#singledad!t'challa

[iliketowrite1996]

Tying Shoelaces and New Faces part 13

@chaneajoyyy was a huge help as I wrote this!

TRIGGER WARNINGS AND THEMES- Insecurity, mentions of breaking up and heartbreak, mentions of bullying, mentions of parents not liking significant other, lying, single parenting, and mentions of former relationships.

Paper hearts and valentines litter the tables of your classroom as the four and five year olds that you teach distribute them.

   Today is Valentine’s day, and you’re just about to have your Valentine’s Day party. Erik is here to help out, as is Tony Stark. They’re dressed festively, wearing a red t-shirt and blue jeans, and a red button down long sleeve and black pants, respectively.

   ‘’Here,’’ you hear a little voice speak to you, and you look down to see Autumn Udaku, holding a paper heart out to you.

   You lean down to her level and smile at the beaming preschooler, who jumps up and down so fast that her puffy pigtails move with her.

   ‘’This is so beautiful, Autumn! I love it,’’ you gush to her, and the way that her little face lights up with pride makes your heart swell.

   ‘’Thank you,’’ she beams, hugging you around your legs.

   Autumn is, without a doubt, one of the most affectionate people that you’ve ever met. Maybe that’s why she and Damien get along so well. He comes up and hugs you then before showing his own Valentine to you off, glowing as i shower him in praise as well before Autumn takes his hand and he drags her to his table.

   You chuckle and shake your head fondly best friend so I’m as Erik dances over to you, giving you some oreos on a plate.

   ‘’Happy Valentine’s day,’’ he smirks, placing the plate in your hands, ‘’You’re not Sanaa so you don’t get the good dinner. But you’re her best friends so I gotta give you a little somethin’  somethin’ too.’’

   ‘’Shut up, N’Jadaka,’’ you laugh, shaking your head and gratefully accepting his ‘’gift’’  and thanking him.

   ‘’So what do you and my cousin have planned tonight,’’ he asks, and you shrug your shoulders.

   ‘’He couldn’t find a babysitter for Autumn. We’re gonna go out and pick up dinner, and then we are going to go back to his apartment and eat it and watch movies with her until it’s time to bed. Besides, I have to get a lot work to do for the Family Dance tomorrow.

   Every year, the elementary school across the street hosts a family dance for all of the students. This year, you got them to collaborate with the preschool. So, a lot of your students will be attending with their families.

   T’Challa is taken Autumn, and she couldn’t be more excited. When you were over their apartment last Friday, Autumn kept showing you the dress and her show and excitedly chatting about how Erik was going to braid her hair and everything.    

   So you find yourself sitting on a blanket in T’Challa’s living room, munching on pizza as you, him and Autumn watch a movie. Autumn is sitting in your lap, head leaned back against your shoulder as she chews on her pizza.

   You’re laughing at the movie as T’Challa watches you, loving how you are with Autumn. You are kind to her inside of the classroom and out of it. He can tell that it is not a show that you put on for him- you truly love that little girl, just like you love all of your students.

   This moment makes him entertain a thought that he hasn’t in so long- ‘’She could be the one’’.

   It’s when Autumn is asleep that you find yourself in T'Challa's bed, his hands removing your cardigan as yours move to the buttons of his shirt.

   So at, your physical relationship has gone no further than a hot makeout session and removing a jacket. T’Challa has made it clear that he wants to keep the physical part slowly building.

   Besides-he’s also not ready for even the possibility of another child so soon. No, not yet.

   ‘’T’Challa,’’ you breathe out as you break this kiss only to place your lips back on his.

   ‘’I know, I know,’’ he sighs, pressing one last kiss to your lips, ‘’We should cool down.’’

   He sits up then, as do you. You smooth out your shirt as he fixes the buttons on his own shirt.

   ‘’Do you need me to drive you home?’’

   ‘’No, I’ll be fine. I don’t want you wake Autumn up.’’

   He walks you to the door of the apartment. Presses a kiss to your lips and runs his thumb over your lips when he finishes. Tells you he loves you.

   Grins back and kisses you once more when you return the statement.

   You call him when you get in, and the two of you talk as you go through your nighttime routine. It’s so sweet and nearly domestic that it makes you heart swell.

   You entertain the thought of being like this with him in person, every night, full time.

   Because, you’re not certain about it, but you think that T’Challa Udaku might indeed be the one.

   The next night, T’Challa Udaku goes all out for his little girl. He gives her a corsage of pink flowers that he had made just for her. He poses for pictures with her, matching Autumn in his black suit, white shirt, and gold tie.

   He even got a car service for the night, and he holds her hand as they walk into the school, her little eyes dazzled by the decorations in the gym.

   Pepper Potts-Stark is already there, dancing with her son on her toes.

   Damien is giggling away as his mother shuffles them back and forth to the beat.

   Alyssa O’Malley, one of Autumn's classmates is dancing with her uncle, blonde hair swinging as he twirls her.

   You pot T’Challa and Autumn just as the little girl runs over to you, embracing you as if she hadn’t seen you just that day.

   ‘’You look pretty! Do I look pretty?’’

   ‘’Autumn, you look beautiful!,’’ you gush, twirling her around, ‘’I love this dress!’’

   ‘’Thank you!,’’ she gushes as T'Challa joins the two of you, ‘’Doesn’t baba look handsome?’’

   She’s definitely been spending too much time with Shuri.

   ‘’You do look handsome, my love,’’ you tell him, already aware that his face is burning.

   ‘’Thank you, entle,’’ he tells you before pressing a kiss to your forehead.

   He loves you completely and without hesitation. That’s part of why you fell for hi,.

   But when you see him holding his daughter close and dancing with her, cutting up her chicken during dinner and taking silly photos with her, you realize that your feelings go deeper than just being in love. You may very well want to spend your life with this man.

   But that, my friends, is a conversation for another day.

   In March, T'Challa sits Autumn down. He sits at the kitchen table, scribbles coloring book pages with brightly colored crayons with her. She sips on her soy milk and munches on animal crackers.

   ‘Intomba, what do you think about my girlfriend?’’

   ‘’My teacher? She’s nice. She always smells good except for after we have gym class. She’s smart and pretty, too.’’

   ‘’So do you like having her around?’’

   ‘’Yes,’’ Autumn doesn’t even look up from her drawing as she answers her baba.

   ‘’You know she’s not going to take mommy’s place, right?’’

   ‘’I know. Mommy says that she’s just an extra adult that loves me,’’ Autumn explain the word that Nakia told her last week as they sat in the hotel room and Nakia combed through her daughter’s tangled hair.

   ‘’I want you to know that, no matter what, mommy and baby will always love you. You mean the world to me, Autumn,’’ he tells her.

   Autumn smiles at her baba before moving so that she’s sitting on his’’ lap, resting with her head against this shoulder, ‘’I love you, baba.’’

   ‘’I love you, too, intomba,’’ T’Challa kisses his daughters hairline.

   They’re silent for a few moments, just sitting and enjoying being in each other's presence.

   ‘’Baba?’’

   ‘’Hmm,’’ he asks, smoothing out Autumn's curls.

   ‘’Are you going to marry my teacher?’

   T’Challa’s eyes widen as he looks at the four-year-old, ‘’Where did that come from?’’

   ‘’You really like her because you’re always sharing food with her like Damien does with me and you only share your sweet potato fries with me,’’ she explains, ‘’So if you find someone that you want to share your food with, you should probably marry them.’’

   Autumn is four and sees everything in black and white, and T’Challa finds that he learns a lot from her. With her, either something is one thing or it isn't. O if’s, and’s or but’s, no grey areas shaded in between.

   If you love someone, you spend your life with them.

   It’s that simple to her.

That’s why in April, when Autumn is spending a weekend with Nakia, he finds himself sitting with you on your couch. Sanaa is with N’Jadaka, so the two of you have the apartment to yourselves.

   ‘’No, we can’t go back to that pasta making class because you,’’ you point your finger at him, ‘’ Broke that woman’s pasta maker.’’

   ‘’How was I supposed to now the handle would come off?!’’

   You laugh heartily, shaking your head, ‘’You stopped being attractive to ehr in that moment. Like, instantly.’’

   ‘’Well, your pasta was awful.’’

   ‘’At least I got to make pasta and didn’t break the equipment.’’

   The next thing you now, his hands are moving up and down your side, tickling you. You erupt into giggles before the two of you fall to the ground and T’Challa continues to tickle you.

   ‘’Enough, enough!,’’ you continue to laugh as is hands slow.

   T’Challa chuckles then, before pressing a kiss to your lips, ‘’I love you so, so much.’’

   ‘’I love you, too.’’

   ‘’On fact,’’ he sits up, pulling you up with him, ‘’I wanted to ask you something. You know I care for you and I can see this working out. Long term. I know we haven’t even been together for even a year, yet, but…’’’

   He trails off then, obviously flustered. He wants to make this work but how will you react? Will you turn your head and runaway and not give him the time of day in this relationship? Will this be too much for you?

   ‘’I was thinking about that recently, too. I think that… I can see us making this long term.’’

   ‘’I’d like to marry up someday, since we’re being honest. Not soon. I don’t think that I’m ready for marriage anytime soon, or having my own kids. I mean, you know I love Autumn. But as far as having a child myself…’’

   ‘’It’s not the right time. I understand. I feel the same way about having another baby. I’d prefer to wait until Autumn is a bit older.’’

   ‘’That makes sense,’’ you nod, leaning your head against the couch, ‘’So… we’re going to stay together?’’

   ‘’We’re going to stay together,’’ he presses a kiss to the back of your hand that he’s still holding.

   ‘’And we’re going to get married someday.’’

   You don't’ ask that. You state it. You know that, just like the sun rising and setting,it is an inevitable truth. You want T'Challa just as badly as he wants you, and you want to spend the rest of your life with him.

   Maybe you’ve fallen for each other too fast, but you don’t care.

   As his lips descend on yours, you realize that you he doesn’t, either.

   Maybe you’re being reckless, but you don’t mind.

   Because if loving each other is hasty and imperfect, at least you’re in it together.

   It's in April that Nakia finds out just how much Autumn adores you. She’s spending the week with Nakia only two towns over, but she video chats T’Challa right before bed every night. T’Challa is nearly always with you when she does so, and Autumn is excited to speak with you right after she finishes talking to her baba.

   ‘’Autumn, she’s nice to you, yes?’’

   ‘’Really nice! When baba was sick, she helped me make soup for him and everything. She babysat me all ay until grandpa and granny came over.’’

   ‘’Oh, really,’’ Nakia questions as she cuts up Autumn’s food for her, ‘’What else?’’

   ‘’She taught me how to tie my shoes! And she always holds my hand when we are out and meet new people.’’

   ‘’She does now? Like when?’’

   ‘’Like when we went to the museum and they wanted us to work in groups with other people and baba was in the bathroom,’’ Autumn explains to her mother.

   Hm. She’ll need to see this for herself.

   Nakia knows T’Challa’s in love with you. And she loves him, but she’s not in love with him. Not anymore. She will always love him, as he will always love her. But his place is a spot next to you now.

   And, besides, she’s seeing someone new.

   Anyway. Nakia sees the day that T’Challa looks at you. What warms her heart is that you return the look when you gaze at him.

   Maybe that’s why at night when Autumn is falling asleep on her freshly braided hair, Nakia decides that she needs to have a conversation with you.

   It looks like you are going to be a constant, maybe even permanent, fixture in her daughter’s life.

   Nakia is not messing around when it comes to her daughter.

   So, she decides she'll +invite you to coffee one day. Talk things through. See where your head and your heart is. Because if they’re not with other T’Challa and Autumn, she’s going to tell T’Challa.

   Autumn Elizabeth Udaku is Nakia’s whole heart.

   And she’ll put her own friendship with T'Challa on the line before she dare lets him be with someone that doesn't love their daughter.

   It’s May when Autumn graduates from preschool. Sanaa takes pictures, as she has the day off from the town school due to a power outage. Erik gives her a fist bump. Nakia presses kisses to her daughter's cheeks as T’Challa does the same. Shuri cheers on her little niece,  N‘Jobu gives her a hug as she runs over to them afterwards. Ramonda pulls her granddaughter into her arms, and T’Chaka picks her up, pressing kisses to her hairline and cheeks.

   ‘’Grandpa is so proud of you, ‘’ he admits, ‘’You’ve graduated preschool.’’

   ‘’I’m so smart!,’’ Autumn announces, causing them all to laugh.

   ‘’You sure are smart, intomba!,’’ Autumn takes his daughter into his arms, ‘I love you.’’

   ‘’I love you, too, baba.’’

   You stroll over to the group after greeting more families, and Autumn rushes so that she’s hugging your legs, ‘’Did you see me?!’’

   ‘’I sure did, Autumn! You're a kindergartner now. Wow!’’

   The family invites you out to dinner.

   ‘’We found a restaurant that serves some dishes from Wakanda,’’ Shuri explains.    

   ‘’It is absolutely delicious,’’ N’Jobu reassures.

   ‘’She might be too busy,’’ T’Chaka looks to you, ‘’She’s had a very busy day, after all.’’

   It’s no secret that he doesn’t like you. Everyone, except Autumn and T’Challa, can see it.

   The only one of those two who has an excuse, as far as you are concerned, is Autun.

   She’s four.

   T’Challa is a grown man who doesn't see that his dad doesn't like you, Sanaa, or Peter. There’s a common theme there, and you think you’ve figured out the why, you just can’t understand what to do about it.

   That's conversation that’s not meant for now.

   So, much to T'Chaka’s chagrin, you agree. T'Challa holds your hand under the table and he openly rolls his eyes. Sanaa is seated next to N’Jadaka, and T’Chaka doesn’t even look at her when she speaks.

   Something tells you you’re going to have to have a talk with T’Challa.

   And the sooner, the better.

   Later, you’re walking back to the T’Challa’s car with N’Jadaka and Sanaa. Autumn Has gone off to spend time with Nakia, since she will not see her again until nearly the end of June.

   ‘’It’s a shame you can’t come with us on the trip,’’ N’Jadaka states.

   ‘’Oh, you know, I respect it being a family thing’’ you shrug, feeling T'Challa's grip on your hand tighten.

   ‘’Girl, please. You’re already part f the family. I think Sanaa would’ve liked you coming alone,’’ N’jadaka tell you, and it takes everything in you not to stop walking right here and look to T’Challa.

   You stew on that the whole way home. Ignoring the conversations between he other three adults in the car.

   T’Challa steals glances at you and you don’t return them.

   So he claimed this was a family vacation…

   Yet Erik invited Sanaa.

   Sanaa. Who he has been dating just as long as T’Challa has been dating you. T'Challa didn’t invite you on the trip that he is taken with his family, his daughter and his ex wife.

   His ex-wife who you know he still loves.

   Have T’Chaka’s words finally penetrated T’Challa’s mind? Has he seen what T’Chaka ha said as the truth and exchanged bitter words for the sweet future he’s promise you?

   Is there something going on between him and Nakia and you being in Wakanda would ruin that?

   He doesn't say a word to you as you drop Sanaa and Nakia off at his place.

   He doesn't’ say a word when you walk up to your own apartment, him silently falling behind you.

   He doesn't say a word events you close the door of your apartment adnt ur to him.

   ‘’Entle,’’ T’Challa begins voice heavy and breaking, like ice that has finally been cracked by something stronger than it.

T’Challa’s demeanor is his armor, and this has epoxies things that he never wanted to- the fact that he can keep a secret, even if his intentions were originally good and was doing it with a good heart.

He’s hurt you now, and he must explain.

‘’My love, I-’’

   ‘’Stop right here. I’ve been thinking about this the whole car ride. I think… T’Challa.’’

   ‘’Entle?’’

   ‘’T’Challa… we need to talk.’’

DISCLAIMER- I DO NOT OWN ANY MARVEL CHARACTERS, I JUST LIKE WRITING FANFICTION. I WON DAMIEN, AUTUMN, AND SANAA, AND ALYSSA IN THIS CHAPTER.

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