ABIONA AU - Before Abiona Interlude Part 6: Be His Peace
Pairing: T’ Challa x Black!Reader
Warning(s): None
Word Count: 4192
Link to ABIONA by @writingmarvellousimagines
Link to Face claims (2)
Part: (1) (2) (3) (I1) (I2) (4) (I3) (I4) (5) (6) (I5)
Be His Peace
It had been a difficult two weeks for Alix and T’challa. It began when T’challa told her he would not be coming on Wednesday as he normally did. He had to attend a press conference in Vienna after the Avengers incident in Lagos. Alix for some reason had a terrible feeling about T’challa going.
“Just say you will miss me Alixandre” He joked as they laid on their bed on Saturday night before he was supposed to leave early in the morning as he normally did. Alix was nestled warmly in T’challa’s arms as he kissed her head and shoulder. She nervously played with T’challa’s fingers as she smiled at his comment.
“It is not just that babe. Obviously, I will miss you, but I just have this feeling, I don’t know but just promise you will be careful okay. I know you are the Black Panther and all but I just need you in one piece” She said grabbing his hand to kiss it before closing her fingers around his. “I don’t feel comfortable with you leaving so close to the due date. You know we only have a few more weeks until my due date”
“I promise I will be more careful. And I promise that by the next time I come back I will be here for at least three weeks after the baby is here. Do not worry. I will also be using this opportunity to talk to my father about you and the baby moving to Wakanda again.” Alix turned to face T’challa.
“Really? I thought you said it would be better to do it after the baby got here and he could meet them?”
“I did, but I have realized that it is better for us so we can start planning to move after the baby comes. Also, it is time for me as a man to defend my family and I shouldn’t wait because both of you deserve to comfortable. And I cannot wait to show you all my favourite parts of the country” He said as he kissed her cheek.
“Did you happen to take your past flames to these favourite spots as well” T’challa stiffened before speaking.
“Possibly, however that does not matter because that was when I was a different man and Alix you are the only woman in my life. Truly entle, I am here for you and you only and -” Alix giggled as she stopped her nervous lover from his normal word vomit.
“Babe it is okay, I just wanted to see you squirm. I know that wherever we go in Wakanda will be made special by you.” She said as she kissed his cheek, T’challa released a breath that he did not know that he was holding. “Now if we were going to Brazil I would be a bit worried.” T’challa groaned
“Oh my Bast Alix you will never let that go will you”
“Nope. Goodnight. Have a safe trip okay.” She giggled as T’challa kissed her goodbye and headed to the guest room for the night. Even as she laid to sleep, Alix rubbed her belly but the feeling of imminent trouble didn’t leave her. And it continued through the night and grew as T’challa came to kiss her and the baby goodbye.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T’challa sat across from his father as he prepared for his speech. He stared out the window and admired the Vienna skyline. His mind thought of Alix as she walked the streets of Vienna to and from work. Most likely finding a little café where she would often lounge. She loved her time here and hoped that he could bring her and the baby back here. He had begun to grow nervous being here, just because of Alix’s reluctance to have him go. She kept reminding him of a funny feeling she was having. At this point, he was afraid that something might be wrong with the baby and it was not just her instinct. He turned to face his father.
“ I think you should cut that line out. It sounds a bit redundant” His father looked up from his speech.
“ Thank you uyana wam, I wasn’t sure about that line”
“ What does this mean for Wakanda, signing the accords. Are we not allowing foreign jurisdiction over our sovereignty?”
“ Many theorists have written about the social contract. It is said that for societies and individuals to have peace they most offer some of their freedom in return. That is what Wakanda is doing, we can sit by while our own die in other lands.” T’challa nodded. “It might be time for Wakanda to begin to show itself more in international affairs. I know we as a culture have been against it, but it may be time to help those who need it the most. If we do it smartly, we may be able to succeed without compromising Wakanda’s safety.” T’challa continued to nod surprised at the new position his father had begun to take. What surprised him more is his father’s next question.
“How is Alix, and the baby? She is due soon no?” His father had never asked about Alix nor her pregnancy. He rarely commented on his weekly trips. T’challa had thought his father saw it best for their relationship if it was never discussed.
“She is good and baby is good. We have about three weeks until the baby is supposed to be here”
“That is good to hear. One's first child is an indescribable journey. The love I felt after meeting you the first time can only be battled by the love I felt when I met Shuri” The pair shared a smile
“Your mother tells me you are getting along better with Alix, have you gotten what you sought out for all those months ago?”
“I think so, Alix and I are happy. Of course, we are moving at the pace she feels comfortable, but we are moving and that is what matters now. I am just happy to know the baby is going to be coming home to a house with two loving parents. Baba, I want to bring up the discussion of the two of them moving to Wakanda. I know you had previously said no but I need to be able to have my family with me, Baba. It isn’t fair for me to have to go back and forth” T’challa began to ramble as he normally did before his father stopped him.
“I hear you uyana wam, and I have begun to agree with you” T’challa looked at his father with surprise and happiness “I have seen you handle your duties so well while still making time for Alix. I am proud of you for that, but you are right it shouldn’t be as strenuous as it has been” Both men turned to face Ayo who let them know it was time to go “We will talk more when the Accords are finished with. You must know, I am excited to meet my grandchild” He said as he got up and patted T’challa’s cheek.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He had reassured Alix that he would take care of himself and be back in one piece. So she held onto that reassurance while he was gone. Not until Wednesday rolled around and she got an alert from a colleague at work about the explosion in Vienna. Alix felt the world around her freeze. She immediately began to pick up her things to go to Vienna. Luckily Jules was there to calm her down.
“Woah Alix, you have to sit down, this stress isn’t good for the baby. T’challa will not appreciate missing his child’s birth because you are freaking out. T is fine, I promise, he is probably going to call as soon as the dust settles.” Jules held his sister as he tried to help her stay calm. The siblings moved to her bed and laid facing the ceiling as Jules made her laugh to distract her from her never ending fears. Just like when they were kids and the other needed comfort. When the phone finally rang and T’challa’s voice came through, Alix felt like she was allowed to breathe again.
“I am so happy you are okay.”
“I am fine, please do not stress yourself. I cannot be worried about the two of you while I am gone.”
“Gone? Gone where? You aren’t coming back here?”
“Alix” T’challa took an extended pause trying to control his emotions. “Alix, my father, he died in the explosion. I must return home and proceed with the burial traditions, as well as challenge day. I will be becoming the King of Wakanda. I must go back and do this as quickly as possible so I can be there for you and the baby” Alix was stunned. In her fear of what has happened to T’challa, she had refused to check the news. She was heartbroken, she truly admired T’chaka as a leader and a man despite what had happened. But, truly she was heartbroken for T’challa whose relationship with his father was so strong despite their issues.
“I am so sorry T’challa, how are you taking it? I am here if you need me” T’challa took another pause
“I am fine entle I am as good as I can be. Please just take care of you and the baby okay. Tell them I will be there as soon as I can. And thank Jules for me. I am so grateful for him being there. I love you entle and I will be there as soon as I can.” And with that he was gone again, for the two weeks he was gone contact was rare.
It had been foreign to her, T’challa had gone from calling her twice a day when he was usually in Wakanda to a less than 5 minute call each day. The day of the challenge she was nervous but knew that he would win. Luckily Jules had moved into T’challa’s study so Alix would not be alone, in addition to her mother coming every day to help her. But none of that compared to the comfort that T’challa had made her accustomed to. She continued to send him pictures of her and the baby as a way of saying that she was doing okay. And despite the strain that the distance created T’challa always responded with praises making Alix smile. She was happy to finally hear the joy in his words after challenge day. And that joy continued the next day when he started his rule as King. She was disappointed to hear that he was meant to go to South Korea for his first mission. But again she held on to his reassurance and prayed for a safe return. She again got a call from him about a cousin who he did not know existed and have to do go through with the challenge again. Alix was afraid, the similar indescribable feeling returned. That day she and Jules laid on her bed and he tried to calm his sister’s nerves. But when a call never came, nothing seemed to calm Alix’s nerves. When she didn’t hear anything she grew scared. T’challa had said he would call as soon as everything was done with, and if he didn’t Ayo would come and talk to her in person. As she sat in the nursery stressed out of her mind, Alix still hung on to T’challa’s reassurance. Though he had not called yet, Ayo still hadn’t come so she tightly held on to his promise to come back to her and the baby safely. That night she tossed and turned with no chances of falling asleep. She felt her baby kicking and began to rub her stomach.
“Hey there, you can’t sleep either? Not that you ever really sleep at night. Things have been a bit restless since your Baba left. I know, but he promised he would come back to us. “ Alix began to silently cry in the dark “He has to because I can’t do this without him and I don’t want to. Who is going to sing you that lullaby when you are fussy? He promised he would do that and I am holding him to it. And he still needs to help me pick a name for you. I am not choosing without him so he needs to hurry and come back. He is so excited to meet you, you can probably tell by all the kissing, singing and talking he does with you. He is so excited to be your Baba, he makes me excited even on the days when you test me. I need him to come back because you deserve to meet the amazing man your Baba is and I still have so much to tell him and I don’t want to know that my fear stopped me from saying how I truly feel about him”.
Suddenly the kimoyo beads T’challa left started flashing. Alix struggled to sit up and reach for them as quickly as her bump would allow. She tapped them just as T’challa had taught her. She looked up to see T’challa’s tired but alive hologram.
“Thank God!” and she began to shed tears of joy, “I thought I lost you. You don’t know how happy I am to see you”
“Trust me entle I am thousand times more happy to see you. Please stop crying it is not good for the baby” Alix wiped at her eyes.
“Are you okay T’challa? What happened?” T’challa slowly explained to her what had happened, his words were delicate with his near death experience and his eventual revival. He knew it was a lot of information for the expectant mother, but Alix took it all in strides. She was more happy to know he was fine and wanted him back as soon as possible. But he assured her that he was okay and that he would be back tomorrow.
“I promised I would be back didn’t I. I know it is has been a whirlwind but I back do not worry.”
And that morning as she was about to start her day, T’challa walked through the door. She held onto him for a whole minute, taking in his smell and the comfort that being in his arms gave her. When she finally looked up she saw the sadness in his eyes. He leaned down to kiss her and slowly led her to the bed where they held on to each other as a way of making up for the lost time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
T’challa woke up the next morning feeling nothing like himself. He felt as though he was dragging his body to do simple tasks. It had been a difficult two weeks for him. He thought he could come back and continue his happiness in Paris. But after the dust had settled and he actually had the time to think, his grief replaced his stress in no time. He didn’t get the opportunity to mourn his father, and now it seemed as though his brain was going to take the time. To reflect on what could have been, to think about all the unfinished discussions and lessons he would never get. When he was in Wakanda he had spent every free moment looking at pictures and videos Alix sent of herself to him. He couldn’t wait to get back to her. But now that he was here, he only wanted to be alone. He was overcome with emotions he didn’t want her to see. He wanted to remain strong for her and the baby, He was afraid that the stress of the two weeks would cause her to go into labour or have complications. He thanked Bast for watching over them when he couldn’t. He hoped Bast was still there because he couldn’t find it in him to perform simple tasks. He wasn’t hungry, he would lay in his bed for hours but couldn’t sleep. He would sit in his office but couldn’t find the strength to get anything done. He tried his best to smile for Alix when he was around her, but he knew she was starting to notice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There was something different about T’challa. He was quieter and less of the jovial person she was used to. She would catch him sitting in his study staring off into space or laying in the bed but not sleeping. He looked exhausted.
“T’challa” The King jumped at the sound of her voice
“Are you okay?” She asked as he invited her into his lap and kissed her bump.
“Yes, I am fine. Have you had lunch yet?” he smiled but his eyes looked empty.
“Have you had anything to eat at all today? I have barely seen you get up from this chair. Come eat with me” She slowly got up and held his hand to follow. He pulled his hand from her grip and spoke
“Actually entle I am not too hungry but you go ahead and make sure you and the baby are fed okay.”
She stared at him with skepticism but he kissed her hand and told her he will be there for dinner. Dinner came and T’challa picked at his meal. She watched as he mindlessly went to bed with the sadness written all over his eyes. T’challa continued to wallow in the sadness the next day. She again encouraged him to eat with no avail. By dinner time, Alix was more than ready to get her charming lover back to himself. Unlike T’challa, Alix was not gifted with the magic of stringing words together to create poetry. So she decided to comfort him the best way she knew how.
She started by going to the store and the bakery down the road. She began to make dinner as Jules walked in.
“Hey sis, I thought T’challa was home why are you pretending to be in the kitchen”
“Well look who it is France’s top comedian. I can cook and pretty well thank you very much. We also had the same teacher so I don’t know why you think you are better than me. T’challa loves my cooking”
“T is also trying to get in your pants so he will say and do anything if it increases his chances” Alix through a dishtowel at Jules who was laughing at his own comment.
“ What are you making and where is T?”
“Pilau and Lamb, just like we used to have in Kampala. He made it for me a while back. He needs to get some food in his system so I made a meal I know he will appreciate. And I even got his favourite cheesecake from the bakery down the road.”
“What is this? Alix showing affection for the man who has been begging for her attention for months. I need to take a picture for Maman as proof” Alix glared at her brother but turned her head to hide her growing smile.
“He has just been sad since he came back. He went through so much and although he refuses to talk about it I aim to provide at least some comfort just as I know he would for me.”
“Okay well, I am going to leave you to pretend to play house. Save me a plate. I will stop by tomorrow to pick it up.” He said as he kissed his sister goodbye and left. When Alix was done, she was tired but proud of her work. She waddled to T’challa’s study and found him staring off into the distance again.
“Hey babe” He slowly turned to her “Come here I want to show you something” T’challa slowly rose and followed her to the dining area. The smell of the rice hit him and the first time in days he felt hungry.
“Did you cook? Why didn’t you call me to help?” He became frantic and afraid Alix was overworking herself.
“Don’t worry I am fine and I need to move around anyways. Can you please just eat,” she said as she led him to sit down and served him a plate. She kissed his cheek and sat next to him making sure he finished his plate. T’challa for the first time in a few days began to feel happiness. He was grateful that Alix had thought of him enough to make a meal that meant so much to them and their relationship. He kissed her hand in appreciation.
T’challa did not struggle to eat today and even went for a little more.
“ Thank you. This is really good Alix. I mean not as good as when I made it but a close second” she smiled, happy to have him joking with her again. The cheesecake truly lifted T’challa’s spirit. He didn’t realize how much a good meal could help lift his mood.
“Cheesecake is truly one of Bast’s greatest creations”
“Bast didn’t do that. The bakery down the road did”
“I truly believe she was present during the baking process. You cannot change my mind” Alix giggled at his silliness.
When they were done and had cleared the table, Alix put on Real Housewives of Atlanta, which was T’challa’s favourite installation of the series.
“Hey, come watch with me please.” she patted her lap. As he slowly sat down she again patted her lap for him to lay his head. T’challa lowered himself on to her and allowed Alix to pamper him. She rubbed his ear and his curls just as he liked. She allowed him to make all the commentary he wanted without any ridicule. Alix’s love engulfed him into a serene state. He thanked Bast for bringing a woman into his life who knew when he needed his love the most, even when he could not say it himself. As he laid on her lap, he was sure he had begun to feel his body become light again.
“Though I have seen this episode, I am still unsure as to why Porsha came on the girls' trip knowing that Kandi was going to call her out for her rumours. Could that make any less sense? I do not know why I watch this. ” Alix smiled as he rambled on. During a commercial break, he grew silent. He finally spoke but it was slower and seemed more reserved than T’challa normally was.
“Being back here is the first time it is truly hitting me that he is gone. Though I met with him in the planes, the fact I know he won’t ever back have really rocked me these past few days.” Alix wiped away the few tears T’challa had let fall. “He will never be able to meet our baby, and it so funny because when I brought up the two you coming home with me he was willing to talk about it. He said we would go further into detail after the conference. He even said he was excited to meet his first grandchild. Now that will never happen and it truly breaks my heart knowing that.” T’challa began to cry a bit harder. “I thought if I came here and was strong for you and the baby I would be able to forget, but the sadness has taken over my body” Alix wiped at his eyes again
“T’challa you do not always have to be tough for me or the baby. You don't have to hold it in. Let me be the strong one for you sometimes. Let me be the shoulder you cry on. And know this, your father may not have gotten the opportunity to fully amend this issue, but I know for a fact he is proud of the man and King you have become. And you are going to be an amazing Baba. His memory lives in you, so make sure you do great things with it.”
T’challa got off her lap to give Alix a kiss before lowering himself back on her lap. “Thank you entle I truly feel a sense of relief in your arms. “
“Don’t thank me for doing my job.”
“Who knew that the hungriest and crankiest pregnant woman could be this kind” Alix laughed out loud almost as though she was thanking God for the small sense of normalcy that had returned.
“There is my baby daddy. Always taking my good gestures for granted” They both laughed as T’challa snuck a kiss to her hand. They went back to watching the show with T’challa’s added commentary that made Alix giggle.
Even in his stage of sadness, Alix’ s proximity to T’challa still made her feel at home in her own apartment. Alix’s comfort had allowed T’challa to open and release a sea of emotion he did not realize he was holding. In her arms, the world stood still and waited for him. He had never felt a sense of peace as he did with Alix. He thanked Bast for providing him with a woman like Alix. More importantly, he thanked Bast for providing him with more time to enjoy the mother of his child and making her his inner peace.
______________________________________________________________
Taglist:
@writingmarvellousimagines @chaneajoyyy @oceanscorazon @teechallas-blog @ashanti-notthesinger @wakanda-inspired @90sinspiredgirl @lovely-geek @fd-writes @chefjessypooh @imagine-mbaku @dopegalkk @liyahshaeking
