love
They are having a competition.
The kids were competing to see who could make Shuri, their mother's heart race faster, and the prize was when they make Mama happy—
Mama smiled, and the world became a better place.
It also brings joy to their father, Namor, and the whole family too. It was a continuous source of fun for the children because their ideas to achieve this goal were getting funnier and funnier each time. Last time, they invented some intriguing, new and weird inventions to make Mama smile, except they almost burned down Mama's lab… and this time, it was all about talking.
The game begins with the firstborn of the twins, their 21-year-old eldest son, T'Amor.
"Mother, you've mastered the art of embarrassing me in public, you know you always annoy me but I secretly love it! Because my embarrassing moments make for the best stories and memories for the family! It always puts a smile on my face and reminds me how lucky I am to have such a fun and loving mama and how honoured I am to be raised by you~" T'Amor bravely took the challenge at the beginning, starting with an exaggerated statement that set the tone. He eagerly looked at Shuri while he tapped his winged ankles on the floor. Then, he kept stealing glances at the hologram screen that GRIOT is monitoring mother's heartbeat.
ﮩ٨ـﮩـــــــــــــﮩ٨ــــــــــــــﮩ٨ــــــــــــــﮩﮩ٨ــــــــــــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ
It peaks for a moment but returns to normal the next second.
Shuri smirked at her first boy. "Ah, so that's what you were thinking~ Well, I'll make sure to embarrass you more from now on!" she playfully retorted, making everyone burst into laughter.
"See, Mama, you're already doing it," T'Amor shrugged helplessly with a hint of amusement, passing the baton to his beloved dearest twin sister.
"Wasn't the plan making Mama smile and her heart racing? Why did you end up embarrassing yourself???" Their eldest daughter, Kiri couldn't help but smirk and playfully nudged her dear brother, brushing their winged ankles together in a feet bump while looking at Shuri with a determined gaze, declaring, "Watch out, Mama, I'm about to take this challenge to a whole new level!" Her confident demeanor made everyone excited to see what she had in store.
"I'm listening~" Shuri grins at their baby girl, her smug face looks just like him . She turned to look at her husband, wearing an expression that said, "Your daughter!" Namor shrugged and smirked in response. And they looked at their daughter together as she was going to start her brilliant speech.
"Mama, you're the heart and soul of our family. You're the glue that holds us all together, and the epitome of grace, strength, beauty and unconditional love~ Your presence makes everything better!"
Shuri's heart warms at her daughter's words. They did raise a sweetheart—
"—You know Baba sulks whenever you are not around~" and a troublemaker.
"Tsk." Kiri smirked when her father clicked his tongue at her as she continued, "Your love fills my heart to the brim and you're the light that guides me through life's ups and downs like when I messed up the Wakandaland project but you covered my back oh so smoothly, I wouldn't know what I would do without you in my life~" Kiri pursed her lips and looked at Shuri, who was touched by her confession. Then, she glanced at the heartbeat monitor and—
ﮩ٨ـﮩـــــــــــﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـــــــــــــﮩ٨ﮩ٨ـــــــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــــــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ
Successfully managed to make her mother's heart race a little faster!
"You didn't mess up, Kiri, your siblings did." Shuri grinned at the others, Kiri was handling everything smoothly until the others decided to help her, and in the end, they unintentionally made it worse and almost had to throw away the project until she and Namor stepped in and helped a bit.
"You are right, Mama! It's their fault! Starting with my little brother here!" Kiri nudges her brother for his turn, and their second son, Kinich shakes his head in defeat, "You have to let that go, sisi! By the way, why are you two setting the bar so high! Bast! Not even Chaac can help me win this!" Their second son grumbled while his siblings all laughed in unison.
"Ok, so, Mum, you're the expert in giving advice which I never asked for— but-! always needed, of course~ You're the master of mum jokes and the queen of eye-rolling!" Kinich rolls his eyes to mirror her mother perfectly. Making Namor giggle at the back like mad, Shuri rolled her eyes annoyingly in fondness. Like a mother like a son. He is literally the mini-male version of Shuri.
"Your puns always make me groan and giggle at the same time. And you have a magical talent for finding things that I've lost. It's like you have a built-in radar for my missing beads, prototypes, and even my sanity sometimes. Thank you for being my personal detective and keeping my life on track! You're my superhero with a knack for finding the unfindable!"
Kinich bowed at the end, and playfully kissed Shuri's hand, looking at the screen with anticipation—
ﮩ٨ـﮩـــــــــــﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـــــــــــﮩ٨ﮩ٨ـــــــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ــ٨ــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ
Shuri's heartbeat jumped a bit then remained normal.
"Nice try," Shuri smiled widely. "By the way, I found your sketch on the other side of the palace. Next time you don't set my lab on fire, I'll give it back to you." And her son groaned in defeat.
"Mama! I thought that was our lab!" Kinich pouted at her, he didn't intend to set their lab on fire whenever was alone.
"Even though it was a Christmas gift from your father to you and Zyanya, he initially planned to give it to me. So~" Shuri proudly shows hands, thinking all these years, Namor still loves her just a little bit more than he loves the kids.
"Oops, I didn't say anything! How dare I claim our lab to be mine? My apologies, my apologies~ please forgive me, mother~ and you're up, sis!" Kinich retreats and sends his best companion to the field.
"Hey Mama~ you're like a superhero with a secret power— oh wait, you already are before T'Amor and Kiri are born," Their second daughter, sweet Zyanya said with a sincere expression, but her eyes sparkled with cunning and playfulness. Namor was so sure she got it from her mother. A mini her, he always wanted to know what Shuri is like when she was young.
"Your secret power is your hugs! They have the magical ability to instantly make everything better. Whenever I'm feeling down, all I need is one of your amazing hugs to turn my world upside down. You have the best hugs in the world, Mama! I want to hug you forever!" And Shuri pulled her baby girl over to give her a crushing hug, she always loves hugs. It reminds her of mother.
The warmth of a mother's embrace could shield her child from any harm of the world.
ﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ــــــــﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـــــــــــﮩ٨ــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــــــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ
And Shuri's heartbeat finally races higher than the previous confessions of love~
"Go, Zyanya!" Her siblings cheered for her excitedly while she melts in her mother's embrace.
"Keep it up, baby brother! We are going to win!" Zyanya pulled Tadeas and their third son was on the field~
"Mother, you're no ordinary mum; you're a supermum with the power of endless love and boundless patience for our shenanigans. If there was an award for the best mum ever, you'd win it so many times they'd have to name it after you!" Tadeas grins at her, their third boy was a totally minihim, minus the pointy ears and winged ankles.
"I guess I deserved that~" Shuri beams, their life has turned to chaos ever since their children were born. But of course, she had him to navigate through the chaos with her. Together.
"If making you and Baba proud was a sport, I'd be the undefeated champion! And Mama? You must have mastered the art of winning arguments effortlessly because sometimes not even Baba can win! Let alone us, the little, poor souls~~~" Tadeas clutches his chest and pouts, giving her the look of pity mixed with playful mischief, just like him , which made Shuri burst into a brilliant smile. She turned to Namor and called him out, "Your son!"
Namor indulgently flicked the proud chin Shuri raised, "Hmmm~ your son~~" flashing her his greatest, proud smile in return.
ﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ـــــﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـــــــــــﮩ٨ــﮩﮩ٨ـﮩــــــــــﮩ٨ـﮩﮩﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ــ٨
And her heart started to beat slightly erratically.
"Not fair, Baba, you can't smile at Mama like that!!" The elder children whined.
"I don't care, this one's mine!!" Tadeas announced happily, tugging his sister out to continue their play.
"Why didn't we place our bet on Baba from the beginning? Let Mama smile at him and win all the way!" Their third daughter, Taavi has joined the teasing club.
"It's too easy and not challenging enough for us, baby sister!!" The older ones exclaimed loudly with a smooth lie.
In fact, they feel that making Baba's heart race faster is even more difficult! Who else can do it besides Mother???
"Hello, Mama? Stop looking at Baba! Your daughter is talking~!" Taavi stomps on the floor lightly, getting her mother's attention eagerly. A mini him but a girl, the same attention seeker as her father.
"Yes, baby girl, I'm looking at you~ right now!" Shuri flashes her brightest smile. And Taavi blushes slightly.
"Mother, now I'm pretty sure you've got the magical touch to make hearts flutter! You're a heart-fluttering expert, Mama!" And Shuri giggles at the statement, shaking her head in adoration for her clever, sneaky, cunning daughter.
"Your love is like a butterfly, bringing smiles wherever it lands! And your smile is the secret ingredient to happiness ever ever after!" Taavi beams at her.
—ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩـ—ﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ــﮩ٨ﮩـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـــــــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ
And Shuri's heartbeat races in a beautiful melody. Showing how happy she is to hear such sweet comments from her daughter.
"And you all are my happiness, iintsana zam~" my babies. Shuri's heart melts over and over again.
"We're going to win, kids! You are up, baby sis, baby bro! It's all up to you two now!" T'Amor and Kiri nudge their youngest baby twins sister and brother to Mother.
Their youngest set of 5 years old twins, Namuri and Shukan looked at their mother with her eyes and his eyes.
And Shuri's heartbeat just spike for a long moment just looking at them—
—ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩـ—ﮩ—٨ــﮩ٨ــﮩ—٨ﮩـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ
"Keep it going, babies!" Kinich and Zyanya cheered from the side, grinning wildly at the heart rate monitor. Their baby sister and baby brother are their biggest bet!
"Keep looking, Muri! Make those eyes, Shuku!!" Tadeas and Taavi nudged them to the front of Mama, letting them lean onto her knee sweetly.
Namuri and Shukan continued to look at Shuri, knowing well that their mother couldn't resist their gaze. The two children exchanged a knowing glance, then held hands and smiled. Together, they stared at their mama with their big, round, and clear brown eyes.
Like hers. Like his.
Oh, Chaac and Bast— These two are just the definition of adorable. Off the roof! Shuri chuckled and declared, "Just to clarify, it's not favouritism, but if you all were shrunk to this adorable age, my heart might go into shock." She reached out and held Namor's hand, needing his support. He held back tightly. Namor's heart melted at the sight as well. They looked at each other, amazed that their youngest twin was already five now.
"Mama~" As always, Namuri starts talking first.
"If love can grow wings!" Namuri raises her hand in excitement, her little wings started to flutter furiously in response. And in a blink of an eye, she and her younger brother were floating in the air.
"Mama will be flying the fastest! Faster than Baba!" And Shukan will always pick up on her next sentence, that's the twin telepathy alright~~~
"Awwww, I'm pretty sure I can fly faster than your Baba alright~~~" Shuri grins smugly, catches them and hugs them both tight, squishing them contentedly in her arms.
"Mama~~~" Shukan pokes her cheeks with his chubby fingers.
"We love you~!" And their baby boy confesses their love for her. Shuri thinks she's gonna cry.
"To the moon and back~!" And their baby girl adds up smoothly.
"From Talokan to Wakanda, Mama! Right, Baba~?!" Namuri and Shukan squeal with joy in her arms. While getting confirmation from their Baba excitedly.
And Shuri feels Namor wrapped around her shoulders, wrapping around his world.
"Yes, In bebés," my babies, "We all love Mama from Talokan to Wakanda~" Namor declared proudly, and they all circled Shuri happily.
"We love you, Mama!" They shouted.
Their children. All of them.
ﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ
And Shuri's heart rate spiked with no return.
"1 vs 9 doesn't seem fair to me…" Shuri chuckled and leaned into Namor's embrace, burying her face shyly in his chest, and tears of joy streaming down her cheeks.
At that moment, Shuri felt all the past hardships had been lifted and healed just because of this moment.
"Eh? It's always been 2 vs 8~" Namor kisses away her tears softly, "I'm Team Shuri all the way~" and his cheeky declaration sets the children into chaos.
"Wait, Baba! I'm Team Mama!"
"You have to get in line, Father!"
"I thought we were Team Namor all the way???"
"Mama is going to be in Team Baba for sure~"
"What team? I thought our family was THE TEAM!"
"We don't pick sides here~!"
"Team Shuri and Namor~!!"
"Yes, yes!! Team Baba and Mama!!"
"Yes way, me and your Baba are a team, you lots are another team, I lose every time I'm teaming up with you all~" Shuri teased them all cheekily. Namor smirked.
"Mama dumped us!"
"Did Mother just ditch us!"
"Father is going to ditch us too!"
"Not fair, Baba!!"
"We never lose!!"
"We are going to win this!!"
"Mama bad bad~!"
"Baba bad bad~!"
"GRIOT, what is mother's peak heart rate just now?" T'Amor asked immediately.
"125 beats per minute, Prince T'Amor."
"Ah-ha!! We did it! We—"
"Don't celebrate too soon! Don't forget, there's still one more opponent~!" Shuri proudly intercepts, stopping them from cheering when the last contestant hasn't tried his all to sweep her off her feet and make her heart swoon. And this strongest opponent will always stand on her side.
"Not fair, Mama! You're so touched right now, your heartbeat will definitely accelerate, that doesn't count!" Kiri stomps with her feet, her winged ankles fluttering furiously.
"Come on, for fairness' sake, let's wait until Mama's heartbeat drops to its lowest before we let Baba take the challenge, agree?" Kinich is always the most clever, cunning and sly snake among them.
Everyone chimed in with their approval. Namor smirked and protested calmly, "You guys didn't play like this just now..." teasingly glancing at them, then turned to Shuri with a hint of helplessness and indulgence.
"Don't underestimate yourself, Baba!" Zyanya cuts off whatever protest Namor is going to come up with. His clever girl.
"Now, turn around, no peeking at each other!!" Tadeas nudges them to sit back to back, not letting them face each other.
"Once Mother's heartbeat is calm, we begin!" Taavi excitedly announces as they watch Shuri's heart rate slowly decrease.
"No holding hands!"
"It's against the rules!!"
T'Amor and Kiri point at them.
And their eldest twins always come up with the funniest, wackiest, and most reasonable requests. They are just too smart.
Oh Bast and Chaac, their kids are truly something else.
Shuri pouted, looking at him. However, Namor remained calm, firmly holding her hand without letting go until the children came and separated them. Then, Namor reluctantly responded to Shuri's pout with a matching pouting face, releasing her hand and obediently turning away, not able to face Shuri anymore because the kids are swarming him from all sides.
For quite a moment, they patiently waited for their mother's heartbeat to calm down.
"How low was it just now, GRIOT?"
"66 beats per minute, Princess Kiri."
And the children gathered around the monitor, checking the previous readings with GRIOT. Then, when the kids were distracted, the couple sneakily held hands again.
Shuri playfully reached back and poked his arm, and Namor intuitively reached back slyly too, playfully tickled the palm of her hand, then precisely grabbed hold of Shuri's hand, firmly squeezing it within his palm. Her bracelet scratches against his kimoyo beads, rubbing against each other affectionately.
Back to back, Namor and Shuri shared a knowing smile and chuckled quietly. Then, her heartbeat skipped a beat and returned to calmness again.
Then they both turned their heads in sync to peek sneakily at the children and found two big, round beautiful xocotl brown eyes staring back at them, Namuri and Shukan, who were watching their parent's every little move with wide eyes.
…How could they let the youngest ones guard them ? That was soooo not clever of them~ Shuri shakes in quiet laughter,
"Shhh…" Namor slyly made a finger gesture of "keep it a secret'' on his lips to them, and their adorable babies immediately covered their little mouths and nodded eagerly, understanding their Baba's signal!
Little did they know they were being outwitted by their cunning father.
Shuri playfully pinched their chubby cheeks, feeling a bit sorry for them, but still happily shook the hands she and Namor were holding, causing her heart rate to rise again.
They looked up at the six older kids who were all discussing her heartbeat speed excitedly, except for one.
Kinich had an amused expression, one side of his mouth curving upwards, pointing to the sky. He's been observing his Baba and Mama's cute little interactions like they were young teenagers in love. Then, Kinich made his infamous move - rolling his eyes to the back of his head and proceeding to cover his eyes with his own hand, and pretended not to see the cheesy affectionate moments between his parents. Silently, he let them be.
Namor and Shuri chuckled with ecstasy. They thrived to make their children utterly grossed out by their unbearably affectionate and cheesy interactions. It was their goal of the day.
"Alright, let's begin! Turn back around~" the children declared. They silently let go of their hands and faced each other, and Shuri raised her eyebrows provocatively, waiting to hear what he would say. Then, she gave him a warning look, warning him not to say anything inappropriate for the kids to hear! Namor rolled his eyes affectionately, indicating that he understood.
But - he - just - couldn't - help - himself - !
"Alright, it's your turn to shine, Baba~"
Namor tilted his head and shrugged his shoulders, making Shuri ridiculously laugh at his mock-fighting pose. She relaxed and leaned back in her chair, ready for his "attack".
Namor thought for a moment, so he decided to start with something simple…
"Hey, beautiful~"
And Shuri's treacherous heart skipped a beat.
"No flirting," T'Amor clicked his tongue.
"No making lovey-dovey eyes," Kiri clicked her tongue too.
And their father "Tsks!" loudly at them, gives them a playful warning glance and they respond by sticking their tongues out at him.
Spoiled brats. Shuri watched the interaction between the father and the twins with a doting expression, knowing that only these two dared to challenge him. Pretty sure they got that attitude from her~
"Alright," Namor raised his hand in surrender, and the younger twins burst into cute giggles, collapsing onto his lap. Shuri winked at him triumphantly, urging him to carry on.
"Hmmm…" Namor casually and slowly swayed his head, contemplating, and successfully captured the attention of all the children. Following their dad's adorable swaying, they all joined in one by one and Taavi asked, "Why are we swaying too??"
"I have no idea!" Tadeas yelled.
Except for their mum, Shuri, who sat quietly, smiling as she watched him, unaffected by his antics.
Serpents tend to use slow, undulating movements to mimic their prey, luring and tricking their prey into coming closer before striking—
…
…
…
"I'll sacrifice the world for you, Princess," Namor said.
And the corner of Shuri's mouth crazily lifted upwards, smirking madly at his attempt.
"EEEWWWWWWWWWWW~~~~~~!!!!!!!"
The children simultaneously cheered with disgust and disdain on their faces, synchronizing like a melody as they all made funny noises, successfully being grossed out by the cheesy gestures of their parents!!!
ﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ــ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ٨ـﮩ
Then they all heard their mother, Shuri's heart rate spiked in response.
"NO WAY!! BABA, YOU ARE CHEATING—!!" The children SCREAM.
"No 'WE BURN THE WORLD TOGETHER' type of confession, that's against the RULES!!!"
The children listened to their parent's love story over and over again until they knew all the details.
"And I promise I'll never make you cry—" Namor calmly continued despite his own heartbeat spiking the moment Shuri beams at him with a smile that is more radiant than the sun.
And their children continue to make choking and disgusted sounds behind them ridiculously.
"...Don't promise something you can't keep, you idiot…" Shuri slowly responded, she looked at the bunch of crazy and playful kids with intense amusement. Looking back to Namor, her eyes softened…
After all these years, he still asks her to 'burn the world together'...
He's truly a man who never gives up.
Shuri knows. He would sacrifice the world for her if it comes to that point… if anything happens to her… like five years ago… or do something stupid to himself…
But Shuri also knows, she is the only one that could stand in his way.
And their children.
"Baba is an idiot?" Shukan and Namuri curiously voiced out from the bottom of their hearts.
"Nope, nope, only Mama can say that! You babies can't say that~" Shuri scratches their chin like petting little black panthers and rubbing their little winged ankles, making them giggle in his arms. She rubs at his winged ankles too, earning a mad grin from Namor.
"Last chance, Baba!" The kids reminded him.
"GRIOT, the queen's heart rate?" Namor asked.
"115 beats per minute, K'uk'ulkan."
"Well…" Namor beckons Shuri, and she leans closer to him obediently. Anticipating…
"No kissing, Baba!!" The kids screamed. Afraid their father is going to beat their record! Shuri grins wildly at him, cocking her eyebrows to taunt him.
"If only your mother would let me…" he chuckled lightly, he gently held her hand, using his fingertips to trace circles on her wrist, while lightly caressing her bracelet.
Then, Namor slowly lifted his eyes to look at her.
Shuri observed the shadows of long eyelashes left on his eyelids when Namor looked down, his profound features - his sculpted nose, eyebrows, lips, and chin. And then his eyes, darker than the ocean, gazing at her with a seductive allure, filled with naked desire and affection.
"I promised…" Namor softly exhaled the same words, and looked down again…
Shuri's heartbeat started to hike.
"I'll never…" He lowered his head and gently kissed the back of her hand, his soft lips cherishing her beautiful xocotl skin.
"Make you cry."
Namor raised his eyes to look at Shuri again, still gazing with naked lust and infinite tenderness of love for her.
But this time, his eyes were full of shameless teasing, and his ambiguous gaze turned to brazen provocation, alluring her in the same way, leading her to sink and spiral into the endless vortex together.
Shuri immediately understood what he meant.
Then her face flushed instantly, and Shuri's heart was beating crazily non-stop, causing the heart rate monitor to sound an alarm, indicating an elevated heartbeat. The children watched the sudden blush of their mother's face and her heart rate kept on hiking, not knowing what was happening… Why does Baba repeating his words make Mama's heart rate spike…?
They looked at the monitor, Mother's heart rate climbed from 115, 116, 117, 118, 119, 120, 121, 122, 123, 124—
"For Bast's sake…"
"Oh, my Chaac…"
They are going to lose!!!!!!!!
…125— 1. 2. 6. 127, 128, 129, 130— The children lost. All of them lost the game to their father.
"I won." Their father flashes them a smug smile.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO~~~~~~~"
The children exaggeratedly knelt on the ground, wailing to vent their frustration over their failure.
Except T'Amor and Kiri.
They faced each other, still processing what just caused their failure... Then, they looked at their Baba and Mama, Namor and Shuri wearing the shameless identical expression on their faces, unabashedly gazing at each other openly.
…T'Amor and Kiri exchanged glances and suddenly understood something.
Then, both of them suddenly let out a loud wail. The older brother picked up the youngest twins and covered their eyes while flying towards the exit. The older sister held onto the ears of her younger siblings and tugged them away with her, running after her brother, unable to believe that their parents were shamelessly flirting in front of them! The two of them pulled their six younger siblings away, fleeting from the scene, shouting as they went!
"BABA, MAMA! WE HAVE CHILDREN HERE!!!!"
"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU JUST DID THAT, BABA!!! AND W-T-F, MAMA! WE UNDERSTOOD URGHHHH—!!" Wailing as they fled from staying in the same room with their parents.
Leaving Namor and Shuri burst into laughter on the spot, joyfully embracing each other, and he twirled her in the air. Her cheerful laughter was what he needed to get through the rest of his days.
They exchanged victory high-fives, successfully fending off a group of spoiled brats. Though they accidentally grossed out their eldest son and daughter in the process, Ha~ who told them they always wanted to outwit them. Although they felt a tiny winy sorry for T'Amor and Kiri to receive the heavy blow, Namor and Shuri were delighted to teach them a lesson!
"No holding hands my ass~" Namor imitates their childish slang. And he sways her in his arms lovingly.
"Serves them right!" Shuri hugged him happily.
They heard them chattering in their room as loud as thunder.
…
"Who won last time???" Taavi asked.
"Baba!" Namuri squeals.
"What did he do?" Tadeas couldn't remember besides them setting the lab on fire.
"Flowers!!" Shukan raised his little hands with joy.
"He made flowers… out of vibranium…?" Zyanya recalled this was it.
"Out of vibranium." Kinich replied matter-of-factly, assuring his sister her memory did not go wrong.
"And he won," Kiri grunted.
"Just like that," T'Amor grumbled.
… … …
"Come on, Suku'un~" Brother, "Kiik~!" Sister, "Don't sulk~ Isn't that the gist of it??" Kinich cheers them up. It was all about making their parents happy.
"Listen, kids, if you want to make Baba happy, you better make Mama happy first! The same goes the other way around~" Zyanya tells them softly.
"And that's rule no.1! Rule no.2? Refer to rule no.1!" Tadeas tells the younger ones.
"I want to win! But I couldn't~" But Taavi slightly pouts. Shukan and Namuri cling to their sister, they want to win and make Mama happy too~
"Silly girl~ It's not about you." Kinich pinched his baby sister and brother's cheek lovingly.
"It's the person." Zyanya comforts them.
"You know Mama's face always lights up with a smile whenever she sees Baba…"
"As if Baba doesn't do the same!"
…
After listening to enough gossip, they held hands and went back to their room, closing their door securely.
"Your children said- your face lights up with a smile every time you see me~" Namor looked at her with a level of smugness that reached the sky, she can't even see where it ends.
"Tsks. Not every time." Shuri smiled and retorted, as they stood close, she had to look up at him slightly.
Namor seized the moment to lean down, tilt his head, pecked Shuri on the lips, and then planted another kiss.
"Are you sure?" he purred.
"Yes, I'm—" and then he gave her another gentle kiss.
Shuri beams on his lips, "Alright~ every time~ You know why."
She rose on her tiptoes to give him a peck, showing her affection and reliance.
"Because I was mirroring you." And giving her husband a cheeky smile.
"So it is my fault now?" He grins.
"Yes, and the children are not happy that you always win, you're in trouble~"
"Glad to be of service. Pretty sure it's one of my superpowers~"
"Bet it is—"
They moved closer and closer, playfully teasing each other, until they were almost kissing.
"—Baba smiles like an IDIOT!!"
One of their little cubs shouted across their room.
Shuri cracks up instantly, falling into his warm embrace, filled with immense joy by their kid's antics.
Namor rolled his eyes in amusement, then looked at her laughing heartily with annoyance, but slowly found himself laughing happily too. He guessed the sudden outburst statement was true after all…
"You are my idiot~" she declared.
"I'm your idiot~" he admitted.
And they fell to the bed together, trying to have a nap together or…
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Before one out of their eight children decides it is time to cause chaos in either of their homes, they could wreak havoc no matter if they are in Wakanda or Talokan.
"Your children are banging on the door…" Shuri nudges her husband to answer the goddamn door, it is hard to have some alone, us time when you had eight kids.
"Are we going to have a baby sister or brother already?!!!" Kiri teased hard outside of their door.
"Mama! Baba! Enough kids in the house! Kiri and I are going to break our backs by carrying all six of them! The limit is eight!!" T'Amor yells from the other side.
Namor and Shuri cracked up together, feeling unbelievable.
"We're a ten, Mama, we can handle ten!" Zyanya voiced her support excitedly for having more siblings.
"Nooooooo~ We are good with six!! But I would like to see Shukan and Namuri being driven crazy by potential siblings on the way!" Kinich giggling like mad.
"Enough, all of you~ don't you have duties to do? Or should I assign some additional—"
"Bye, Mama!! See you!!"
"If you need me, Mother, I'll be in Talokan!!"
And Shuri heard wings buzzing, their two eldest zooming away with their life before she could task them with some nationwide chores.
"Mama, may I have your ultimate permission to be in the lab for the day?" Kinich and Zyanya asked nicely from the other side.
Namor grins at the request. These two just love to bury themselves in the lab, just like their mother, unlike their older brother and sister, who likes to cause chaos everywhere which is an extreme relief to them. Except they almost blew up the lab last time.
Shuri giggles while leaning on Namor, "Yes, you may. Just don't blow up the lab, Kinich, and the artifact you two are fumbling with, the one Tadeas and Taavi dig from the sea? Be careful with it. Zyanya, tell your brother and sister if they keep on digging Talokan's treasure and messing around with that vibranium shovel of theirs, there will be nothing left except your father and I's never-ending nagging!"
"Yes, Mama~" They promised in unison.
"Let's go, little ones, let's get going and play!" Tadeas and Taavi hold their baby brother and sister up until the curious babies start asking questions again like they once did.
"Teddy? I want to have a baby brother and grow up to be like you! I don't want to be the youngest!!" Shukan pouts at him.
"Oh, baby brother, it's good to be the youngest! And you know it is best for Mama to stop making babies with Baba~ your brothers and sisters were just teasing them just now."
"...Is it because of me and Shuku…?" Namuri leans onto her sisi's shoulder, they don't really understand, but they were aware that when Mama gave birth to them, something big happened and it almost took Mama away from them.
"Oh no, baby sis, Mama turned stronger after having you two, well, after she nearly d— You don't want another baby to fight toys with you, huh? Like how Shuku would do?" Taavi comforts them and shifts their attention, avoiding going deep into the subject, they are just five. They will know everything when they get older.
"Noooo~ more babies like Shuku?"
"Mmm-hmm!"
"We are the same baby, Muri!!"
"Shukan is right, baby sis, you are just a few minutes older than him, ha~"
But they do know one thing.
That Baba would never let anything happen to Mama.
"...Are they all gone yet?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Phew~~~" Namor and Shuri both fell back to their bed, finally free of their children.
But she will never be free from him.
"Shuri?"
"Hm?"
"Thank you…"
Shuri sits up on their bed, looking down at Namor with soft eyes. The years no longer sharpen his edges, but softens them instead.
Namor sat up and held her tightly in his arms, cherishing her with soft kisses, as if afraid Shuri was a fragile dream that would vanish with a touch.
"Thank you for giving me, for giving us a family of our own, Shuri. In this never-ending journey of life, where I couldn't see the end once, but I see you now, you and our children are like a dream to me. I wish I never have to wake up- can you stay… with me… forever … and never leave ?" Namor sincerely pleaded with her like an innocent child, as if praying to her, to let him love her until the end of time.
"We are stuck for the next ten years, and the next ten, and the next until infinity, remember? And you promised you'd never make me cry, you just broke it—" Shuri kissed him while tears streamed down her face, and their emotions grew stronger, as they wanted to constantly offer each other their boundless love forever.
Namor pressed her down on the bed and kissed her passionately until Shuri moaned and cried out in ecstasy. They tore off each other's clothes and embraced each other softly, making love with urgency, as if trying to pour all their overflowing love into each other's bodies and souls.
Shuri felt every inch of him with her whole being, feeling complete and fulfilled in his presence. She nestled against his shoulder, rising and falling in sync with his soft yet passionate rhythm, teasingly whispering, "You promised you'd never make me cry, remember? —Liar." Her lips brushed against his, and Shuri smiled triumphantly.
"Yes, I did... But I didn't promise I'll never make you cry in bed."
Namor gave her a soul-devouring kiss. Together, they collapsed on the clouds, giggling and loving, grateful to have found each other in what seemed like it was too late, but their love for each other was never late.
Next day
"Hi mum, where are you?" Kinich called through the kimoyo beads, calling out in their private family channel.
"In the palace, why?"
"Ermm…Mama…can you come to the lab? …But don't be mad?" Zyanya's voice was shaking.
"What did you guys do again?" Shuri shook her head in defeat, their kids did way more damage than she once did.
"Erh…we erh….you better come see it yourself...." Kinich holds onto Zyanya's hand tightly, calming themselves to not panic.
Shuri walks in the direction of their lab, checking on them continuously, "So, what happened? It's alright, iintsana zam, Mama is not mad- I'm just worried!"
"Ok, Mama, so we rubbed the relic…? like Genie from Aladdin, you know? And then it didn't glow yesterday, but it glowed just now—" Zyanya talks slowly over the beads while eyeing her left.
"And a light shining out! Smoke coming out! It turned so hot in my hands and I threw it away—!" Kinich got dramatic to let Mother know the scene, "It was on the floor and it looks like it's going to shoot something—!" he nervously rubbed his hands, glancing to his left too.
"Are you two hurt???" Shuri started pacing quickly, speeding to the lab.
"No… but…"
"But???"
"...But Baba was painting right beside us…and…"
Shuri's heart sank to the bottom of the ocean.
"AND?!" Shuri started running—
"And the genie lamp activated and poofed out orange smoke! A lot of smoke. Baba blocked us behind him… and I think we were… unconscious for a while…" Kinich thinks they really messed up this time.
"And then…" Zyanya hesitates.
"For Bast's sake!! Just tell me what is happening?!"
"…Baba… turned into… a child…?"