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Malik fell to his knees, hugging Pharoah so tight…so hard ‘cause they’d been down since four flats and even with altered lives, Malik was blessed to still have him. “I’ll always be your legs, cuh.”

Everyone had smiles on their faces and couldn’t keep their hands off Aku’s protruding belly.

Her wedding was more than she could’ve imagined, and to think they put together a full production within months, while she nurtured Malik and made sure she was taking care of her body. They were still at her parent’s house.

The first few notes of “Daddy” by Beyoncé floated through the air and wrapped around Aku’s chest.

Her eyes found her Daddy with a cheeky smile on her face.

French was already halfway to the dance floor, one hand adjusting his cufflinks, smiling proudly because regardless of how she got there, he was proud of his baby girl.

Aku met him halfway.

Her gown shimmered with each step, belly full with the twins she’d created out of love. Her smile stretched like a child who still believed her Daddy could fix anything.

“You ready, baby?” French’s voice was always warm.

She nodded.

Their hands met, and suddenly she wasn’t a grown woman with a husband, about to change her last name.

She was little again, standing on his feet while he taught her how to sway.

She was twelve, crying over something stupid a girl at school said, and he was in the kitchen making her laugh with one of those stories about how Jason used to whoop everybody.

She was seventeen, in a dress too tight, and he was pacing the living room waiting to see if that boy brought her back by curfew.

Watching a girl dance with her first love, everyone had tears in their eyes. French had shown up for Aku the moment she came out her Mama’s womb, even when parts of him still needed to heal.

They moved slow and gentle, chest to chest, her head tucked against his shoulder like it still belonged there. The lyrics played behind them…

“I want my unborn son to be like my daddy, I want my husband to be like my daddy…”

Aku broke listening to the lyrics. “You gave me that,” she whispered. “You’re the first man that made me feel safe, that made me think I was magic.”

French swallowed hard and squeezed his eyes shut. “You always been magic, baby. I just tried to make sure you never forgot.”

He held her a little tighter, chin tucked, while breathing through his own emotions. Every beat of the song was a year of their life. Every lyric was a lesson he gave her in the way he showed up, not perfect…not even always right…but consistent, loving - her Daddy.

When the song faded, Aku kissed his cheek and wiped her face with the back of her hand.

French looked like he was about to say something else, but Qamar’s tall stature interrupted.

“Alright, that’s enough now!” Qamar cut in, stepping onto the dance floor with a goofy dramatic grin. “She ain’t the only one who love you, French.”

“Get your brother,” Javen said to Luna who had to keep wiping her face.

Seeing her family thriving always choked her up because she didn’t get to experience it with her brother.

Time nor distance would ease her grief. “Just let him love on French…he deserves it. We all do. You and French are the glue that kept us together.”

“Luna,” Javen choked. “Com’ere, baby,” he pulled her into his chest where she cried hard.

“I’m just so happy…my niece is beautiful.” Luna’s voice shook. “I’m so happy you were my endgame…so happy we went through what we did. but I’ll give it all back to have Lunar.”

“Shit, me too,” Javen wiped his own face. “I miss that nigga…I can still hear him laughing or plotting another scheme.”

That made Luna laugh as Javen continued to hold her. The two of them often found themselves back in The Jig, in the park while Lunar called out plays like he was Javen’s coach. Those small moments kept them grounded and made them appreciate the journey even more.

Qamar slid in between Aku and French like he’d been waiting all night for his turn.

“Nigga, go sit down,” French grinned.

“No, ‘cause you acting like you only raised three children,” Qamar huffed, adjusting his suit like he was about to do a full routine. “What about me? What about all them times I called you at 3AM and you picked up on the first ring? All the fake job interviews you sat through, just so I wouldn’t feel like a failure? All the therapy you gave me with a cup of Hennessy in your hand? I’m your son too! ”

Luna, Javen, Solar, and Aku were wheezing now, and French was trying not to crack a full smile.

“You done?” French asked.

“No,” Qamar said, reaching out dramatically. “Dance with me, nigga.”

French shook his head, but he didn’t move or walk off. Instead, he pulled Qamar in—rough, one-armed, but full of love. They started two-stepping to no music at all. Just the sound of people laughing, crying, and watching.

“That’s my Daddy,” Aku pouted, wiping her eyes again as she returned to Malik’s side.

“He a real as nigga,” Malik murmured, arm wrapping around her waist. “You just got first dibs.”

“And don’t think I don’t still want my one,” Qamar reminded Malik.

Malik put his arms up in mock surrender. “You got it, cuh.”

Aku took a deep breath and looked at the table full of people who had made her whole. Some by blood…Some by bond…All by love. “I know this whole day has been full of love, and I ain’t tryna make y’all cry again… but I gotta say this.”

Her eyes moved to the one who’d always been there since they were kids running barefoot through the backyards of Emerald City.

“Little Lunar,” she said, and he instantly smiled.

“You been my best friend since before we knew what friendship meant. We grew up in the same noise, same mess, same magic. You saw every version of me and never judged none of them. You always said I was too loud, too wild, too everything—but you never made me feel like I had to shrink. You protected me and showed me what a real man could be. You’re the reason I can love Malik the way he deserves to be loved. ”

Little Lunar nodded, his jaw clenched tight as he fought off tears. He looked down for a second, then back at her with nothing but pride in his eyes.

“Noodle,” Aku said next. “My sweet girl. We didn’t grow up together for the first ten years of our lives, but your story always felt close to mine.

You never let this world break your softness.

And the way you love…it changed me. Watching you and Bu build something that’s both solid and fun, I learned that real love don’t gotta be loud to be strong.

You’re my reminder that dreams can survive even when you start with nothing. ”

Noodle mouthed, I love you , and Aku smiled through the burn in her eyes.

“Ahvi,” she said, turning. “You mother with peace—so strong. You made it look effortless, even when it wasn’t.

You taught me how to stretch grace. How to forgive, even when you never got the apology.

You walk through life like you’ve already made peace with heaven, and I learned so much just by watching you. ”

Ahvi dabbed her face, holding on to Kamari, who looked up at his Mama like she hung the sun.

“Pimp and Devonte,” she smiled. “I remember watching y’all from a distance, thinking ‘Damn, that’s what devotion looks like.

’ You two never asked the world to understand you.

You just loved each other so loud it forced people to listen.

You didn’t wait for permission, you just built something real, and I’m better because I got to witness that. ”

Both men leaned into each other, heads touching. Devonte wiped a single tear and shook his head like he wasn’t gonna let it fall.

“Bu,” she made it to him, eyes locking on her quiet protector.

“You always been the one who stood behind the chaos with your arms crossed and your heart open. You ain’t speak much, but you made me feel safe every time I walked in a room.

Even when I was messin’ with people I shouldn’t have, even when I didn’t know what I was doing, you never gave up on me.

You held me down like a big brother supposed to. ”

He nodded, not saying a word, just standing in that love the way he always did.

Then she turned to Pharoah…her voice softened.

“Pharoah - you’re the quiet in Malik’s storm, so I love you the most for that.

You speak less than anybody, but we all hear you.

You’ve been through so much…and yet, you still show up…

you still love…you still let us in. You taught me what resilience looks like when it’s quiet and still. I will always see you.”

Pharoah gave her a small nod, and even that felt like a blessing.

Then she turned to Malik.

Her husband…Her calm…Her gravity.

“You…you gave me something I didn’t know I needed.

You didn’t try to change me. You didn’t ask me to dim my light.

You just held me where I was and loved me through our hard parts.

You showed me that a man could protect you without caging you.

You gave me freedom and a home to call my own, and when I feel our babies, I see everything we fought for. You changed my life.”

Malik stood up and kissed her hand.

“I know we all come from different places. Some of us come from hurt, from loss, from surviving more than we ever talk about, but we’re here…we made it. We made something outta nothing. Y’all are my people, and I’m proud to be one of yours.”

The DJ didn’t even need a cue, she’d already told him what to play.

“They got Big Lunar…we got Little Lunar—the sun, the galaxy, and gravity,” Aku declared. “We got us…and they took it to the moon, the stars, and the planets… we know we own this shit,” she winked at Javen. “But we’re the main characters now. We got superpowers.”

Superpowers by Daniel Caesar started playing. The whole room reacted like a string had been pulled from the center of their chest.

“Oh, another theme song…I know that’s right,” Stephanie clapped.

Little Lunar stood first, hand to his heart, singing every word...“Oh, you got power… superpowers.”

“Do you even know how to wield them?” Pimp’s head shook like he could really sing.

Luna sung a little part crying her eyes out. “All God’s children are special.”

Noodle grabbed both of Aku’s hands. “Crazy to say this but you are the greatest.”

Aku giggled. “You’ve come along way kid.” They fell into each other’s arms, crying tears of joy.

“You’re the main character now!” The whole family shouted, everyone filling up the dance floor.

Kamari clapped along just as Monday scooped him up.

Malik pulled Aku close and rested his hand on her belly, singing into her hair.

Solar found Stephanie’s eyes, rushing to wrap her arms around her Mama.

There was still hurt there…years of it. Questions that never got answered and silence that lasted too long.

But if Aku had taught Solar anything, it was that love wasn’t supposed to be perfect.

It wasn’t clean or easy or fair. It was messy, raw…

real, and still—love was the thing that kept them breathing. “I love you Mama.”

Shocked, tears rolled over Stephanie’s round face. “Oh, baby,” she sobbed holding onto her daughter. “I love you so much.”

Seeing the scene, Luna cried too. Her family was healing.

Little Lunar hooked his arms around Aku and Noodle. The three of them had a long, beautiful journey but they made it through, while always being able to lean on each other. “I love y’all,” he announced.

“Love you too,” they said in unison.

“Our sun,” Aku reminded him.

“We made it.” Lunar smiled.

“Did you think we wouldn’t?” Noodle asked.

He shook his head just as Bu, Pimp, Malik, and Devonte joined their circle. Pharoah just sat back in his wheelchair with a content smile on his face.

They were the main characters now…the Superheroes.

Alive…In love, and in the middle of a moment they knew they’d carry for the rest of their lives.

They didn’t need magic.

They were the magic.