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bapyess1r · 4 years

Text

Sunny Daze

WARNINGS: violence, cursing

Pairings: Team Drake x OC, Sam x OC

Tags: @desertvvitch , @unchartedterritoria, @peakymarvels, @marshmallow--3

Author’s Note: I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far 🥰

Chapter 13

Sunny’s POV

We climbed the massive steps to the tower and I was absolutely in shock. I had only ever seen buildings this tall in New York. And the fact that it was this old made it all the more magical to me. I stood at its rocky, caved in base, shielding my eyes from the sun as I looked up at it. “Fuck I hope I don’t have to climb that…” I said aloud. I didn’t notice I had until a trill of laughter exploded from Sam’s mouth behind me. He thought I was kidding but I was oh so serious about that. “I’m deadass, Sam. I’m not climbin’ that.” I smiled as I listened to Sam continue to laugh at my lack of trust in heights, shaking my head.

“Sam! Come gimme a hand with this.” Nathan called from a little shack with weak wooden doors. Sully and I approached them cautiously as they drove their masses into the doors until they broke open, revealing a dark hallway leading into a staircase. They both take a flashlight off their belts and shine them on the underground darkness. Sam looked back at me, suppressing a smile as I threw my head back. Sully chuckled and patted my back as he entered the dark hall.

“Let’s hope there’s no skeletons in there, sweetheart.” He said as another laugh spilled out. I stalked over to punch him in his arm, snatching the flashlight from his hands and powering down the stairs with the rest. “Ow!” He exclaimed, massaging the spot where he’d been hit and following close behind me.

I walked very carefully to make sure a step wouldn’t break beneath me and shrieked when Nathan fell before me suddenly. Sully put an arm out to stop us from falling too. There was a large chunk of stairs missing halfway through. “Shit- Nathan!” Sam shouted, worriedly.

“I’m good!” We heard him say and I sighed in relief. Sully and I shined a light down below us and it actually happened to be a decent little drop. The old man jumped first. Then Sam insisted on jumping next so that he could catch me. He stared up at me with a small smile as he stretched his arms out to me. I chuckled before letting myself fall into his arms. It wasn’t a big jump and I could’ve done it myself but I just couldn’t bring myself to take away his moment. He set me down as we walked into a dark and dirty room full of empty shelving. Sully and I hung back while the brothers scouted the room and we held a conversation amongst ourselves.

“So uh…. you and Sam, huh?” He asked me as he lit himself a cigar. My heart skipped and I turned to look at him with widened eyes. “Don’t look at me like that, Sunny. As old as they may be, I do have eyes.” He spoke in a fatherly tone. Though my lips parted, words just couldn’t come out. “All…I have to say is what I’m always tellin’ ya, kid. Be careful. Sam’s been away a long time and he’s not the same man I used to know. Things could get kinda hinky.”

“First of all, there is no Sam and I… It was just a kiss… One we didn’t even talk about. We trust each other and so far he hasn’t given me a reason not to.” I told him, crossing my arms as a mosquito bite began to itch on my shoulder as I watched the boys move a shelf over to reveal a bricked over opening. Sully groaned and rubbed his temples as if he were conversing with a hard headed teenager.

“Sunny, I-” Sully began but he was cut off by the sight of the boys taking cover.

“HEADS UP!” Nathan shouted before tossing a grenade at the partially eroded brickwork; a loud bang sounded through the small quarters, sending Sully and I flying back into the wall a bit from the pressure.

“Are you alright?” I asked Sully with worry.

“I’m alright, kid.” He told me, coughing for the harsh smoke and dust that had kicked up in the room. I shot Nathan a raised brow and he shrugged.

“I told you ‘heads up’.” He said simply before entering yet another dark hallway. I made a face before reluctantly following him in. I look over at Sam and he’s quite literally shaking with excitement. This could possibly be it and we were so close. ‘Thank god. I could use a real shower.’ I thought as we approached a gate. As soon as Nathan cranked it even just a little bit open, Sam was racing to crawl under. He ran up ahead of us with an anxious smile.

“And he’s off…” Sully commented as Sam started off into the next room.

“C’mon! Keep up slow pokes!” He shouted before dipping behind a corner. Something was off to me. The deeper we got, the more I began to get those bad vibes.

“Sam, slow down!” I said, running after him like an idiot. It was now occurring to me that one day he might get me killed, running off like this and me going after him.

Almost like it was too good to be true, there was a stairwell spiraling into the floor with Avery’s sigil near it. Sam flew down the flight before we could even step in the room. I hesitated a moment before going down the steps as well. “Sam! Sam, wait up!” Nathan called out to his brother.

“Guys! This way!” We heard Sam shout back, clearly miles ahead of us. We found ourselves going down a stoney, dark flight of stairs and up a mound of dirt that left very little space between it and the caved-in ceiling. We crouched through the opening and slid down a dirt slide. Just as we landed, Sam had dipped around another corner.

“Jesus H…” I wheezed, running forward trying my best to keep up with him.

“He seems excited.” Sully mentioned.

“He’s got a lot riding on this. Just let him be.” Nathan chortled.

“How is it that he can be this big and that fast? That shit defies the laws of nature.” I grumbled to Nathan.

“He was always this fast. I mean always.” He replied as we caught up to him. His lanky limbs slipping through a crack in the wall, a bright light on the other side.

“C’mon!” Sam exclaimed excitedly. And with that, we were slipping into the bright sunlight room. I shook my head with a laugh as I entered the room behind them, looking up at the ceiling that seemed to loom over us greatly with a hole blown through it. Likely some old battle damage. I realized suddenly that we were inside that tower.

‘And I didn’t have to climb a damn thing…’ I thought with a smile, resting my fists on my hips triumphantly as I watched Sam and Nathan gravitate towards what looked like a large stone map. Although I don’t think the boys got that right away.

“Magnificent…” Sully said, marveling at the insides of the largest watchtower on the volcano.

“I’m not seein’ any treasure though.” I sighed. That meant we were far from done with this expedition.

“Nathan! Come check this out!” Sam called out as he looked at the elaborate stone carving. “There’s gotta be a way through here.” He said anxiously.

“Alright, just hold your horses. Let’s take a look… There’s Avery, Thomas Tew…” Nathan’s voice trailed off when he couldn’t remember the other pirates. Obviously Sam picked it up.

“Adam Baldridge, that’s Joseph Farrell, and there’s Richard Want…” He said. Nathan grinned and tapped his brother on the shoulder.

“Pirate captains! I told you-” he gloated.

“Alright, alright. So maybe your little pirate pool theory wasn’t so crazy after all.” Sam smirked as he ran his eyes over the carvings before him.

“So what do you think the trick here is… press a button? Pull somethin’ maybe…” Nathan asked as he examined the statue before him.

“Check the arms.” Sam said, pulling on the stoney likeness of the ancient penitent thief. Sully and I stood back to watch as the two men fondled poor St. Dismas with an amused grin. I coughed to interrupt their moment and they both turned to look at us.

“When you boys are done feeling up the poor man, why don’t you step back and actually look at this thing.” Sully chuckled.

“Can’t always be the brains…” I smirked as the boys took a few steps back to where we stood.

“The trapezoid is obviously the volcano.” Sully began. “The crown, that’s King’s Bay…. We got ourselves a map, gentlemen… and Sunny.” I snorted as I, too, marveled at the stoney depiction of the land. Sam gave a chuckle and stared in wonder.

“Victor, you’re a goddamn genius.” He said. Sully seemed to perk up and patted Nathan on the back.

“Ha! You hear that, Nate?! Genius.” Sully chuckled, pleased by the compliment. I watched the men work out where we needed to go next, using a coin that we’d found from a trial in Scotland when we found the map of King’s Bay. They narrowed it down to two towers but the image on the coin was kind of faded so it was hard to tell which one actually contained the treasure. As I listened, I walked around the room, admiring the handy work of these pirates. They were so ahead of their time. That’s when a familiar smell crossed my nostrils. Cigarette smoke. I looked back at Sam and he wasn’t smoking at the moment. I obviously wasn’t smoking…

“Sully,” I called out as I picked up the filter, still burning just a tad. The group turned to look at me a moment. “You didn’t happen to… start smoking cigarettes by any chance?” I asked cautiously.

“No….” Sully answered. And at the moment all of us knew exactly what was about to happen. I tossed the filter and ran to the group, pulling on my gun and my knife.

“Ah shit.” I grumbled, taking a good look at my surroundings.

“Looks like we’re not the first ones here…” he said in a low tone as they began to draw their weapons as well.

“FIRE IN THE HOLE!” I heard from above us. And just like that, the ceiling came crashing down with a massive explosion and a shootout ensued.

We cleared at least two waves of mercenaries before the fight stopped. I leaned against a slab of stone to catch my breath. My arm stinging a bit from a graze I’d gotten in battle, my ears ringing from the gunfire in close range. “Y’know… Even though she’s hot, this Nadine chick and her people are seriously getting on my last nerves.” I grunted as I glanced at my bleeding arm. This fight was much harder than the last few. They had armored men this time; much harder to kill. I sighed as I slipped my weapons back into their holsters and picked the fallen bodies for ammo as the men went back to the map to figure out what to do. “Are you guys okay?!” I shouted from across the massive room as I straddled a dead man and took his bullets.

“All good here!” I heard from Nathan and Sully.

“Sam?!” I shouted looking around.

“Yeah! I’m over here.” He said and I saw him wandering towards the map again. I crossed the room as I watched him pat down a body that had fallen in front of the map.

“Whatcha doin’?” I asked as Nathan and Sully approached as well.

“Just confirming a suspicion…” he mumbled before pulling a piece of paper from the man’s vest pocket. “Shit. Take a look at this.” He held out the paper to Nathan and the group drew closer a bit together. It was a digital map with twelve locations circled along King’s Bay. ‘Shit…’ I thought to myself with a huff. “They’ve figured it all out already. The sigils, the locations, the works…” Sam said shaking his head and walking about as if he’d been defeated. I could feel the anger and disappointment radiating off of him as he gripped the sheet in his hands.

“So now what?” Sully asked.

“‘Now what’? Now we’re screwed. Okay, and you know why? Because there’s four of us and god knows how many of them. And they have a head start-” Sam snapped and I rushed to him to put a hand on his shoulder.

“Okay, sure, but they don’t know where to go.” I said gently. Expecting him to snap back, he turned to me and spoke in the same tone as I, only more disappointed.

“Neither do we, doll. We narrowed it to two locations and we still don’t know which is what.” He sighed, hanging his head. I dashed in front of him and picked his head up, staring into his saddened hazel eyes.

“So then, we’ll do the obvious. We split up. We’ve come too far to just…. quit.” I said simply. He lifted his head with a nod as if it was the best idea he’d ever heard. For a smart man, he could be really stupid sometimes as I’d come to realize.

“Alright then. That might just work.” He turned to face the other two men and held out the paper to them. “You guys check out this tower and I’ll get the other.” He said pointing to the locations on the map. “It’s not too far from here. I can make it.” I could see that twinkle sparking up in his eyes again. But worry started to fill my chest at the mention of him with no back up.

“No, no, no-” Nathan began.

“Like hell you're goin’ by yourself!” I snapped and Sam looked at me incredulously. “I’m comin’ with you. Rafe and Nadine’s gotta have guys all over these towers by now-” I suggested rather forcefully but he stopped me.

“Exactly. So if we wanna catch them, then we need to split- sweetheart, this was your idea…” he argued.

“Yeah, ‘split!’ As in ‘evenly!’” I emphasized. He gave an annoyed huff and pulled me aside from the group by my arm like I was a spoiled child. I was fuming.

“Sunny-”

“What?” I snapped. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath before he started again.

“Sunny… If you can’t already tell… I care, alright. And if I’m stuck with those feelings then you gotta deal with the consequences, sweetheart- which means…. listening to me when I’m trying to keep you safe.” He told me, staring into my eyes with what seemed like good intent. But I wasn’t having it. I lowered my voice, mocking him with my arms crossed; accent and all.

“‘Uh, if you wanted safe, then you’re in the wrong line of work, sweetheart-’” I said, furrowing my brows, using his own words against him. He stared quietly for a moment before shaking his head.

“Sunny, please!” He snapped before returning to his hushed tone, placing his hands on my shoulders as he towered over me. “Please… I’d feel better knowing you were with Nathan and Victor.” I looked at him with narrowed eyes as I fixed my mouth to speak again but he ran his fingers through my hair quickly and held my face in his hands. “Please.” My nostrils flared as my eyes locked with his. I puffed, tearing my gaze from his as I chewed the inside of my cheek, shaking my head and tapping my foot. I stomped before turning away to join the other men. “Thank you…” I heard him say.

“Mhm.” I mumbled passive aggressively in response.

We left the tower the same way we entered. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t glad to be above ground again. We walked Sam over to one of the spare Shoreline Jeeps and I shook my head as he climbed inside. Nathan put a hand on the door as we all stood by. “If you run into any of those Shoreline guys, you call me immediately.” He said.

“Will do.” Sam nodded.

“You be careful out there, Sam.” Sully said to him.

“Always am.” Sam replied. Then he brought his gaze to me. “Sunny…” I only looked at him for a second, my arms crossed with an annoyed pout playing on my face. He didn’t say anything though. He just glanced over my face. I snorted and looked away. The dirt seemed more interesting than him going off by himself at the moment. He just chuckled and smiled before putting the car in drive. “See you soon.” He told us all before speeding off. I watched go until he was out of sight, my arms crossed and my brows knitted together. In my peripheral, I could see Nathan and Sully heading for our 4x4. I walked over slowly, passing the extra Shoreline Jeep just lost in thought. He was going to get himself killed. There was just no way I could let him go out there like that by himself. His dumb ass didn’t even take another gun with him. It was when I put a hand on the car that I had made my decision.

“Let’s go Sun-” I heard Nathan say but I had already made up plans of my own.

“I’m not goin’ with you.” I said as I glanced at the pile of artillery in the trunk, trying to decide what I’d take.

“Sunny, now goddammit-” Sully started. He already knew what I was gonna say.

“Sully, I’m goin’ after him and that’s that, dammit! He is gonna get himself killed and he’s too damn stupid to see that! Nathan, I’m goin’ and you can’t stop me.” I said, grabbing a .9mm and spare deserter bullets. Nathan opened his mouth to speak but the older man cut him off.

“You’ll get yourself killed goin’ after him, Sunny!” Sully shouted at me. He never said it to me out loud but I knew he thought of me as one of his own kids. And because of that he had a tendency to be a bit overbearing. I loved him a lot for it though. He cared more about me than my own father. I could die today and he would never know; probably wouldn’t even care.

“Sully, c’mon…. it’s Sunny. I don’t like it any more than you do but if anyone is good at self perseveration, it’s her. She can keep herself safe until she meets up with Sam.” Nathan said in a calming voice. Sully just stared at me.

“I’ll be fine.” I said, looking at him with a nod. He just shook his head and lit himself a cigar.

“That boy is gonna be the death of you, Sunny Spurrs…” he mumbled. I smirked as I started off for the other car.

“Trust me. I’m aware.” I said shaking my head.

“You let me know when you reach the tower. I’m so serious, Sunny.” Nathan shouted to me.

“Of course.” I said. I hopped into the 4x4 and turned the key that was left in the ignition. I drove up next to Nathan and Sully’s car and sighed.

“If you stay on his tracks, you might just be able to catch up with him. Be safe. Steer clear of the big trucks-”

“Nate, I got it.” I replied.

“Ok. Go. Hurry up.” He said, finally backing off. And with that, I floored it, watching out for the tracks to Sam’s car. He was gonna be pissed but I didn’t care. With his life on the line, he couldn’t afford to be stupid right now.

I followed his tracks to a tower just like the one I had left. Parked right out front was the Shoreline Jeep he’d taken. ‘Well….good… This is good.’ I thought as I released my seatbelt and climbed out of my vehicle. When I arrived at the door, it had already been riddled with bullet holes and kicked in. He definitely wasn’t the cleanest executor of the two brothers but at least it was efficient. I turned on my flashlight with a squeal and shined its glow on the darkness before me. Lined along the walls were skeletons tied to the wooden beams that supported the structure. I suddenly wished I had stayed with Nathan and Sully. ‘God dammit….’ I thought as I descended the stairway with haste. ‘Please Jesus, if you love me, don’t lemme die…. Like for real…’ I shook my head as I stared into the darkness before me, trying my best to keep as far away from the wrapped skeletons as possible.

So far, I hadn’t had to do much. I had gone down a full flight of stairs, doorways had already been opened, all of which practically lined floor to ceiling with the bare-bones of old pirates. The more bodies I saw, the more disturbed I became. This Henry Avery guy was not somebody to mess with. I walked by a slew of caged skeletons all with the sign “thief” hanging around their necks. ‘Fuck that’s horrible….’ I thought with a shiver. As I walked into a room, I detected a faint scent of cigarettes. ‘Please let that be you.’ I thought as I noticed a bright orange filter still burning a bit. I came across a massive hole in the wall that led into another tunnel of darkness and sighed. That’s when I heard a loud bang.

I jumped, digging my nails into my palms nervously. I walked down the tunnel, the smell of cigarettes getting more intense by the second when I heard another loud bang. “Shit!” I heard a panicked voice say. It sounded like Sam. He could be in trouble. I began to sprint towards the rapid bangs, running through several rooms filled with singular skeletal parts; jaws, rib cages, hands. Although with Sam possibly being in danger, I couldn’t think about that. As I passed through a room with more tied up bodies, I collided into something hard and with a scream I was snatched up several feet in the air trapped in a roped net. I found my cheek squished against a warm chest, the scent thick with smoke and sweat. When I looked up, I was met with the familiar set of hazel eyes and furrowed brows. He grunted in frustration as he looked upon my face. I smiled awkwardly with a shaky laugh.

“Heeeyyyy….” I said showing my gums. He wasn’t amused in the slightest. He just raised a thick brow at me and growled a little. “I- I can uh….. I can get us out of this!” I stuttered reaching for my knife. His nostrils flared as his lips curled into something sassy. That’s when the bodies around us began to spark up, the embers running up a string slowly, like a timer. These weren’t just some dead bodies… These were bombs. “Oh shit…” I mumbled as I began to quickly cut the ropes, racing against the clock. He shook his head and forced a brief but fake laugh as I reached up to cut the thick ropes that bound us.

“Didn’t I tell you to go with Victor and Nath- because I specifically remember telling you to stay with Victor and Nathan- why don’t you listen?!” He grumbled in annoyance. I huffed, rolling my eyes as a few pieces of rope snapped at the slice of my blade.

“Sam, now is really not the time to have this argument-” I began but he just couldn’t hold it in.

“Why don’t you listen?!” He shouted dramatically.

“You’re gonna find out real fast that I never listen. To anybody. Ever-”

“I’m tryin’ to keep you from getting yourself killed-” he snapped frustratingly, interrupting me.

“I can take care of myself, dammit!” I hissed. “You’re the dummy who ran off by himself.”

“I didn’t need you here-” he retorted. I scoffed as a few more ropes snapped.

“And if I hadn’t been here, what in the everloving fuck would you be doing right now, huh? Tell me that, Sam-” I was beginning to lose my patience with him. I scrunched up my nose as he stuttered a moment, the weight of our bodies dropping us a bit as we hung by four more ropes.

“I would’ve… I would’ve um…” he didn’t have any damn idea what he’d do. I snickered as I cut us free and our bodies fell to the dusty ground with a loud thud. Quickly, we jumped into the hallway before the room could explode. Our bodies landed in the gravel just as more skeletons lit up.

“Oh you’ve gotta be kidding me-”

“We gotta go, Sunny!” Sam sang as he rose to his feet quickly, grabbing me by the hand and pulling me with him as he started to bolt down the tunnel. We ran quite a distance from the onslaught of exploding mummies until we reached the entrance of the tower. The both of us threw ourselves onto the hot red dirt, just as the last mummy had blown up, the doorway caving in on itself.

I turned over to lay on my back, catching my breath as the sun beat down on us. I couldn’t believe I had just done that. My nervousness turned into some kind of dissociative laugh. I was going to be insane by the end of this trip. I looked over at Sam as he sat up to stare at the now blocked entrance, a look of annoyance still playing on his features. We had to cut the bullshit now before we went any further or else we weren’t going to get anything done. ‘Let’s hash it out now, big boy…’ I thought with smirk.

“You have a lighter. You could burn the ropes, idiot.” I said poking his chest with a small finger to break the silence. He rolled his eyes as he stood and lit himself a cigarette. I scoffed, shaking my head as I rose to my feet as well. “Let’s hope all that noise didn’t attract Shoreline.” I commented but he still refused to answer me. I forced out a quick breath before speaking. “So this is the thanks I get for saving your ass?”

“I didn’t need to be saved-” he snapped. I opened my arms to him and flexed my lip.

“Holy shit- welcome to my world-”

“Sunny, you’re not getting it!” He shouted, rubbing his thick fingers on his temple and wiping away a thin sheen of sweat. I set back on my heel and crossed my arms.

“What am I not getting, Sam?” I asked.

“I can’t lose you!” He snapped. And there it was. The crux of the problem. “I am… fully aware that you can hold your own but I’ll be damned if you died on account of me. Because of my mistakes. Okay, then I have to live with that and I don’t wanna.” He told me, his fingers nervously tapping on his cigarette. I knitted my brows together and held his face in my hands.

“Samuel Drake. I’m only gonna say this once so you better listen up and listen real good.” I began, staring him deep in his eyes. “I am a grown ass woman. And I will do whatever the hell I please. If that means risking my life to save you, then goddammit that’s what I’m gonna do. Not because I have to, not because of Nate- because of me. Because I want to.” I told him.

“Sun-” he started but I placed a finger on his plush chapped lips.

“Don’t interrupt me. I’m not done.” I said authoritatively, and he shut his mouth with a deep sigh. “Unfortunately for you, I care, too. Which means…. if you’re in trouble… I’m gonna come runnin’.” I said with a gentle smile. A slow grin threatened to pull on his lips as his shoulders seemed to relax and he inched closer to me.

“Y’know… there were an awful lot of skeletons in that tower… and it was pretty dark, too…” he said letting his hand rest on my hip to pull them to his, a rough thumb stroking the exposed skin under my tank top. My heart started to speed up as his nose brushed against mine.

“What about it?” I asked in a breathy tone.

“You braved all that for little ol’ me, sweetheart?” He smirked, hooking a finger under my chin and pressing his lips over mine slow and sweet. I betrayed myself with a soft moan into his mouth as his tongue darted across my lower lip. “Thank you…” he mumbled against my lips. That surge of euphoria coursed through my body as his thick arms wrapped around my waist.

Suddenly, he’d lifted me up in his arms and sat me on the hood of the Jeep, his hands roaming my body as he deepened the kiss. The fact that I was absolutely soiled with sweat and covered in dirt didn’t seem to matter to him when he kissed along my neck and collarbone. I ran my hands through his damp hair as he rolled his hips into mine. I most certainly wasn’t against screwing on the hood of a car in the middle of nowhere. Just as I had tugged on his shirt, suddenly Sam’s smartphone rang. He ignored it the first time but as it continued to ring, he groaned into my mouth and rested his forehead on mine. He pulled out his phone and sighed with a smile. “It’s Nate. I should probably take it, huh?” He chuckled before kissing me again. We broke the kiss, heaving in a needy fashion as he answered his phone. “Hey, little brother. You find somethin’?” He asked. I could hear my best friend’s muffled voice panicking on the other end and suddenly I grew concerned. “Woah, woah, slow down- he what?!.... Shit. Alright, hang tight we’ll be right-” he was cut off by the sound of bullets flying by us. He pushed me down on the hood quickly, ducking his head and covering my body with his own as he hung up the phone immediately. I could hear the sounds of multiple engines approaching and gunshots firing off towards us. The beat of my heart sped up from arousal and adrenaline as he pulled me off of the car and ducked down in front of the car grill. “Rain check?” He asked me with a smirk. I just smiled and pulled my gun and knife from their holders, ready to take some people down.

A truck had come, full of ten mercenaries. “Did they really need that many? Jesus lord…” I mumbled as I watched the men begin to surround us. Sam just shrugged with a chuckle. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say they’re feelin’ a little threatened.” I smirked. It genuinely pleased me to know that Rafe Adler couldn’t get what he wanted just because he threw his money around.

“Wanna piss him off some more?” He asked me as he tugged on the pistol wedged in its holder on the back of his dirty jeans. I grinned and wiggled my eyebrows.

“Absolutely. You take five, I take five?” I smirked.

“Let’s do this, sweetheart.” He said with a shit eating grin. He stood to fire two headshots and I ran from cover to slice a man’s throat and use his body as a shield when I fired shots at the other four. And we were off….

#uncharted 4 #uncharted #sam drake #samuel drake #samuel drake x reader #uncharted x reader #sam drake fanfiction #sam drake x reader smut #sam drake smut #uncharted smut #uncharted 4: a thief’s end #poc oc #poc #nathan drake #victor sullivan #nadine ross #rafe adler #elena fisher

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ughyoongis · 5 years

Text

In The Midst Of Chaos

[ chapter 03 ] a prince!calum fic

A/N: i’m sooo happy you guys are enjoying this fic as much as I am! lmk what yall think of this update too!

word count: 4.5k

warnings: mild language, minor mentions of war/violence

previous chapter

"Hey." Alice enters her study with an empty basket, ready to collect tonics for the maids this week. A skip to her step now that today is gloriously sunny and bright. The birds are chirping and she has a fresh bouquet in her vase from the flowers her mum grew at home.

Luke lies on his cot, which should be for patients, but isn't as of right now. He's holding her sketchbook in one hand as he flips through it.

"You draw the prince a lot." He states, at the same time she feels a dip in her gut, anchoring through the floor.

"I-" She can't explain this one, not when he's so clearly not going to buy her bullshit. She draws Calum all the time, not like he's the only thing in that book, but he's in every few pages.

"You may be the one girl in the kingdom who finds him even remotely charming." Luke teases, he's not the kind to blackmail her with this stuff, they're pretty close since they spend every day together here. He merely opens up to one she had scribbled in last week, of Calum in the library, book open in his hands as he reads intently. She had hung out with him (yet again) in the comfort of their downtime.

"He's nice." She says, at the same time Luke sputters out a laugh. Her face morphs into a frown. "He is, okay?"

The blue eyed boy merely hums and keeps flipping through, "I'm sure he is." Sarcasm. She rolls her eyes.

"Give it back, Luke." Her hand reaches for it at the same time he gasps at a page. Turning it over so she can see what's so surprising.

"You drew him smiling?" He yells way too loud for her liking, her hands grab the sketchbook once and for all and clutches it at her side.

"Will you be quiet?" She hisses, "He smiles around me, so what?"

"I don't think he's smiled since he was a kid, that's what." Luke whispers back, "He's got to be in love with you if he's smiled at you."

"Shut up." She throws her book back into the drawer she keeps it in, locking it this time for good measure. Alice doesn't want to put silly thoughts like that into her mind.

"We're friends, Luke. I don't treat him like shit and that's why he and I get along. You should try it." Her fake grin doesn't go unnoticed as the blonde across the room merely smirks.

"I can't believe you've seen it."

"Seen what?"

"Him smiling."

She nearly jumps out of her skin when a knock muffles from the hallway, her eyes send a warning glare Luke's way, making sure he understands to not say anything as she makes her way to the door. He shuffles his way off his cot and back to his desk and pretends to find his medicines interesting.

Penelope stands with her hands nervously clasped together.

"Alice," She grins, happy she answered the door. "The prince needs you upstairs. Do you know where to go?" Her eyes scan over her body language to try and read her.

"Not really." She hates lying, and the fact Calum did it so easily when stating she's his personal nurse made her want to scream. And she's not going to add onto that already unfair lie.

"Okay, so, instead of going towards the maids quarters, you'll turn right at the top of the stairs instead. Turn at the first hallway you see and it's the last set of doors all the way at the back. Not hard to miss, dear." Penelope gives her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, "It's his mother."

The queen. Alice's heart races in her chest, the sound feels loud enough to bring the walls to the ground. She's never met her, and she never speaks to the public anymore, but when she used to, she was so kind. So considerate. She had come from a neighboring kingdom, born in the lower class and made her way up to her kingdom's castle as a duchess. When the king had visited, at the time a new prince, he had been given four women to choose from. He ignored them all and chose her.

"You'll do great." Penelope senses her worries. "She's a sweetheart, truly."

The young girl gives a soft nod and grabs her regular supplies and heads on up. She has no idea what any of this has in store. So she settles for her simplest kit and ambles her way up the stairs and down each corridor with less excitement in each step as she goes.

The problem is, there's rumors throughout the castle, towards what's exactly wrong with Calum's mother. Some say she's just stowed away so her husband can rule the nation without her much more civil, pure nature to step in and change what he's doing. Other's say she only has a few months left before she's gone from a chronic illness.

And Calum won't tell her anything.

It's not like she asks, though. His private life is none of her business.

By the time the doors are presented in front of her she feels everything inside of her drain from her face, she can hear them talking, faintly, but she recognizes Calum's voice and it's... different.

Her clammy hand reaches up and knocks.

He stops speaking and soon the door opens to see him in much simpler clothing than usual, his hair isn't styled, and to her very awestruck surprise, he has no crown on his head. If anything, he looks oddly normal.

"Hi." He speaks, a soft smile on his face, he looks calm, and happy. Almost relieved that she showed up. It makes her feel a little bit better about the situation.

"Good morning." She smiles back, happy to see him happy. That's a good sign.

"Mother, Alice is here." He let's her into the room, which is far more extravagant than anything she's seen so far. The bed, especially. A canopy style with silky drapes and covers, finely embroidered patterns on the pillows. And the queen lies there, bedridden, her body underneath all the luxurious covers. Her crown sits on the nightstand beside her, along with a few candles she has spread throughout the room.

"It's lovely to meet you." The queen, herself, speaks, voice gentle as she manages to lift her hand out for Alice to take. She gladly does so, curtseying in the process.

"And you as well, your majesty." She smiles. Penelope wasn't lying, she really is nice. Genuinely, too.

"My son tells me you're his best friend." The queen says, her hand squeezes Alice's, weakly, but it's there. "I wanted to meet you."

At those words she whips her head around to look at the maori boy stood in the corner of the room, awkwardly fiddling with the hem of his shirt. He gives her a shy grin, and she looks a little closer, and he's blushing. The prince. Blushing. She feels proud of this accomplishment of sorts.

"Oh?" Is all she can say.

"You're a nurse here, yes?"

"Just started a month ago." She answers, her blonde hair in it's braid swings as she faces the woman with a grin.

"He's quite fond of you, I can tell. He talks about you nonstop. You two are close, from what I've heard, he's always running off to meet with you." She's so knowingly embarrassing her son, and he turns as red as can be in the corner of the room, his hands fiddle with a tea kettle as he fixes up a drink in a delicate teacup.

The queen makes sure she keeps eye contact with Alice when they speak, and she listens to her with such attentiveness it's welcoming and warm.

"I had no idea." She gives a sheepish grin that grows when she hears Calum speak.

"She's over-exaggerating." He blushes despite his words. His hands carry a teacup over to his mother, helping her sit up before he let's her take it from him and sip from it every now and then.

"I'm sure Penelope would say the same things about me." Alice makes sure to not let Calum feel so ashamed for being excited to see her. "She's starting to get very suspicious about my many visits to the library."

"And the gardens, I hear." The queen slips her way into the conversation again with a knowing grin on his lips, she looks tired, but still happy. "Cal, dear, grab me something from the kitchen, maybe a biscuit or two."

Cal. The nickname brings a smile to Alice's face, and the maori prince shuffles out of the room with her request in mind.

The door shuts and the queen places a hand on top of hers, "My son is very kind, I'm sure you know that, right, dear?"

She nods. It pains her not to tell the truth. Kind, to her, surely. To others? Debatable.

"God, I love him, he's the one person who can get me to laugh these days, has such a lovely personality, never fails to make me smile." She seems so reminiscent, her eyes well a little bit, "He seems happier than usual, I think it's because of you."

Alice feels her heart skip a selfish beat as that goes straight to her head, she's making the prince happy? In what world does a happy Calum truly exist? Luke would laugh in her face, anyone would. But the queen merely pats the top of her hand.

"He wants you to attend his birthday gala." The queen whispers, like he'll hear her despite the distance. "I will do whatever it takes to get you to go. He'd have such a wonderful time if he saw you were there. You see, Calum's not one for festivities. He's declined the idea of a birthday gala for the past five years, but now all of a sudden he decided he wants one and he's so excited. You must go."

Alice is speechless, her eyes wide, lips parting to try and think of how to articulate just how confusing this all is.

He hasn't thrown a gala for himself in years, it's always been the usual balls: Christmas, New Year's, and the anniversary of the king and queen. But he wants one now? With only a week in advance?

"You're a beautiful girl, he seems very smitten with you, do this for me, will you? Make my boy happy for the night?" She's squeezing her hand again and it has Alice caving.

"Okay." She whispers. She has no idea how to pull this off. Let alone how Calum could possibly find her in the midst of the thousands of people who flood into the castle to attend a glorious ball. What will she wear?

"Lovely." The queen smiles, genuinely. "Don't tell him I made you go. He'll get embarrassed again."

She remembers the way his face went vermillion from his repetitive blushing, his eyes crinkling at the corners, the way he smiled when he saw her at the doorway. Her stomach somersaults in her chest. She can't wait a week all of a sudden.

"He hasn't had a friend in years." The queen reveals with a sad smile, "Thank you, Alice, my boy is back now."

The next few days pass by in a whimsical whir of medicine and ice packs, her hands busy themselves at home by baking and cooking for her family whenever she gets the chance. Waves of energy keep her bouncing up and on the go in the morning only to sigh and fall into bed that night, her sketchbook tucked under her pillow.

Calum stays up restlessly those nights, pacing his room in agony as he stares at the letter on his desk. Tears it up. Rewrites it. Only to tear it up again. He's a perfectionist, always has been, and the words that he wants to say aren't exactly there yet. He can't articulate his point, can't sway his perspective enough to even fathom the idea of sending the letter out. He gets a total of eight hours of sleep over the course of three nights.

Alice notices on the fourth morning. When she enters the library with a book in her hand, and Calum sits, hunched over on the desk, pen in hand as he tries to complete his work for his tutor to revise and grade. He hates having homework, hates the fact a guy his age is judging his opinion on books he doesn't care about that revolve around law and war.

"I don't mean to alarm you, but you look dead, Calum." She slips herself into the chair beside him, scooting closer so she can see what he's trying to right about, something about the strategies of winning allies and gaining mutuality in nations. Fancy political garbage that she couldn't care less about.

He huffs weakly and let's his head fall down to rest on the desk, arms folded to block out any light that may shine in his face.

"M'tired." He states, clearly.

"Then rest." She lifts his pen out of his hand and moves his work away from him. "I'll keep watch, no one will bother you."

He wants to say thank you, but his lips don't open fast enough before he feels a hand find his head. The crown on top gets lifted off and he's jolting up, alarmed, only to see Alice place it delicately on the desk beside him.

"I, um," He can't bring himself to say it. Now's not the right time. He shakes his head. When will it be the right time? "I want you to go to the gala, this week."

He doesn't hear her response, and can't bring himself to look at her just yet, not as he feels his face burning with embarrassment. He knew he should've never asked. It's a silly thing to ask for.

"It's for my, uh, my twenty second birthday." He can't go back, so his brain forces him to ramble. "There's a chance I won't be able to dance with you, but I-I..." He cringes, "I would like it if you danced with me."

Alice's heart thumps so wildly in her chest she's afraid he might be able to hear it. A dance? With the prince? That's usually for those waiting in line of the throne, or possible future princesses he may marry. There's no way he means a dance as in a way to tell those at the gala he finds an interest in her? Does he?

"I just-" He sighs, "I'm not a fan of big social gatherings but I think if you're there I'll feel a bit better. You're my closest friend."

Friend. Her smile falters, and she bites down on her tongue. Of course.

"I'll go." She whispers, despite the sadness clawing it's way up her throat. She can't let him hear the distress in her tone, how disappointed she is to be called a friend.

She looks on the bright side- he hasn't had a friend in years. That's got to mean something.

"Okay." He sounds relieved. "Thank you."

He falls asleep with his head down on the desk, his face turned to one side so she can see the way his eyelashes curl against his cheeks, how his lips part as he softly snores. She reaches out without thinking and runs her fingers through his unruly curls, she feels him lean against her touch as she does it, silently asking for her to keep doing that.

He has a pout on his face when she lets go. And it only deepens when she gets up and leaves.

He wakes up to an empty seat, and a heavy crown on his head instead of her hand. He hates how much he misses her presence. How he goes on with his day lulling around in the garden wordlessly, picking leaves off of trees and letting the thorns from roses prick the tips of his fingers until it hurts enough to make his eyes well up.

His mother spends supper in bed while he eats with his father in the dining hall, he rarely says anything, only ever speaks when asked a question, he imagines Alice is at the table, smiling with a book in her one hand as she drinks champagne with the other. He swigs some wine with no interest in savoring the taste.

He just wants to stop thinking about her. About her eyes and her laugh, her hair and her freckles. It all keeps showing up, in the statues in the halls, the flowers in the garden, even his own room, where he lies in bed, alone, imagining what it would be like to have her beside him. If he'd enjoy someone else in the comfort of his solitude.

After some debating, he comes to a conclusion.

Solitude is wherever Alice is.

"Your highness, I'm so sorry." The man apologizes for the fourth time as he tries to tailor his suit for him for the gala tonight. He's stood in his dressing room, the fabric on his skin being put together from the same tailor who fits his father, a stout man who panics every time Calum looks displeased.

Alice hasn't talked to him in two days. He's left her a book and has yet to receive it back. She seems to be elsewhere when he requests her presence.

He's adorned in baby blue, his mother's favorite color, and the white appliqués contrast entirely to his dark features. He's never felt so disgustingly fluorescent in his life, but his mother was pleased to hear he chose that fabric on her behalf.

"Try these." The tailor hands him a different set of cufflinks, anxiously awaiting his approval.

"They'll have to do." He clenches his jaw, tense and beginning to regret the idea of this bloody thing. He wants to call it off, but everything's all set up and he'd be facing weeks of backlash for doing such a thing. He'll have to suck it up.

"Your crown, your highness." The tailor presents it to him, the maori's eyes shoot daggers his way as he places it upon his own head despite a servant's plea that they can do it for him.

"Prince Calum, the guests are entering now." A man enters the room, and alerts him of the party starting, "It'd be best if you headed down soon."

Here goes nothing. He sighs, rolls his shoulders, then heads on out, only to triple check his appearance in each passing mirror. The worry eats its way at him from the inside out.

"Your royal highness, Calum Hood."

The doors of the ballroom open and he enters to applause and joyous cheers, loud orchestra music filling the room as he's quick to realize why he hated these things so much in the first place.

Everybody pretends to like him for a night. They all fake smile and fake laugh, they treat him with respect as if he doesn't see the way their breathing hitches when he goes to shake their hands. The servants walking around with trays grow beady eyed at his presence, making sure to do their very best. He supposes that maybe this will be short. He'll try to keep tonight as simple as possible.

He scans the crowd as he walks through it, eyes trying to find one girl in particular. He doesn't know anybody, very rarely does he find a familiar face in the crowd during his search.

"Happy birthday, your highness." He hears a familiar voice and his eyes flicker to try and find it.

"Ashton." He realizes with a breath of relief at someone he can talk to properly. "Thank you."

They stand silently for a bit, he tries to find her again, lips parting as he fails to find so much as a trace of her appearance.

"Ashton, have you seen-"

"Not yet, your highness." He makes a face of pity, towards the prince of all people. "If she is here, she's buried somewhere within these people."

Just as he finishes his sentence a body topples into his side, a yelp falling from their lips as he grabs onto the girl by the waist, a blur of a poofy blue dress strikes his eye and he trails his way up to their face.

"Happy birthday." She speaks, out of breath.

He can sense everyone around him stop and watch them, as he helps her back up onto two feet, face in utter awe as he realizes she had shown up. Beautiful than ever. Her hair is down, unlike every time he sees her with it pulled back for work, and she has a locket around her neck, old and antique, but he adores it.

"Thank you." He whispers, trying to maintain composed as he fights back a smile. He gestures to the orchestra before glancing at her once more. "Would you like to join me in a dance?"

Her smile is answer enough as she takes his hand, for the first time, and it has him reeling over the moon. He feels elated, fantastic even. This may be his best birthday yet. He can hear people's feet shuffle as they clear the floor, others link up with their partners as they join him in the first dance of the night, a waltz begins.

He hates dancing.

"You're not the best dancer, I'm afraid." She watches the way he has to look down at his feet in concentration, her own move effortlessly. The way her own mum had taught her growing up.

"I haven't danced since I was seventeen." He admits, "Sorry."

"No need." She grins, as he manages to spin her well enough that she can tell he's just rusty, but not bad. This is just a little warm up. But it may be the best dance she's ever been a part of.

"I haven't heard from you for a few days."

"I've been at home." She explains sadly, "My mum is sick."

"So is mine." He whispers, and her heart drops. He's used to it. "That's a conversation for another time. How are you?"

"Stressed, but feeling much better now that I'm here." She helps him get back into the rhythm of the music, her hand being held by his makes her feel giddy inside. Her eyes fall to his suit, "This color looks nice on you."

"Touché." He mutters at the same time he glances at those around him. Their flashy dresses and suits glimmer against the chandeliers as he manages to spin her around once more, the way she grins so easily, has him boasting in his pride a little bit. He worried over nothing, they're still friends.

His one hand not holding hers rests on the dip in her waist, she feels herself go weak at his touch, and grins sheepishly to try and hide her blush.

She notices the girls around her, how they seem confused, is she being too obvious? Is it clear she's not wealthy? They all stare at the prince, at how he manages to carry on a smooth conversation while she smiles and talks to him. They're either suspicious at how close they seem or at how she's not intimidated by him.

"I was at your last birthday ball, you know." She reminisces, smiling at him as he seems taken back by her statement.

"My mother used to work for you guys, she sewed the queen's wedding dress." She can feel his hand squeeze hers, and her eyes crinkle at the obvious nerves within him. A man feared by the people is clamming up under the pressure of a waltz.

"I was sixteen, and so scared of everything." She laughs as the maori hums to prove he's listening. "I remember the food the most, the cake was red velvet."

"It's my favorite." He says, "Always has been."

The music dies down and he spins her one last time before she gives him her giddiest smile, dimples in her cheeks ever prominent. Her hands slip out of his and he stumbles back, bidding her adieu as the festivities continue.

"Thank you." He mouths to her, at the same time she gives a curtsey, her eyes as full of kindness as he's used to seeing. Calum's hands feel sweaty and he has to bite his tongue to keep himself from grinning.

"Dreadful, isn't it?" A girl speaks beside her, suddenly by Alice's side in an over the top red ball gown covered in lace appliqués. She has a glass of champagne in her hand, and swirls the liquid around as she speaks. "The prince doesn't even know how to dance well."

Alice tenses, not exactly a fan of the energy this party has all of a sudden. She can't muster up a response, hoping to get the point across that she isn't going to add her input into this conversation.

The brunette huffs, "You know, I danced with him once, and hated every second of it. He was so intimidating, so quiet." She shivers at the unwelcome memory, "By the time the song ended he tried to kiss my hand and I refused to let him. Stormed right out."

"All because he couldn't dance?" Alice blurts, before her mind decides if this conversation is even worth her time.

The girl rolls her eyes, "No, his parents wanted me to try and marry him, as much as I love Queen Joy I would never be with someone so..." She skims Calum's appearance up and down as he discusses something to his father in the distance, shoulders broad, hands clasped behind his back.

"Manipulative." She decides, "Bastard probably doesn't even know how to emote nowadays."

Alice bites her cheek, and the pressure to speak up builds in the pit of her stomach. She can't just stand here and listen to some girl speak so lowly of Calum, of the prince, the man who has been nothing more than considerate to those who matter to him.

His mum. Alice remembers, and her heart wrenches at the words she used to describe her son. Caring, kind. She has no idea people say these things about him.

"Could you imagine?" She thinks out loud, "Having to marry him?"

Calum must feel them staring from afar because he glances through the crowd until his gaze meets Alice's and he gives her a longing look.

"Better not come over here," The girl beside her plasters a forced smile on her face as she speaks, waving at him. He gives her a nod of acknowledgement. "I'll tell you what, take one for the rest of us and marry him, that way we don't have to."

Alice wants to cry hearing that, because Calum has a heart and it's cold, yes, but it beats and flutters every time he sees her and maybe hers flutters at the sight of him, too. He has a soul and it's pained and full of sorrow but his mum is bedridden due to an illness that only gets worse every day and he has no choice but to live to his father's ruthless expectations. He has bad days and good ones, he lives in wealth and has no clue how little money his workers, his own servants, get paid. She adores Calum for being so strong when everyone else throws nothing but insults and glares his way. She truly adores him.

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mpxsun-blog · 5 years

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* sunny duo. - flower girl.

age zero. he remembered the day he saw her, so small and frail. such a little thing in the arms of his lover. couldn’t really open her eyes, screaming loud in the arms of others. he had seen babies before, mainly in the form of monkeys that his subjects had given birth too—and they were even smaller than the infant sharing his blood. and oh, what an odd thought it was. his own kin, right in front of his eyes. a blood relative, not a relationship forged to become familial. born from a magic stone, this deity had grown up too fast and was thrown into the cruel adult life right from the get go. he had faced hardships alone, had been always lonely despite the beings he had flocked to being around him most times. an isolated entity trying too hard to blend in, falling down into a deep pit that pushed him further away from others. seeing this small babe now, so soft and fragile, he could not imagine her suffering the way he did. when the nurse offered to let him carry her, the young demigod ceased her screams and seemed to bask in the warmth he offered. he blinked down at the child—his child, and he felt his heart melt a bit. “it looks like she took a liking to you mr. sun.” the nurse remarked with a smile, and he couldn’t help the goofy grin stretching out on his lips. a gurgle of what seemed to be from joy escaped the baby’s tiny lips and yeah, he knew the feeling was mutual. even if that day had been dampened by his lover leaving this life with them, he knew that whether that woman had stayed or not—he was going to be there for his little girl to the bitter end. his beautiful flower, still so small and growing, waiting to bloom. not like him, once stone and ignoring all laws to become a living being. and now, he was trying to help this young one blossom. ( when her first word was baba and she eagerly held her hands out to him to be held—he knew for sure that he would do anything and everything for her. )

age one. being a single father was tiring. it’s only been a year, but he thought he spent most of it more awake than ever and changing diapers. he could only thank the fact he had the ability to clone himself or else he think he’d be more dead on his feet than he already was. he supposed he knew why there were so many struggling single parents, and to think—most of such people were humans! frail they may be, but tenacious they were as well. moreover, he couldn’t really give the girl breast milk and had to constantly make the formula milk for her ( was he tempted to switch to being a woman at times? yes, yes he was ). if there was anything he’s grateful from his former lover, it was definitely leaving behind her more peaceful personality into the baby. although she was loud in the beginning, she quieted down more and wasn’t too high maintenance. dear lord, if she had taken more after him he had no doubt she was going to raise hell. would that have been karma if such things happened? most likely, yes. he also couldn’t help but feel bad for any other potential children and single mothers he left elsewhere. especially knowing what they had to face from taking care of a child alone. there was the sound of a baby crying, and his clone screaming for help. he also may have heard a crash and he could only groan. age two. it kind of gets better, mainly because he’s learning to get used to it. he also finally met bajie and wujing since the whole saddled with a baby situation and the pig had laughed until his voice was hoarse ( which also led to the other getting smacked lightly by his staff—and by lightly he meant rather painfully ). fortunately, wujing ( bless his soul ) was more helpful and a good influence on meihua. he already made sure to threaten bajie to not try anything or he swore that he would end him—brother or not. there was a pleasant wind that day, and at this point he tend to relate any distinct feeling brought by the environment as xuanzang saying something. as the monk’s longtime friend, he believed that the now buddha was praising him for his good job so far but displeased with how he threatened bajie ( listen, he got to protect his precious little flower! ). unfortunately, neither really did experience proper childcare, which was why he had resort to learning from good ol’ google more often than not. gaining help from others, such as other gods like brigid and persephone, or human friends he made like the acrobatics couple from the circus or his actor mentor from his first drama. or rolling with it and hoping for the best ( he had never prayed for kuan yin when he was going through the journey to the west, but he did so multiple times with the hopes of being able to care for meihua ). he lied down on the floor, taking a momentary break but not exactly exhausted. he blessed his heightened condition every day to let him manage meihua without ever getting too tired out from it. as he took deep breaths in, he saw the little girl crawling to him from a distance. a bright smile on her features, and he couldn’t help but smile. in the end, it was all very much worth it. age three. time passes by too fast sometimes. she’s already three and it only felt like days. he’s filling up an album already with pictures, small notes written on it with an excessive amount of cooing. the girl was loved by not only him, but many others he had met within the city. and how couldn’t they? most of the pictures carefully put into these books were of her smiling happily. she was cheery and bright, a sunshine girl. and to keep that brightness, he had made sure to make himself into a good role model. heck, he barely drank alcohol these days, and even stopped getting into flings because it took too much time away from spending it with meihua. he’s also gotten softer, so much softer, ever since he returned with his child in his arms. not so wild, not so sporadic ( well he still was, but not really as bad ), not so much of causing mayhem. his pranks now were even more harmless, and his words less snarky. it came with the desire to set up a good example to the little girl really. she’s a positive effect in his life, and holding her up to the sky with the sun illuminating her back in a holy manner—he knew she was the reason he became better. matching smiles, on that sunny day, they laugh in harmony. she may not have someone to call mother, but he tried to fill the big gap to the best of his abilities. age four. “baba, here!” the excited shout from meihua rang clear as she set down the paper that had the sea drawn on it—paper 3/4 filled with shades of blue and done by crayons. he instantly responded with cheer and compliments before ushering her to wash her hands. as she did so, he sets down a thin sheet of plastic over the colored paper. meihua comes back soon, and then he carried her up and presented to her an assortment of food. various, simple dishes like rice balls in the form of a fish, octopus sausages, and crab-like croissant sandwiches were set onto the plastic-covered paper. a collaboration one would say, and one he was proud to have thought of and for meihua to have contributed. they then ate their meal peacefully, but as they did meihua looked at him with wide and curious eyes. “baba...where is mama?” it’s a simple question, but it made him freeze. looking at her like a deer ( or monkey in this case ) caught in headlights, he wasn’t sure what to say. meihua’s always been a bit more smarter than other kids, something he liked to believe was from him. however, she’s still so young, and there’s a lot of complications to the whole former lover sort of leaving them because he hadn’t managed to properly tell her that he was a deity before it was too late. he’s not really blaming her, not really, he long accepted that things had crashed down but he was glad that in the end he could still keep meihua and nothing crazier happened. however, he didn’t want to make her feel bad, didn’t want to put her feelings down. he loved his little girl happy. in the end, he sighed softly “there’s....there’s a lot that happened, but your mama was going through some bad things and i didn’t know. then it got bad for us and she...left.” okay, maybe not the best word choices. however, this had always been xuanzang’s area of expertise, not his. he wanted to berate himself, but before he could meihua simply nodded “so i gotta’ find a new mama!” wait, what? “a mama for baba so baba won’t be so tired! and a mama who stays no matter what!” there’s a determined nod, and god she was so mature for someone so little and he couldn’t help but be so proud of her in that moment. this was his young child, so wise already and loved him dearly. no—shut up, he wasn’t tearing up. but yeah, he definitely brought her to his arms and mumbled an “i love you, so, so much.” and nothing will ever change that love.

age five. his eyes had been screwed shut. his hand being tugged by a much smaller one. the little girl having told him to not come into the kitchen and living room at all costs. but now she was done and satisfied, and told him it was a big surprise. he awaited for her orders, stopping only when he felt her stop moving, and soon he head the eager shout of “now!” opening his eyes, he spotted a large a3 yellow paper having a bunch of drawings of a monkey in a crown and holding a staff. there was also the bright and colorful words of happy baba’s day! for the bestest dad ever! ( he’s pretty sure someone helped her write that as well since she hadn’t even really begun to read ) on it. it was also littered with glitter, and the floor had a bit spilled onto it which would be a bother to clean up. there was a plate of burnt cookies next to tie, with horribly drawn icing art on it but still—he knew meihua tried her best. because who else but meihua would do this, trying all alone even when she was so small ( did she ask the recipe from aura? probably ). he felt his throat constrict, and yeah, he definitely couldn’t deny deny the tears of joy now. with a bright and sweet smile filled with love, he gently and affectionately petted his daughter’s head “it’s beautiful sweetheart, absolutely beautiful.” he would never ever regret having her, or keeping her by his side. this was the little girl he’d protect and love to the very end.

#* solo. - in the cauldron of flames and the mountain of isolation.#* threads. - another day with the subjects.#* sunny duo. - flower girl.#( father's day ain't over yet here folks xD )#( also was inspired by hwang chi yeol for age four scene xD )

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