"Ndiqinisekile ukuba akayi kucinga (I'm sure he wouldn't mind)," Okoye said as she sent the two Doras away.

"Thank you, Okoye," Natila said with a bright smile as she gave her a hug.

"No problem. I'll let him know that you're here," she said as she opened the door.

Natila followed behind Okoye. They both entered into the office to find T'Challa sitting at his desk with a mountain of papers on it. He was sifting through the papers, signing them, and sorting them into different piles.

"My king, you have a special guest that wishes to see you," Okoye said with a smile.

T'Challa looked up from his work to see his visitor. His face lit up once he saw his daughter. A huge smile spread across his face as he got up to greet her.

"Mnandi (sweetheart)! How are you?" he asked as he lifted Natila into his arms.

"I am feeling better now that I get to see you!" Natila beamed as she hugged her father.

"I'll leave you two alone," Okoye said as she left the room.

T'Challa made his way back to the desk with Natila in his lap. He put his arm around her and made sure that she was secure. She laid her head on his chest and ran her fingers through his beard. Silence fell over them as T'Challa went back to working on his papers.

"Where have you been, Baba?" Natila asked.

"What do you mean? I was here all day," he said with a smile.

Natila giggled. "That's not what I meant, silly. Why don't you come to see me at night anymore?"

T'Challa gave his daughter a confused look. Natila looked up at her father once she didn't hear a response.

"I check on you every night. You don't know that because you are always asleep when I come."

Natila pouted. "Why don't you try coming a little earlier?" she asked as she folded her arms across her chest.

"I wish I could, but I have to work, usana (baby)," T'Challa said with a frown.

"I know. I just miss you, Baba," she said while the tears streamed down her face.

T'Challa gently rubbed his daughter's back. Her sobs pierced his heart. He hated to see her so upset.

"Hey, hey, don't cry," he said as he wiped her tears with his hand. "Come. I want to show you something," he said.

He carried Natila out of the room and began walking down the hall.

"Where are we going?" she asked in a bewildered tone.

"You'll see," T'Challa said with a sly smile.

"What about your work?" Natila asked as she looked back at the office door.

"I am taking the night off," he said with a wink.

T'Challa brought Natila into a vast field outside of the palace. The moonlight glistened over the plains while the stars shimmered above the horizon. The specs of light were scattered across the sky, giving off a luminous ambiance to the area. Crickets chirped and fireflies danced in the air.

Natila chased after them once her father put her down. She kept clapping her hands, hoping to catch one of the mystic creatures. T'Challa watched as Natila failed in her pursuit. He walked over to her and held her hands in his.

"You have to be patient, little one," he said as he took her hands and clasped them in the air.

He slowly opened her hands to reveal a firefly glowing in her palms. Natila's eyes were filled with wonder as she saw the firefly hover in her hands. T'Challa opened her hands more in order to release the firefly. He took her by the hand and they both laid down in the grass, gazing at the stars in the sky.

"Baba, what's harder: being king or being the Black Panther?" Natila asked.

"Oooh, that's a good question. I would say that they are both equally hard. The most difficult part for me is being away from my family," he said with a sigh.

Natila moved over and snuggled next to her father. "If I could, I would do all of your work for you," she said with a smile.

T'Challa laughed. "Oh really?"

"Yes! I would make a great Black Panther," Natila said as she put her fists up.

"I bet you could be, but it is a very dangerous job. You can definitely do it when you're older."

"I am seven-years-old, Baba. I am a big girl now. I can handle it," she said with a huff.

T'Challa laughed so hard that he held his stomach. "Trust me, sweetie, you need years of training before you can take the mantle. You'll get there someday," he said.

Natila yawned again. She placed her head on her father's arm and started to doze off.

"You are tired, little one," he said as he caressed her head with his hand.

Natila's eyes popped open. "No I'm not! I want to talk to you," she said as she gave another yawn.

"Shhh. Don't fight it. It's time for bed," he said as he carried her to her room.

He laid her down in the bed, tucked her in, and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. He watched his daughter sleep soundly. Seeing her at peace warmed his soul. He was grateful for the much-needed night off.

#black panther #t'challa #t'challa parent #black panther fanfiction #nakia #okoye #shuri #love #family #fluff

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