Chapter 16 - Warm Relief
After what felt like an eternity, Maribelle finally loosened her grip, though she refused to let him go completely. Her manicured hands remained firmly on his shoulders as she pulled back to look at him through tear-stained wide eyes.
"Vinny... baby... What are you doing here? How are you back so soon?"
Vincent smiled sheepishly at her. "Well... long story short, the old Way-Guide was completely wasted. I accidentally got sent to the wrong world, somehow managed to appear back here, and because of some unknown reason, I can’t return to Earth at the moment."
"So... so what does that mean?"
"It means I’m going to be stuck here for a couple of more months. Maybe even years, I don’t know. Listen, I’ll explain everything that happened when Dee and Nat get here tomorrow... I-I’m so sorry I put you through all this, Mama. If I had known–"
"YAAAY!" Maribelle shrieked with joy.
She lunged forward and tackled him backward onto the bed. Straddling his waist, her face lit up with a radiant smile as she began planting kisses all over his face.
*Muah!* "I get to keep my baby!" *Muah!* "My precious, sweet baby!" *Muah!* "The universe heard my prayers!" *Muah!* "Mama is the happiest Goddess in the entire multiverse! Ahahaha!" *Muah!* *Muah!* *Muah!*
"Wait, wait! Mama, stop, that tickles! Ahahaha!" Vincent laughed heartily. "H-Hold on, there’s something I really need to tell you! W-Wait! Ahahaha!"
Maribelle hovered above his face as she panted softly, her red cheeks flushed with happiness. "Hmm~? What is it? Hehehe~"
As Vincent’s laughter faded, he reached up to gently cup her cheek. "I’m so sorry for hurting you the way I did. For causing your heart to fail. I should have been more careful..."
"Oh, Vinny..." Maribelle’s expression softened into something incredibly tender. Her eyes shimmered with unconditional love as she leaned her face into his warm palm.
"Mama could never, ever be mad at you. There is nothing to forgive. I love you so much."
"Thanks, Mama," Vincent whispered, pulling her down into a comforting hug.
He then gently nudged her back slightly as his expression turned a bit more serious. "Are you... not going to tell me about it?"
"Tell you about what, baby?"
Vincent raised a hand and gently tapped the soft curve of her breast.
Boing~
"Ahn~" Maribelle’s eyes darkened with a playfully sultry glow. She let out a soft, teasing moan and dropped her voice into a low purr.
"Oh, Vinny... it’s not even bedtime yet. Are you sure you want your milk right now? Mama is more than happy to give you some~"
She immediately reached for the neckline of her nightgown and started to pull the fabric down to fully reveal her lush breasts to him.
"No, no! Stop! That’s my special nighttime treat before I go to sleep! If I have some now, it won’t be special anymore!"
"Awww..." she slumped her shoulders as she let go of her neckline with a pout. "You’re no fun during the day, Vinny."
"I’m talking about your heart, Mama... Why didn’t you tell me you had a weak heart? If you had, I could have... I could have... well, I don’t know what I could have done, but I would have at least prepared myself better. I wouldn’t have just left you like that."
Maribelle’s playful demeanor vanished. She also held his cheek, her thumb gently wiping away a stray tear that had formed in his eye.
"Oh, baby. You... You were always going to go back to Earth eventually, and I always understood why. There’s Dada, and there’s Kathy. There’s also your university life where you’re going to gain so many experiences. So... I prepared myself. Or, at least, I thought I did.
"Haaaa... I knew the goodbye was going to be painful, but I didn’t know it would affect my heart the way it did. I didn’t tell you about my condition because for the last two hundred and something years, there were absolutely no problems with it. I genuinely thought that because you were here by my side, your presence had healed me."
"But why didn’t you tell me about it before the problems went away? Or when we first met?"
"Because..." Maribelle looked down with vulnerability in her eyes.
"Because I didn’t want to worry you, Vinny. And more than anything... I didn’t want you looking at your mama with pity. Before you left, I wanted all of our memories together to be happy ones. I’m sorry you had to find out this way."
Vincent smiled gently, wrapping his hand over hers while offering her his unwavering reassurance. "I would never look at you with pity, Mama. And I promise I’ll make sure to never make you feel like that again. I’m here now."
A wave of overwhelming, loving emotion swelled in Maribelle’s chest.
Unable to contain her affection, she buried her face directly into his chest, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Mama loves you so much! Ahhh, my heart feels so warm and full!"
"Ahahaha! By the way... while you were waking up, you whispered Dada’s name."
Maribelle paused her snuggling and looked up. "Dustin?"
"Yeah. Although you called him Dusty." Vincent smiled softly. "It’s really nice to know you haven’t forgotten about him after all this time."
"Of course not!" Maribelle dramatically sat up. "Mama loves Dada too much! In fact... You wanna know a secret?" She leaned in, whispering excitedly, "In just one more Earth month, Dada is coming here for his yearly one-day visit!"
"Really?! That’s awesome! Dada must miss you so much, too."
"Oh I know he does," Maribelle smiled as her eyes softened with a deep, timeless romance. "I believe everything will be worth it in the end, and then... we will all finally be together as a family."
Vincent nodded happily, and they shared another warm, loving hug.
"Okay! Now how’s about we start making your favourite dinner? Do you want to help me in the kitchen, Vinny?"
"Do I?! Let’s go!"
......
The next morning, the golden light of the divine realm slowly filtered through the sheer curtains of the master bedroom.
Maribelle woke up first, letting out a soft, contented sigh. Lying draped over her supple, bare chest was an equally bare Vincent.
He was fast asleep with his mouth resting mere inches away from her nipple and a faint sheen of sweet, white motherly milk residue still glistening on his lips. One of his hands was still possessively cupping her other breast, holding onto it like a safety blanket even in his sleep.
"Hehehe~ So cute." Her heart melted with adoration at the sight.
She held his body closer to her and absorbed the soothing warmth of his skin, infinitely happy to know that he was still here with her.
"...No, Mr. Marshmallow... the dragon egg doesn’t go in the microwave..."
’Mr. Marshmallow? Even though he tells me pretty much anything I want to know, he still hasn’t told me who that is.’
She pressed a lingering kiss to his forehead, and then, with maternal care, she gently slid him off her chest and rested his head softly onto the pillow to her side.
Quietly, she slipped out of bed, sliding her elegant curves into a short, silky white nightdress that left very little to the imagination. With a silent step, she sneaked out of the bedroom, intending to surprise her boy with a delicious breakfast.
Downstairs in the kitchen, the rich, savory aroma of frying sky-beast bacon and sweet star-berry pancakes filled the air. Maribelle was just putting the finishing touches on the spread when a loud knocking rattled the front door.
"Oh! Looks like they’re here." She hummed, wiping her hands on an apron before walking over and opening the door.
Standing on the stoop was Natasha, with her wings tucked tightly. She was already mid-sentence. "Hey, Little Demi. Didn’t call yester– Mari!?"
Natasha’s eyes went wide. Without a second thought, she lunged forward and threw her arms around Maribelle in a tight hug, letting out a loud, emotional laugh.
"You’re awake! Oh shit, you’re actually awake and standing!"
Before Maribelle could respond, a sudden gust of wind swept over them as Deina plummeted from the sky, landing with a frantic flutter of her wings.
"Nat, you speed-demon! You could have at least waited for me to get to your estate so we could fly over here together– Mari!?"
Deina froze. Her golden eyes lit up, and she instantly abandoned her anger to throw herself into the hug as well, wrapping her arms around both Maribelle and Natasha.
"Oh, thank goodness! You’re okay!"
"Ahahaha! Okay, okay, girls! Let’s not stand out here. I’ve just finished making a giant breakfast, so please, come inside."
As they entered the foyer, Deina looked at Maribelle with a mix of relief and utter confusion. "Mari, how are you already up and bouncing around?"
"Vinny said he’d explain everything once we’re all gathered together. Speaking of my baby... I should probably go wake him–"
"I’ll go!" Deina volunteered with a mischievous smirk splitting her face. "I’ll have you know, I am excellent at waking up sleepy little birds."
Without waiting for permission, Deina spun on her heel and eagerly began gliding up the staircase.
"No! It’s dangerous if you–!"
"Wait, Mari!"
Before Maribelle could chase after her, Natasha reached out and caught her arm.
As she turned around, Maribelle noticed the intense blush coating Natasha’s cheeks. The fiery Goddess of War was looking down and twiddling her fingers together like a nervous schoolgirl.
"Just... Let her go. Mari... I... I need to speak to you in private before they get down. It’s... it’s really, really important."