#might not boop much back but i’m happy to help you reach the milestones

[gawankeundco]

blanket permission to boop me a thousand times if you’re trying to unlock the other boop badges 🐾

[snidgetwidgeon]

Thank you for 100 followers! :D

To celebrate this happy little milestone, I felt inspired to create a BotW ficlet about 100 of something. Please enjoy:

The 100th Korok

Link thought he saw it again. A shifting in the grasses, always in his periphery, and whenever he turned to look, nothing. This, along with strange, intermittent poofs of air, led him to believe he was being followed. At first he was on edge, thinking the Yiga were getting the drop on him; but since nothing ever came of it, he settled with the odd occurrence, but remained vigilant just the same.

As he passed a fallen log, he was struck with the inclination to check the hollows. Sure enough, on the opposite end was a little jar. A Korok puzzle. One of the easier ones. The little forest spirits could be quite crafty sometimes but he enjoyed their games.

“Ya ha ha! You found me!” The korok wiggled excitedly and placed a small golden seed in Link’s outstretched hand.

“Many thanks, little one,” He smiled.

At some distance away, a soft voice counted to itself, “Ninety six! Oooo, Mr. Hero is getting so close!” The little korok rose to the sky hanging on its propeller leaf and continued to follow. It wouldn’t be visible out in the wild until setting a puzzle for Mr. Hero to solve. The korok stayed hot on Link’s heels as he moved through the countryside.

“Ninety seven.

Ninety eight.”

The little korok hovered, poofed, and slid through the grass over the next two days, keeping a hawk like vigil on the Hero. So intent was it to not miss its moment, that it was distracted to the point of not noticing the actual hawk, diving straight for it. Koroks were friends to all living creatures, but not all creatures returned the sentiment. The hawk thought this little korok could be lunch!

“Eee!” The little korok dove just in time to escape the grip of the hawk’s talons. But it circled back and the korok had to employ its other tricks to give it the slip. It poofed and dropped into the grass, camouflaging spectacularly. The hawk did a few more passes of the area before giving up to find an easier meal.

The korok popped its head out and gasped. Where was Mr. Hero!? It almost rose into the sky to search but was afraid the hawk might still be nearby, so it skated through the grasses as quick as it could. By the time it caught up and saw Mr. Hero about to cross a bridge, it was too late. It’s leaf face drooped in sadness as Link tossed a rock over the side of the bridge into a ring of stones in the river.

“Ya ha ha,” the little korok sadly echoed its sibling. “You didn’t find me.” A tear fell and with its hopes of being Mr. Hero’s hundredth korok dashed, it decided to fade back into the forest. "I don’t want to play this game anymore..."

~~~

Sometime later, Link made a visit to the Korok Forest. There were some shrines in the area he thought he’d have a go at cracking. As he passed through the main thoroughfare, he booped the pod lanterns and made some of the koroks laugh before they hid when he got too close. Just before he reached the shrine, he spotted one all on its own, behind a large root spreading out from its father, the Deku Tree. Its leaf was drooping and he thought he heard a sniffle. He crouched down slowly, “Hey there, little one. Are you unwell?”

The korok swayed in a bit of a daze before managing to speak. “M-Mr. Hero!” The dark, mismatched pupils dilated before it burst into tears and collapsed into Link’s lap.

Link flinched in surprise but cradled the wailing forest spirit, hoping that he would be able to offer sufficient comfort.

“I-I-I... f-failed you Mr. Herooooo!”

Link's brows knit together, “What? How? That’s nonsense. The koroks have always been helpful to me.”

His heart clenched when the little korok looked up at him so forlornly. It was welling up again, and the dam was all but fit to burst.

“We are supposed to bless the Hero with our seeds so that he may grow stronger to defeat the Calamity. B-but... I wanted to be your hundredth seed. Because it seemed special. And then you were almost there, and I tried so hard- but then, there was a meany hawk, and it tried to eat me!”

Link’s eyes widened in concern and was about to speak but the korok sniffled loudly and continued. “And then I lost you, and when I found you- you- you had already found another! And I’m a bad korok, for shame!”

“No, no,” Link entreated gently, “Just because you couldn’t be one hundredth doesn’t make you bad at all. Why would you think that?” He sat to get a bit more comfortable and pulled the korok into his lap to face him, the little body resting against his palms.

The koroks arms flailed as it became animated in its self judgment. “I’m bad because I gave up. I should be out there making a puzzle so you can have my seed but I just couldn’t. But without my seed, what if you can’t defeat the Calamity!?”

Link suppressed a chuckle the way one does with children when they are being so serious. “How about you give me my last seed? That way, I can save the best for last.”

The little korok nearly jumped out of his arms, “Really!? What an honor Mr. Hero, nine hundred is so much better than one hundred; you’re right!”

Link’s encouraging smile was wiped from his face, “I beg your pardon? Did you say... nine? Hundred?”

“Yes! That’s how many were in big brother Hestu’s maracas.”

Link fell back into the grass dramatically, looking dazed. It alarmed the little korok and he could feel its stubby legs poking into his stomach and ribs as it made its way up his abdomen to be the one bent over his face in concern.

“Mr. Hero? Are you unwell?” it parroted Link’s question from earlier.

“No, I just... nine hundred is so many. How could I possibly find them all?”

The little korok put on a thinking face and walked in circles around Link’s chest. The moment a solution came, it jumped excitedly causing Link to grunt. “I know how to help, Mr. Hero!”

Link sat up and held the korok so it wouldn’t tumble. “How’s that?”

With a beaming face and arms outstretched wriggling with excitement, the korok laughed, “Ya ha ha!” and poofed into a new shape. A mask.

Link held it up in awe, turning it back and forth in surprise. “Are you still there, little one?”

He heard a soft coo in response and after another curious pause, decided to give it a try.

The magic of the korok went into effect immediately. As Link walked through the forest, his mask sighed with delight, the little pinwheel spinning joyously every time he neared another forest spirit.

“Thank you, friend.”

[kumkaniudaku]

Mama’s Home!

A/N: This is my last little blurb before I tuck away to finish KOS. Who knows how long that’ll take. I just really wanna devote all my time to getting it finished so that I can work on the possible sequel(s). Until then, here’s some fluff. Consider it the prequel to the Daddy Duty series. See you soon!

Warnings: None 

Word Count: 2,014

There comes a point in every person’s life when you become tired.

Not physically tired, though that can function as a symptom, but tired of the current direction in life. You feel unfulfilled, underappreciated, and simply uninterested in continuing on your current path. 

With the day that you had at work, you were finally tired. The job itself was filled with exciting opportunities and the chance to around the game you’d love since you were three years old. The office was a different story. What started as a fun and relaxed environment during the early stages of your career in Los Angeles was slowly turning into a hotbed of confusion and catty office politics. It was mentally exhausting to drag your body out of bed at 6 AM, kiss your husband and children goodbye, and walk into a place that seemingly caused more stress than the enjoyment it provided when you started.

In addition to draining the life from you, corporate America was pulling you away from your family. Before marrying Chadwick, you were adamant about continuing to work regardless of the family dynamics that came into play. A husband and kids would never keep you away from your dream occupation.

 Then you had Micah and you began to sing a different tune. Working, for both you and your husband, had pulled you away from one too many dance recitals, parent nights, and soccer games. With Noah beginning to hit milestones on his way to the six-month mark, the thought of missing his first word or steps because of work was harrowing.

Walking into your home with the weight of the world on your shoulders, you took a deep breath to release the stress of the day. By 1 o’clock, you were over being stuck in your office, receiving more complaints than solutions, and decided to “work from home” for the rest of day. That was code for falling face first into your side of the California king in the master bedroom and sleeping until it was time to pick up Micah from school and usher her to soccer practice.

“Hey, boy, I’m the wrong parent. Ain’t no milk in these.”

“Mamamamamamama.”

“Your mama ain’t here, but I’m about to drop you off with her.”

You followed the spirited conversation between father and newborn son to Chadwick’s “office”, which lately had become Noah’s playroom and Chadwick’s hideaway when he the noise of the house became too much.

When you pushed opened the door, you paused at the threshold to observe the bonding moment. The Lion King blasted in the background while Chadwick sat on the beat up sectional and suspended Noah in the air above his head. Mimicking a bench pressing motion, Chadwick repeatedly brought Noah’s pudgy stomach to his face to blow raspberries into the child’s soft flesh, pulling high-pitched giggles from your son. Both of them were shirtless, making you smile outwardly while cringing on the inside.

“Why doesn’t he have on a shirt?”

Chadwick’s head whipped around to give you a wide-eyed stare that dissolved into a smile. “Baby! What you doing here so early?”

“Don’t try to ignore my question, Ashy,” you laughed on the way to stand behind his seated position on the couch. Noah kicked and gurgled as you got closer, wiggling out of Chadwick’s grasp and into your arms for a hug. “Hello, my prince. Can Mommy have some kisses?”

Your husband watched with a smile as Noah dropped wet, open-mouth kisses on both of your cheeks in response to your display of affection. “Damn, so Daddy don’t exist?”

“Should we give DaDa some kisses, Pookie?” You listened to Noah babble his response and smiled. “I think so, too. You go first.”

Noah awarded his father’s request with more wet kisses as he switched between parents before you leaned over the back of the couch to press your lips onto Chadwick’s.

“Why you here so early?”

“Why doesn’t he have on a shirt? I’ll answer your question after you answer mine.”

“It’s easier to clean his chest 100 times than to change his outfit 100 times because he can’t stop drooling. Sounds like somebody else I know. My baby always has a wet ass pillow.” Your light gasp and playful push to the back of his head made him howl with laughter which transferred to Noah. “Your turn. Why you here so early?”

“I don’t feel well.”

“You “don’t feel well” as in you’re catching a cold or you might be pregnant again “don’t feel well”? Because you say that every time you’re about to tell me we’re having a baby.”

You sighed while running your hand over Noah’s hair, “No, not this time. I think I just need to lay down or something. I’m gonna go upstairs and take a nap. Wake me up when it’s time to get Mikey.”

Your intention was to crawl into bed and take a nap to clear your head, but the men in your life had other plans.

Chadwick turned up his nose and looked to his son for answers, “Does Mama think she’s gonna leave us for a nap?”

“Mama!”

“Exactly. She can nap right here! C’mere, girl.”

“Aaron, stoooop,” you whined as he gripped your wrist to tug you back. “Let me go lay down. Please!”

“Nuh uh. Come over here and lay with us. What’s the point in going all the way upstairs to sleep when we got all this room on the couch? It’s time for this boy to take a nap anyway. C’mon.”

The will to fight was left in your office over thirty minutes ago. If laying next to Chadwick on the couch would offer some sort of relief from the headache building in the depths of your cranium, you would give it a shot. 

With your bottom lip poked out like a petulant child, you trudged around the couch to join the boys.

Chadwick wasn’t content with you simply sitting beside him. He pulled you into his lap with ease, cradling you in one arm and Noah in the other. Your son’s chubby arms extended to get your attention and beg to be in the safety of your warm embrace. You happily granted his non-verbal request, placing him on your chest and rubbing circles on his bare back. Together, all of three of you crowded into one section of the couch in close contact to watch the Disney movie on the flat screen.

In the silence, Chadwick would glance down at you and his child, wishing that Micah was home from school to complete the bonding moment. Any time he got to have the three pieces of his world on his lap and in his arms, he welcomed with enthusiasm.

“You wanna tell me what’s wrong? I know it’s more than wanting a nap.”

You sighed and snuggled into his chest, “I think I’m done working outside the home.”

“That is...not what I was expecting. Tasha Nicole Greene-Boseman wants to stop working? I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Not stop, completely,” you stressed. “Maybe change directions? I don’t know. My head is all over the place.”  

Noah’s deep breath and desire to cling to your shirt as he drifted in and out of sleep made you smile. Had you been at work, you would’ve missed this moment. Chadwick noticed the sadness beneath the happy expression, prompting him to use his index finger to tilt your head upward.

“I get it. I think about it, too.”

“About leaving the industry?”

“Sometimes,” he sighed. “It’s been a good down period this last year, but things are about to ramp up again. I might miss his first real word or his first step. FaceTime and videos help me to stay in the loop and all, but it’s not like being home with them and you.”

“I wouldn’t want you to give up your passion to stay at home.”

“You wouldn’t have to. I’d do it in a heartbeat if it came between watching my family grow.” Craning your neck, you looked up to meet the sincerity present in Chadwick’s eyes. “You’ll know when it’s time to come home. And, when you’re ready, we’ll be happy to have you here every day. Especially this one.”

“Oh yeah?”

“He calls for you all day. He’ll look over there,” Chadwick explained, using his finger to direct your attention to the large portrait of you on your wedding day. “Reaching for you and wiggling around. Noah adores you.”

“What about Noah’s daddy? How does he feel?”

A small smirk embedded smile lines into Chadwick’s flawless skin before he leaned down to brush his lips against yours. “He feels like the luckiest man in the world. You’re my best friend and the woman I love. Whatever you decide to do will have my full support. If you want to stay home, we’ll figure out how to set up this space for a shared office. If you wanna keep working, we’ll work on getting a nanny. Whatever you want.”

“Thank you, baby.” You accepted another gentle kiss and sighed. “The only thing that would make this any more perfect is if Micah was here.”

“With Boop in here, there’d be no sleep for *anybody*. My girl is the life of the party. I wonder who she gets that from?”

“I don’t know! I was a homebody.”

“Says the woman that couldn’t wait until we were 21 so she could drag me to Magic City when I visited her in Atlanta one summer.”

“You say drag as if you didn’t wanna go!”

“That’s not the point,” Chadwick laughed. “All I’m saying is your party animal ways have been transferred to our little girl. Now, my boy is the calm one.”

“He’s my sweetheart. Watch this.”

Chadwick’s eyebrows quirked in curiosity as your smile dropped into an exaggerated frown. Small whimpers that doubled as fake cries out Noah on alert. His head popped up to look at you through glossy eyes to be sure that you were “crying.” For the first time since Chadwick had given it to him to silence his real tears, Noah pulled the pacifier from his mouth to pop it into yours. Satisfied with the way you “calmed down”, the youngest Boseman returned to his resting position with his thumb in his mouth.

Chadwick laughed with amazement and shock etched across his face. “When did he start doing that?”

“A couple days ago. He heard me yawn and thought I was crying. That’s my sweet boy,” you cooed as you cuddled him close to your chest.

Comfortable quiet settled over the room, leaving ‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight’ to play in the background. Though your eyes were closed, you were far from slumber. Thoughts of having the time to take Micah to school every morning and teaching Noah from home until he was ready for kindergarten swirled into a beautiful fantasy, bringing a smile to your face. Being at home didn’t mean you had to start working. Consulting was an option and Yvonne was always reminding you that she’d love to add you to her event planning employment roster as the head of her administration department. Granted that meant becoming the fourth person on her team in total, but the opportunity to work with your best friend was exciting.

“What’chu smiling about,” Chadwick asked when he caught you mid-fantasy. “You’re supposed to be asleep.”

“Oh, nothing. Just about how fun it’ll be to work at home and see my babies all day.”

“So you’ve made your decision?”

“I think I have,” you answered while smiling up at him.

He dropped a kiss on your forehead, “Good. You know I’m always here to help.”

“I’m glad you said that, because -”

“Here we go,” he groaned.

“What? We just have a few things to move out of here! Starting with this couch.”

“This is my favorite couch, baby!”

“We’ll get a better one.” Chadwick started to open his mouth to protest, but you silenced him with a kiss. “A better one. Mama’s home to stay!”

                               ________________

The Renovated Home Office 

                              ______________

TAGS: @njadont @k-michaelis  @wakandanmoonchild  @idilly  @texasbama@afraiddreamingandloving  @inxan-ity  @daytimeheroicsonly  @onyour-right@brianabreeze  @sisterwifeudaku  @ironsquad @killmongerdispussy@90sinspiredgirl  @willowtree77785901  @maynardqueen101 @heyauntieeee@halfrican-heat  @purple-apricots  @lalapalooza718 @blue-ishx@profilia @ljstraightnochaser  @girl-wtf-lmao  @dramaqueenamby @royallyprincesslilly@melaninmarvel  @thiccdaddy-mbaku  @lavitabella87@purplehairgawdess@unholyxcumbucket  @airis-paris14  @uhlxis@oshasimone @maliadestiny@drsunshine97  @cozyshack2 @zxddy-panther@queentearra @skysynclair19 @retro-melanin @mermaidchansons @misspooh@melanisticroyalty @babygirlofwakanda @wakanda-4evr @sarahboseman @karensraisns@blackmissmarvel @wakandankings  @kaykay4454fan@ororowrites@awkwardlyabstract @mixedmelanin @brownsugarcocoabutterwildflowers@sunflowerpsalms  @panthergoddessbast@justanotherloveaffair @jaeee-http @iliketowrite1996 @blackpantherismyish@thompettiedatheaux @msincognito67 @reignsxjackson @yaachtynoboat711@syreanne  @ilcb7@minim236 @yoyolovesbucky @chaneajoyyy