TUMBLR TRIED TO LOCK ME OUT

Paragon

The last time we saw 406, she got beat up by War for coming onto Pest. She's not the most graceful or emotionally mature person in the multiverse, but since then, she's gone through some things that completely turned her life upside down. She makes a choice that could very well count as her first step toward becoming a better person

This is also kinda sorta more like a flashback of sorts, since the events would've already happened at some point in the background

(gonna add some potential trigger warnings for implied abuse, angst, brief violence, references to coercion, references to r*pe/noncon, forced pregnancy, and childbirth)

"Hey, Cross?"

The soldier glanced at his teammate, "What?" The glitch seemed to hesitate for a moment, her brow bones furrowing, "Do you... Ever think about leaving here? Finding somewhere new that's safe, and starting over?" Cross shifted his full attention to her, making a face. He glanced around at their surroundings, making sure they were alone before he murmured, "Of course... All the time." 406's gaze became pleading, "If we worked together, we could find a way out." He frowned, regarding her with confusion and concern, "Why would you wanna leave?... You and Killer are an item. You love the guy, for whatever reason. That, and you're... Y'know." He gestured to her extremely swollen stomach and she shrunk back, wrapping her arms around herself. Lowering her gaze to the floor, she was silent for a moment before slowly lifting a hand, touching the forming bruise that resided on her cheek, "Maybe I do have feelings for him, but... I don't think he gives a damn about me. He's been sneaking around with the princess and the boss, and he's been making passes at Kali recently, too. I don't think I mean anything to him." She paused, tears beginning to prick at her sockets, "I didn't even want this pregnancy... He forced it on me. I don't have the heart to kill a baby, but I don't think I'm meant to be a mom, either... The kid deserves so much better than a life here with me." Cross watched as a tear ran down her face and transformed into a single blue thread, and he frowned.

Approaching her without hesitation, he opened his arms, letting out a soft sigh as she latched onto him, burying her face in the fabric of his coat. As she began to cry, the soldier delicately wrapped his arms around her, his frown deepening. Killer was an ok guy at times, and on the field, he was incredibly strong. His strength and power were always impressive to witness, but deep down inside, Cross still knew Killer was nothing short of an inconsiderate prick. It didn't matter how strong Killer was; He lacked any redeeming qualities, and he didn't think twice about hurting even the people that tried to help him. Cross didn't understand what 406 ever saw in him to begin with, but he chose not to question the glitch as she continued sobbing. He used a hand to gently rub her back, and she drew in a shaky breath, "I follow all of Nightmare's orders, and I've done everything that Error's asked of me, but they don't care. I gave myself to Killer and allowed myself to be vulnerable, and he took advantage of that. I gave him everything, and in the end, he didn't give a damn. And forget Dust. He doesn't give a damn about me, either. Nobody cares, Cross. Why doesn't anyone care about me?" The soldier made a soft sound in uncertainty, his voice soft, "I don't know... But listen. They don't matter. You work harder than most of the team, and it's their problem if they can't recognize and appreciate that." 

406 began to cry harder, her grip on his coat tightening. He was quiet for a moment before he cleared his throat, prompting her to look at him. When she did, he offered her a tiny smile, "I have a meeting arranged with Dream. If I can convince him to help us, then I guess the guys here will just have to live without you. Nightmare will place more work on everyone, they'll have to work harder and longer hours, and then they'll see why they should've appreciated you more." 406 attempted to blink back more tears, her voice cracking, "D-Do you think Dream will wanna help us?... After all the things we've done?" The soldier nodded, “I’m sure he will… He’s nothing like Nightmare, or anyone else here, for that matter. From the times I’ve spoken with him, he’s kind, and he genuinely cares for others. He won’t manipulate us, or try to use us the way Nightmare would.” The glitch sniffled, “What’ll happen when Nightmare finds out that we betrayed him, though? What about Error?” She paused, her figure fizzling, “They’re gonna kill us, Cross. They’ll kill us when they find out what we did.” Cross’ brow bones became knit in determination, “It’s not gonna be pretty when they catch on, but I won’t just stand there and let them try to kill us for it. I intend to fight them every step of the way. I know you’re pregnant and all, but I might need your help, 406. Do you think you could…?”

With teary eyes, she slowly looked up at him, biting back another fearful sob, “I dunno how much I could do without risking mine and the baby’s safety too much, but if it means getting out of here and finding somewhere better to go, then I’ll do whatever I have to.” Cross offered her a small smile in reassurance, lifting a hand to gently cup her face, “You’re strong, and I believe in you, ok? We can do this. I know we can.” Interrupting their moment, one of their teammates cleared their throat, “Well, isn’t this sweet. I didn’t think anyone here was capable of that anymore.” The pair stiffened, and Cross moved to shield 406 with his body. In the doorway, Kali watched both of them, her expression unreadable. 

Cross scowled at her, his entire body tensed, “What are you doing here, Kali? Didn’t you have a job to do?” The female skeleton leaned against the door frame, casually shrugging her shoulders, “I did, but I’m finished now. Why does that matter to you?” The soldier scoffed, “You know exactly why it matters. How long have you been standing there?” Kali hummed, “Long enough to hear about your plans to run away together and start working for Dream.” 406’s sockets widened in fear and she peeked around Cross’ shoulder to look at Kali, her tone all but pleading, “Please don’t say anything to anyone, Kali. I know you don’t like me very much, but please don’t say anything. If anyone finds out, we could be killed for this. Cross would die, I would die, my baby would die… Please, please don’t tell anyone. I don’t want them to hurt the baby.” Kali shifted her attention to the glitch and tilted her head, “You’re right that I don’t like you. I don’t like you OR Cross, and I’ve never been a fan of kids, either. Killer fathered that child though, and we both know he’s one of Nightmare’s strongest. Between the two of you, I’m curious to know how strong the baby will be.” 406’s terrified gaze became confused, and Kali took a moment to gauge it before she continued, “I can’t exactly see how strong your baby is if it’s dead, can I?” Cross’ expression hardened at her words, “What are you saying, Kali? Are you gonna keep your mouth shut or not?” 

The skeleton in question looked at him again, “I have nothing to gain from ratting you out, so I might as well.” The pair visibly began to relax, and for a moment, it was silent. Kali contemplated something for a few seconds before her own brow bones became knit, “I’m leaving too, actually. The princess offered me a job, and I already agreed. It’ll be a matter of days before everything’s processed, and I should be able to move into her castle fairly soon.” Cross made a face, clearly not buying any of what she’d said, “Oh yeah? What kind of job did she offer you?” She sighed, “Bodyguard. It’ll be pretty similar to this job, but she already explained that she’d raise the pay and adjust my work hours if I had any complaints. I won’t have to guard her all the time, only when she asks me to.” The discussion came to a screeching halt as Killer emerged from a nearby room and sauntered over to Kali, now also blocking the doorway. Casually twirling a knife in one hand, he arched a brow bone, “Well don’t stop your conversation because of little ol’ me. By all means, keep talkin’.” 406 stared at him with wide eyes, remaining hidden behind Cross. Noticing immediately as 406 clung tightly to his coat, the soldier narrowed his eyes at Killer, “Why the hell are you even here, Killer? No one invited you into the conversation, and no one wants you here, so do us all a favor and go away.” Killer brushed off his words with ease, “Sorry Criss-Cross, last time I checked, you’re not my boss.” Cross growled lowly in irritation and Killer let out an exaggerated groan, “Oh, stop it, will ya. You know that doesn’t work on me. “

Finally spotting 406 peeking at him from behind Cross, Killer hummed, a smirk making its way onto his face, “There she is… I’ve been looking for ya everywhere, Mama.” 406 shrunk back, holding Cross’ coat in a death-grip as she let out a nearly inaudible whine. Fully aware of her reaction, he began to approach her, but was stopped as Kali suddenly straightened, blocking his path. With both arms outstretched, she blocked the entire doorway and scowled up at Killer. In response, he made a face, “Uhhh, Kali? What are you doing? I’m tryna get through here, y’know.” She nodded, “Yeah, I’m aware. I don’t think it’d be a good idea to enter the room with them, though. It’d be in your best interest to leave.” Killer stared at her for a few seconds, and then offered her a charming grin. Pocketing his knife, he reached out to hold her hips, tugging her flush against himself as he purred, “Only if you leave with me.” 

Kali’s scowl hardened and she hissed, “You have two seconds to get your damn hands off of me.” Ignoring her warning, Killer kept himself pressed firmly against her, chuckling in amusement, “You’re feisty… I like that.” Kali growled, catching him completely by surprise as she jerked her leg upward and kneed him square in the pelvis. His sockets widened and he spat out a string of expletives, and she scoffed, stomping on one of his feet as hard as possible. He released her hips, and as soon as she saw his hand dart into the pocket that contained his knife, she balled her hand into a fist. As her fist caught the underside of his jaw with the force of a freight train, his head was thrown back. Killer staggered back away from her, his sockets narrowed in anger as he regained his balance and drew his knife, growling, “You little bitch… You’re gonna pay for that!” Donning a cocky grin, Kali arched a brow bone, holding out a hand and summoning her trident, “Am I, Killer? Attack me and see what happens, I dare you.” In the background, Cross and 406 watched her in shock. Killer was strong… Enough so that Nightmare had made him his right hand. Kali was still new, and she’d never seriously fought him before. 406 drew in a sharp breath, pressing a hand to her swollen stomach and wincing. Cross glanced back at her over his shoulder, “You ok, 406?” The glitch gave a tiny nod, “I-I think so… There was this sharp pain, but it’s gone now.” 

The soldier nodded back, and just as he was about to respond, she whined loudly, tears pricking at her sockets again as she hugged herself. Cross frowned and turned to face her, carefully scooping her up into his arms, “Come on, we’ve gotta get you away from here.” Kali interrupted, “Hey, if it’s the baby, go straight to the princess. She’ll be able to help you better than anyone else you know.” Cross made a sound in acknowledgment, glancing back to see Killer pinning her to a wall, his arm over her throat, “Ok, we will. Are you gonna be ok?” Kali kept her attention on Killer, still glaring at him, “I’ll be fine, don’t worry. Just go, Cross. You have bigger things to worry about at the moment.” 406 cried out in pain and Cross’ eyes widened, a look of panic settling on his face. He used a shortcut, the glitch still in his arms as he vanished. Reappearing in the throne room of Nyx’s castle, he looked around, frantically calling out, “Is anyone here?! Please, we need help! Please help us!” Phasing out of the nearby shadows, the princess quickly pieced together what was happening. Snapping her finger, an imp appeared in a small puff of red smoke beside her. Realizing that his surroundings had changed, the imp immediately narrowed his eyes at her, “Your Highness, what is the me-“ “Get your cleaning supplies ready, Custodius. I need to get these two to the clinic, and I want you to sanitize the area. The sooner, the better.” Registering what she was asking of him, Custodius nodded, giving a small, quick bow before disappearing down the hall. Nyx approached the pair, “I’ll take you to the clinic. Take my hand, Cross.” 

Cross shifted 406 in his arms, taking the hand that Nyx had offered to him. With another shortcut, the three of them were teleported across the castle and into the clinic. Cross gingerly set 406 down on one of the empty beds and helped her lay down, and Nyx’s magic gripped the curtains, pulling them closed around the bed for privacy. Focusing on the pair, she furrowed her brow bones, “Are you the father?” Cross shook her head, “No. The dad is Killer.” The princess briefly clenched her jaw, letting out a deep sigh, “Shall I contact him?” The soldier shook his head again, “No, don’t. He considered killing the baby at one point, and she doesn’t want him around.” She made a sound in understanding, “I see… In that case, I won’t. I need you to get her lower half undressed so we can proceed with the birth.” Despite the purple blush that began to spread across his face, Cross nodded, immediately moving to follow the princess’s instructions. Nyx’s magic briefly flared up, and a humanoid shadow figure appeared beside the bed, offering a hand to 406. The glitch stared at it with wide eyes and the princess took the gentlest tone possible, “Please take its hand, 406. It can’t feel anything, so you can squeeze as hard as you need to.” 406 whimpered, one hand holding her stomach while she lifted the other, taking the shadow figure’s hand in her own. As pain flooded her senses, the glitch let out a shrill scream, blue tears rolling down her face and shifting into threads. As soon as Cross finished removing her pants, she was instructed to begin pushing, and she complied. 

In what seemed like forever and yet no time at all, the baby was born. A blanket was draped over 406’s lower half, and as she gazed at the tiny, prematurely-born babybones in her arms, she felt nothing but love. This baby… Her son… He was perfect. Cross sat on the edge of the bed beside her, watching how she held the infant so close to herself and the way she was looking at him. It was obvious that she loved him, and Cross couldn't blame her; He was tiny and adorable, and although most of his lightly greyed bones were concealed by the small blanket he’d been swaddled in, his wide, deep scarlet sockets were wide open and completely visible. He cooed and let out the occasional squeal, and 406 watched him, entirely enamored by his behavior. Slipping back into their private section of the clinic, Nyx was silent for a moment, calmly watching the new mother and infant. She took another few seconds to observe Cross, a bit surprised that he’d decided to stay. He wasn’t the father, but he was almost acting like he thought he was. The princess cleared her throat to announce her presence, before she approached the bed. 406 reluctantly tore her gaze away from her son to look up at Nyx as she spoke, “I hate to bombard you with such serious questions right after you’ve just given birth, but there are some things that I need to know.” The glitch furrowed her brow bones in concern, “Like what?…” The princess stole a glance at the infant before responding, “Kali has informed me that the two of you were considering running from my father, and she seems to believe that your intentions were to seek safety with Dream. Is that true?” 

406 hesitated, glancing away from the princess as she hesitantly nodded, her voice soft, “Yeah… That’s true.” Cross blinked in surprise, “You heard back from Kali already? That was fast.” Nyx couldn’t help the tiny, mildly amused grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth, “I did. I got the message from her shortly after the two of you arrived here.” She made her way around 406’s bed, taking a seat in a nearby chair, “Explain to me why you’d run from my father, though. I’d like to hear your reasons.” The glitch frowned, unconsciously tightening her grip on her son the smallest bit, “The pay was good, and we had all the food and material items we could’ve ever wanted, but… He did nothing to prevent the abuse that happened between members of his staff. Like this baby… I didn’t even want to be a mom. Killer forced it on me when I told him not to, and here we are now. I started to think about the conditions that my son would be growing up in, and I realized that it’s not safe there for him.” Nyx tilted her head, “You wanted to leave because of the environment, and because you were worried for your child’s safety.” 406 nodded in confirmation, and Nyx reached out, delicately touching her arm, “I see. That’s very noble of you, and I’m happy to hear that you care so much for the safety of your child. I can tell that you love him very much already, and while that brings me joy, I need to ask if you intend to keep him.” The glitch seemed startled by her question, her sockets momentarily widening the smallest bit. 

For clarification, the princess added on, “You said that you didn’t want to be a mother, so I wondered what your plans were for the baby.” 406 watched her son for a moment in silence before she frowned, letting out a deep sigh, “I don’t… I’m not capable of being the kind of parent that he needs. I’m temperamental and unstable; sometimes I can’t even predict what I’ll do next. If I kept him, there’s a chance that I could hurt him, and I don’t want that. I love him, and it’s gonna hurt like hell to give him away, but I think it might be what’s best for him.” The princess’s expression softened, “I understand. While I’d like nothing more than to give you my best wishes for motherhood, I can see what you mean, and I think you might be right. If you’re not sure that you can guarantee his safety and constant wellbeing, then it would be best to have him be cared for by someone who can. Was there anyone that you had in mind already?” 406 shook her head, “No, there’s not. Other than you and Cross, I have no one that I can go to for this.” Nyx was silent for a brief moment, contemplating what to do; She really wanted to help, and while she knew that one day, there’d have to be an heir to her throne, she couldn’t care for the child herself. As of right now, she was simply too busy, and she knew she’d never be able to provide the constant love and care that the baby needed. Her thoughts drifted back to her followers, and an idea dawned on her. 

“How about we keep him here for the next two months? He was born prematurely, so it’d give us a chance to monitor his health and give him the chance to develop a bit. I can send for supplies as soon as you need them, and you can take that time to look through some paperwork and pick out someone suitable to adopt him.” 406’s body fizzled in surprise at the offer, and she looked at Nyx with wide eyes, “You’re sure there’s someone out there that’d really wanna adopt him?… Do you think they’d allow me to visit someday and meet him, once I get settled in somewhere and have time to work on myself?” The princess made a sound in confirmation, offering her a slight smile in reassurance, “Of course I’m sure. I take in orphans and rescue children all the time, and there’s plenty of people in my kingdom that would be overjoyed at the chance to take him in. If you want to meet him someday, you could write that down and I’ll make sure to bring it up to whoever you consider sending him to.” 

The glitch slowly nodded, “Alright, I guess that’d be ok… Why two months, though?” Nyx arched a brow bone, “That’s for his well-being. If you stay here and breastfeed him for two or three months, it’ll help with his development and lower his risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. You could bottle feed him instead if you really wanted to, but I’ve found that compared to babies that are exclusively breastfed, formula-fed babies get sick more often, and they have a doubled overall infant death risk.” 406’s sockets widened slightly and her brow bones became furrowed, “How long do I have to worry about him suddenly dying?” The princess hummed, “The risk will be present until he’s a year old, but most cases happen between one and four months of age. Technically speaking, the risk won’t start to decrease until he reaches six months old, but I’m sure he’ll be alright. I make sure to educate all of the people who fill out adoption applications, especially those that plan to adopt infants.” 406 began to slowly relax, and the princess seemed to consider something as she continued watching the glitch. Shifting her attention to Cross, she cleared her throat, “Cross, you’ve been to my castle before, correct?” The soldier nodded, arching a brow bone in confusion, “Yeah, I have… Why?” Nyx stood and made her way over to a cabinet, opening it and beginning to dig through the contents, “I need you to find my office. On my desk, there’s a key for one of my filing cabinets. The key has a purple paint spot on it, and once you find it and get to the filing cabinet that’s labeled ‘A - E’, I need you to unlock it and go through the ‘C’ files. There’s one that has a green label on the front, and I need you to bring it to me.” 

Deciding not to question her, the soldier made a sound in acknowledgment, murmuring a soft ‘yes, ma’am’ before vanishing. The glitch glanced from the area he’d just been sitting to the princess, visibly confused. Well aware of her confusion, Nyx turned to face her, wearing a tiny, amused grin again, “I figured I’d give him something to do while I try to help you learn how to breastfeed. Unless, of course, you wanted him to stick around.” 406’s cheekbones immediately became flushed with a deep shade of a dull midnight blue and she shook her head, “Nope. That was a good call, Princess.” Nyx bit back laughter at the glitch’s response and sighed, approaching the bed again. Reaching for the infant, she hummed, “I’ll take the baby for a moment… You’ll get him back as soon as you’re ready, I promise.” Although she was clearly a bit reluctant to do so, she carefully passed her new son to Nyx. As she proceeded to sit up and began fumbling with her shirt, the princess looked at the baby and hummed, “Out of curiosity, what would you like to name him?” 

406’s face remained stained with a blush and she refused to look at Nyx as she began to reveal her ecto, “Well… When I first looked at him, I thought he was perfect. That being said, I feel like ‘Paragon’ would be pretty fitting.” Nyx’s expression softened as the baby cooed and stared up at her with wide eyes, his body giving a tiny glitch, “Paragon, huh?… I think I like the sound of that.”