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Ambessa sways side to side, smiling down softly at the little boy in her arms—the one who refuses to close his eyes and rest, no matter how sleepy he may be. He's entranced by this new person, and positively comfortable in her arms.
His little eyes sparkle up at her, his pacifier slipping from his little mouth at every giggle he releases—laughing from the tickles on his belly, the strange sounds Ambessa makes, and the lovingly aggressive kisses he receives. And she laughs right back, crinkles at the corners of her eyes as she looks down, tickling his tummy once more to steal another giggle.
She's always loved a baby's laugh. It was a ray of sunshine in her dark and cloudy life.
Rephrase, she loved Kino's laugh. As much as this little boy in her arms could send dopamine to her brain, he could never fill that Kino-sized hole in her heart. Though, in this moment, she had come to the realization that she horribly missed when her children were babies.
"Never thought I'd see you look this domestic."
Her heads lifts, and her eyes flicker to you. Youe tired figure, bags beneath your eyes, wrapped in a shawl as you rest against the foor frame. As much as you looked terrible, it seems the undisturbed nap helped some.
"I'm not some monster, you know," she softly jokes back, poking the baby's cheek with her finger—smiling so uncharacteristically, you'd think she'd been replaced when you left.
Not once had you seen Ambessa Medarda look this happy. And not once had you seen her look so softly.
You didn't think a baby would change her attitude so drastically. You never thought she'd be able to hold something so delicately in her roughed and dangerous palms. If you were to tell anyone and everyone about this moment, even her childen, not a single soul would believe this warlord to be so delicate with something. Then again, once a mother, always a mother, right?
"Do you miss them, this?" You ask softly, walking towards the two—treading on dangerous territory. You hoped the wolf wouldn't bite, surely she wouldn't, not with your son in her arms.
Ambessa hums, knowing what you mean, she still rocks side to side while standing in the middle of your living room. She pokes the little boy’s nose, brushing the pad of her thumb down his nose. Her small smile grows at the little grunts and gasps—at his little hands swatting her finger with that scrunched face. Though, evading his waving hand seemed to make him laugh harder, little brown eyes watching her finger, little lips open in small gasps. She, finally, let's him catch her index finger—his small hand barely fitting her finger.
"I do."
Her eyes carry warmth as she looks down on the now happy little boy in her arms. His little kick shift and kick, a happy squeal leaving his chest at his "grand" accomplishment. And quickly, that finger he caught, finds its way drifting to his mouth.
Ambessa huffs a laugh, muttering an "ah, ah" before replacing her finger with his pacifer.
"They were cute back then." There were no problems back then. She didn't have to worry about succession, or leading, she only had to worry about her infant and health during the time when Kino was young. And so quickly after Mel's birth, everything cane crashing down—the stone she had been slowly pushing up the mountain slipped and rolled back down to the base.
You walk over to her, leaning your head on her shoulder, looking down at your beautiful baby boy who smiles so earnestly at the sight of his mama.
"I don't miss the terrible two's though," Ambessa chuckles, you chuckle along with her, but you know that phase will come for you eventually. "Kino was a biter. The boy bit everything, from his bedsheets, to my arm—his teeth were always glued to something. I ended up having to make a choice of weaning him off of his pacifier, or just let him bite everything. Unfortunately, I had to wait an entire year to finally take that thing from his mouth."
She smiles fondly at the memory, clearly remembering an entertaining time in her life.
"Mel," she sighs, shaking her head, though a smile remained on her face. "That girl would not listen to me. She would only listen to Kino, which posed problems for me, her father, and the servants." Ambessa sighs, "We decided to bribe her with strawberries, and somehow, it worked."
The baby coos, rubbing his cheek against her bicep. "Both of them were also, obsessed with streaking, I don't know why."
With her sudden bluntness, you're caught off gaurd, eyelashes fluttering as you look up at her. "Wha, huh?"
"When I start potty training them," she clarifies. "A whole lot of baths, and a whole lot of running after naked toddlers. Neither could still!" She groans slightly at her last sentence, but she speaks with fondess. "Regardless, I did—I do, miss when the two were little. Everything was much easier..."
Silence quickly settles in the atmosphere. You could practically feel and hear her thoughts. For once, her eyes betrayed every inkling of her mind. You wrap your arm around her back and around your baby in her arms. "Well, you tried your best. Sometimes its not enough, but that's okay. That's where apologies come in," you smile softly at her. Her jaw feathers at your words, though in her eyes, you find accpetance of them—maybe even a bit of agreeance.
"The baby phase is certainly not easy for me," you chuckle lightly. "I'm glad that I have a certified expert to help. And it seems he likes you too."
"That means..." standing on the tips of your toes, you press a kiss to her cheek. "Free babysitter for me!"
That phrase catches Ambessa off gaurd. She lifts her head, raising her eyebrows in surprise and in slight amusement. "Excuse me?" Quickly, you quickly press a kiss to your baby's forehead and start speedwalking away from her.
"Thank you for being a fantastic babysitter!" You speak loudly, smiling at her slightly shocked reactions, "I'm gonna go cuddle with my blankets. Be a good stepmom, byeeeeeee!!"
Ambessa watches you disappear around the corner of the hallway and rolls her eyes. She turns her attention to the babe below her. "Did you see how rude your mother was? Abandoning you and dumping responsibility on me?" ShUe gasps dramatically, nuzzling the baby's cheek, pulling giggle after giggle from him. Finally, she press a kiss to his cheek. "Don't you worry, little one. I'll give mommy a punishment later."
She kisses his nose, smiling at his happy expression and wiggles. Internally, she wishes she could never give the boy back to you, but right now, she's satisfied with simple "babysitting." This baby's smile, enough to fulfill her happiness, to keep her calm. Even for a brief moment, she was happy at getting another go at this thing called motherhood.