Chapter Text
"Alright, come here tiny,"
EnerJeka addict lifts the heavier than a marker being.
"Your mom needs some space," he adjusts the infant in the makeshift baby carrier drawn across his front. "Eh, I need my arms mobile, I don't wanna drop junk on your head."
He bundles the squish on his back, safe and secure.
"All good back there?"
"Weh ah!"
"Okay good." He squints at the ruined city ahead. He slurps EnerJeka from his straw hat. "Your mom, hah - your mom - she pours so much into us. Hah, nice. Dad puns already."
"Wah!" His son kicks his back while held by the fabric. He prefers to stand, and grab stuff.
"You know, you'll prolly be running in no time."
EnerJeka yanks a bent metal pipe to use as a walking stick.
"That's honestly terrifying if you ask me. But I shouldn't feed you anxiety. I know that much."
EnerJeka sticks to the sides of buildings, rather than out in the street.
Clear.
Silent.
No survivors heard but the squish he wouldn't give up for even a lifelong subscription of EnerJekas.
That's his baby yo!
"Hey."
Someone whispers.
"Wah eh!" huffs the squishy miracle. It's warped in squeals.
EnerJeka addict yelps with a turn. Bristling, but ready to beat the shit out of anyone willing to try him.
Seductive woman flinches,
"You're tense. Jesus."
She tries to peek around him, to wave at the baby.
He lets her. Shoulders tense.
"Where's the love of my life?"
Seductive woman protects her eyes from the imagined sun rays.
"[NAME] is patrolling the perimeter. And tiny here, needs diapers." He lowers the pipe with a hand comically covering his chest. "It is my acclaimed duty to make them happy."
He walks on, left hand holding the pipe, while his right touches the brick wall. As if testing it's stability.
"I can't stay and talk. Tiny will demand food soon."
"Alone?" seductive woman scoffs, "Like you can carry a box of diapers and defend - I'm going too. You're focused on baby stuff, [NAME] would like getting chocolate too."
EnerJeka addict opens his mouth before closing it around his straw. He gives a small nod. That's an extra someone to watch his back.
Tiny squeaks and makes grabby hands. This fabric can't keep the tiny warrior contained forever. "Wee. Eh ah!" Tiny warrior eats his fist.
EnerJeka addict peers around a corner.
Seductive woman gives him space, but coos back at the baby. "You look just almost like my wife." She jests without touching.
The baby's eyes sparkle at her. Toothless grin activated.
"Not your wife."
EnerJeka addict falls for the bait.
"You didn't propose... so I just might."
His face warms. He bites his tongue.
EnerJeka gives a slow released breath. The apartment complex is clear... so far. Someone's bound to have baby supplies that never got to be used.
"Can you check in there please? I would but-"
"Yes, yes, squishy face, I know."
Seductive woman hovers over her waist gun. She quiets.
Tiny breaks it.
"Dah uh. Dah wah?" tiny kicks again. He can't cry. If he cries, he alerts anything nearby.
EnerJeka addict carefully, slowly, unravels the bundle of chub from his back, into his arms. Rewarded with a 'mm meh' sound. Sleepy tiny warrior.
"You are such a tiny squish-fest, you know that?"
He kisses the baby's cheek before shifting the baby carrier around to hold the baby in the front. He does consistent look up/checks the hall for any disturbances. The metal pipe squeezed between his thighs for a second.
Tiny warrior is content again. More awake, but less talking. Just idle, unfocused eyes with a fist in his mouth.
Seductive woman leans against the doorway. "It's clear."
EnerJeka nods, and keeps the metal pipe in his left hand, and digs around with his right.
"I think they're part of the few that left the night the news came."
She whispers.
"There's still shoes by the door though. Maybe a Visitor ate them all, and left..."
"That's depressing," he deadpans. He kisses tiny warrior's head.
Then tugs open a closet.
He sets the pipe down on the bed. It bumps into open luggage. He looks over his shoulder, brows knit together while sucking more EnerJeka. They would've wanted the suitcase used. He picks a few things from both closets. Mostly fancy clothing. What was this fancy couple doing living in this mediocre apartment?
"Diapers in this room."
Seductive woman pops her head in. "Ooh, clean blankets. Might take those. Get that suitcase off."
She softens the energy. It's nice to having someone you know be around.
He finishes loading up the suitcase with socks, and practical clothes. He leaves the fancier stuff behind for the next raider. The suitcase wheels hit the carpet, and he rolls it into the hall. "You said diapers in here?" he echoes.
The metal pipe remains on the other bed.
EnerJeka freezes at the pristine bassinet. He drops the luggage handle and cradles the tiny warrior content watching him.
"Dah?" Tiny squeaks. The lack of movement is annoying. "Dah yee? Wah? Wah!"
He presses a bunch of steady kisses to tiny's forehead. Eyes glued to the dusty wall decorations, the chipped paint, the toys still in their packaging in the corner.
It hurts.
Like his soul went "EW" at this grim reality that he refuses to be his own.
The pain the couple must've felt, if there was even a baby at all.
No. He's just projecting a story onto this.
It's all fine probably.
They were just so eager to leave this part of the world - they quit packing to safely move their family away.
That's it.
Another shaky sigh touches tiny warrior's face. Tiny's face squishes. He wiggles and squirms. He wants to crawl damn it. Release him!
"Shh, shh, we're almost ready tiny, promise."
EnerJeka addict shakes his head.
"Yep, when we get home; you'll be fed, you'll have kisses, you'll have a cool bath..."
He reassures himself as he bags the necessities from the nursery room. How thankful he is, to have a need for these things. An adorably warm, needy, squishy need.
"If you think you're dying, you might be utterly insane."
He spoke in a baby tone, just to hide the intensity.
"I'm not letting anything happen to you, or your mom. I'd rather all the EnerJeka factories shut down - forever - for eternity - than a Visitor eating you."
"Mmm," coos the sleepy warrior bound to his chest.
"You gotta cut it out with the cute noises though," he resists squishing the fearsome warrior, "it makes you sound more yummy."
The tiny warrior nods off. He smushes the side of his soft face against EnerJeka addict's warm chest.
Tiny warrior releases a soft sigh of his own. Like being a squishy miracle is tough work.
What a silly guy.