Archive of Our Own

Sitting at a table in complete silence was a little boring for anyone. Well, not complete silence. Of course the sounds of metal utensils scraping against plates were present. But typically, there would at least be someone speaking, whether that be his loud dad saying funny things he couldn't fully understand and ending his phrase with a signature "let's go!!", or his equally-unhinged-but-calmer daddy suggesting things to do, planning ahead for everyone.

Their lives were a little mundane. For their kind of situation, at least. LookOut would go out on awesome adventures, caving and killing anything in his path for the fun of it. Then, he'd come home whenever he was done and tell Freakity all about it. It was always so fun to listen to his stories! His daddy used to tag along on these adventures more often, but now he focused more on keeping an eye on Freakity and making sure he got more knowledge for him to grow big and healthy. Sometimes, he'd go out briefly if his dad really needed directions, but his ego made these occurrences rare. Therefore, Verity stayed home most days to care for his pride and joy. Occasionally, the three of them would go hunting for their own food sources too, and he'd alternate between hunting with his dad or daddy due to his ability to digest both human and animal meat. Both have taught him so much in the little amount of time he's been back, and he's never been happier!

It was a strange set of events, as if he had been reborn. Well, he was, but he swore he had been reborn into an alternative timeline or something, because he had never seen his parents care so much about him. The same people that wanted him dead, and made him want to die, were now the same people that made every day fun for him and made sure he felt loved. He really felt like their son! Even though he already was. Because of course, it was not all sunshine and rainbows. It would always be difficult to forget the things they said to and about him. Those things weren't true, at least not anymore he hoped, but they were still scabs in his small heart.

It was a true dream! When he was (literally) reborn, they weren't mad. They weren't disappointed to see him. They didn't yell at him or groan the way they would have in the past. Instead, they came to be apologetic. They promised him they would be so much better, repenting over and over. They knew they wouldn't be perfect, but they made it work. After all, no parent would ever be perfect.

It took time and patience, but they really built a good family.

"So, Freakity, what did you two do today? Did you have any fun?" LookOut was the first to speak up, snapping Freakity out of his train of thought. It was an unusual tone for him; he was oddly quieter, using his regular voice. Frankly, it was unnerving whenever he used that voice. He typically only reserved that for when Freakity needed a scolding—and that was very rare too—, when he was sleepy, or when he seriously had to threaten someone. On the contrary, the last option was more common than one would think. But, something about it this time felt... colder.

"Hmm..." He only started, but couldn't finish a thought. His smile faded when he realized he didn't know. In fact, he realized he didn't know anything. He looked up at his dad, then at his daddy, who both looked at him too, stopping their eating. He was taking too long to respond.

It was dead silent now.

Their expressions were unreadable. Were they concerned? Were they annoyed? Their slightly furrowed brows didn't convey much. Freakity wasn't very sure, but something about it made him feel inferior and guilty. He hadn't felt this sort of ambivalence from his parents towards him in a long time. Not since their new beginning.

"I... can't remember..." He finally admitted it. He strained his memory, scraped to the very last bit of information he previously recalled, but ultimately found nothing. He was unable to respond quickly, or respond at all. On top of that, he noticed how fuzzy his mind suddenly felt, like his head had been stuffed with cotton candy. It was like attempting to make out a full image out of pure static.

He saw LookOut and Verity glance at each other, still unintelligible to him.

"We did some gardening today. Don't you remember, sweetheart?" Verity chimed in, his soft voice almost being too sweet. Cloying.

"No... I'm sorry..." He didn't know why he was compelled to look down in shame. He knew his parents wouldn't be mad at him. He knew they'd understand, but for some reason, he felt much smaller than usual.

"You should be."

Freakity didn't register that. Not completely, at least. He didn't want to, either. He assumed that his dad simply slipped up. That was surely bound to happen eventually, but they always got back on the right track! They'd always—

"My god, LookOut, I told you this was all a mistake." Freakity heard his daddy whisper, but it's not like he was trying to mask it. He leaned in towards LookOut's seat, but he was still loud and clear through the stabbing silence. No utensils cluttered; everyone sat still. Everything was so still except for the judging stares his parents sent his way, and the knowing looks they exchanged between each other.

A shiver went down his spine (he had one now!). The change of Verity's voice when talking about him made his heart drop. He thought—hoped—he'd never have to hear it again.

"...What is?" Freakity managed to mumble out between shivers. He didn't even notice that he was shaking; it was only a reflex.

"Nothing! Nothing. We were just recalling something we did while we were out the other day." Which obviously made no sense, and he knew that. "Would you like more mutton, hun?"

"No thanks..."

They talked about him like he wasn't in front of them, all while talking to him as if nothing had happened. His heart sank. He began spiraling. Though, he tried to stay as still as possible to not trigger any unwanted response from either parent. But why? He already knew he could never make them snap at him again. Or, more like, he thought so. They loved him. He liked to think so. So why did he feel so nervous around them now?

"What a useless stinky little shit. You know, we could always get rid of him again, haha, let's go...!"

"What?"

His daddy rolled his eyes at the idiotic statement. From both of them.

Why was this happening? He could have sworn everything was perfect! But he couldn't remember any specifics... was it ever real? The things he recalled were merely ideas, not specific events, and the brain fog wasn't letting him pry at his own memories. His watering eyes only made everything blurrier.

He was getting desperate. His heart felt heavy. Did he make it all up? His perfect life with his loving parents. Or was he hallucinating the insulting whispers that came out of his parents' mouths? He couldn't figure out what was real anymore. He could somehow remember less by the second. It was painful. It ached. He wanted his parents' words to just be auditory hallucinations.

But...

"So, son, how about we go hunting tomorrow? You've been getting better at it, buddy!"

All those times they showed him, or told him, they loved him...

It had been an exhausting day. At least for one of them. Somehow, despite being an AI, today had been so tiring. Him and LookOut had gone a long way to find a village. To threaten for good deals and destroy afterward at LookOut's request, of course, which he needed Verity's help to get easy explosives. Clearly, that quickly turned into a shitshow, and Verity did not completely appreciate the turmoil he was dragged into. Whatever exhilarating endeavors happened between them before bed were totally irrelevant and did not contribute to the fatigue of either party.

It hadn't just been physically exhausting for him, though. It was fun to spend some ""quality time"" with LookOut in assisting him with his deranged activities, sure, but Verity's mind couldn't stay still at the thought of having left Freakity at home for that long. He knew the kid knew how to behave on his own, and he'd always know if Freakity was ever in trouble while he was away—he knew everything!—, but he still felt that itch he needed to scratch to be there. His anxiety was only satiated when he walked through the front door and saw his son drawing with his crayons, which Verity added for him through mods.

LookOut, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as worried simply because he trusted that he trained the kid well enough to defend himself. With a gun! That was not a bad idea in the slightest. That didn't mean he didn't worry at all, but his mind was more focused on slaughtering villagers the whole way through (and he wasn't completely sober). Besides, his own kid could turn into a super scary shit-your-pants-inducing giant creature. If any normal person saw him, they'd surely end up like the HYROX Beijing Fitness Competition Incident™: shat. He wasn't sure if at his age he could fully control that form yet, but he'd rather not think about that and trust him and Verity blindly in that aspect.

So now they were both sprawled on their bed, one actually sleeping and the other in sleep mode. They weren't in their "usual" attire, but also not any sleepwear. Verity solely wore some boxers and LookOut's shirt, which was too big for him, and LookOut wore the same thing he always did. Just not his shirt, apparently. That stupid hat stayed on too.

The repaired-and-improved home was supposed to be completely quiet at a time like this; it was around 3 in the morning. However, the AI slowly snapped out of sleep mode due to some sounds coming from downstairs. He did not pay it much mind, opting to not speed the process of "waking up" in hopes that it was just a passive mob outside and he could go "back to sleep". The more he listened, though, the more he realized that it sounded way too small to be a sheep or a cow, even if it was a baby. And it came from inside their home.

"Babe... do you hear that...?" Verity lightly nudged LookOut, trying to wake him up while regaining consciousness himself. To no avail; LookOut was out cold. Freezing, even.

"Ugh. LOOKOUT." A whack across the face would certainly work.

"JESUS FUCK, MAN. What??"

"SHH. Listen..." He raised a symbolic finger they could barely see, signaling the small footstep-like sounds pacing around the first floor. By this point they both sat up in bed, as if that would help them hear better. The sounds were erratic, trying to be as least disruptive as possible.

LookOut only groaned in response and pulled the covers over himself to resume his rudely interrupted peaceful slumber. "He probably just needed to piss, I don't know man. You worry too much."

"We have a bathroom on this floor too. And I doubt he's peeing all over the floor to be walking around that much."

"For the love of my fucking nutsack, don't be a frickin' smartass, he could have just wanted a midnight snack or a glass of water." The currently sober man held Verity's hand and led him to lay back down. "Go back to sleep, Veri. It's not a big deal."

Verity sighed in defeat and let himself fall back, resting his head on LookOut's bare chest. He couldn't quite sense if his son was okay or not since that ability was reserved for when they were at least 100 blocks apart. Although, he admitted that his parental instincts could sometimes end up being too paranoid, which has made him preoccupy himself over small things he shouldn't and imagine every (im)possible scenario. He couldn't bring himself to be as carefree as LookOut. One, because he did not do drugs. But two, because Freakity was one of two lights of his life.

"...If you're wrong, I'll—" He didn't even get to come up with any threat when they heard the front door discreetly open and close.

"Yeah nah it's a huge deal my fault let's go!! Like actually let's go."

They bolted out of bed, leaving behind any desire to sleep. Their first instinct was to barge into Freakity's room, hoping to see their little sunshine dreaming under the faint fairy lights they hung above his bed. Yet, the room lacked any presence save for their own. No words could ever describe the weight of the crushing anxiety that tugs at your heartstrings and plays with your sense of reason that both parents now felt. It was a terrifying void in your heart more hollow than any bullet wound. For a moment, even a fragment of this same distress could make anyone act insane. So LookOut ingeniously looked under the empty bed sheets as if they were a Freakity spawner, then frantically looked through the basket of clothes in the corner—okay what the fuck is he doing.

Verity dragged him downstairs, where they were met with a small, discourteous rearrangement of their kitchen. It was dim, but from what their adjusted eyes could see, it was not the type of scenery left by someone who had broken in, no. It was more like something left behind by someone who had rushed out. Cupboards were open and disorganized, missing an inconsistent yet careful amount of rations. Nothing was broken, and nothing was forced. It seemed so sentimental.

I mean, who would break in just to steal some food? Well, many people, actually, but...

Now getting the general idea of what happened, Verity and LookOut ran out the door, looking wherever the nearby torches would allow them. Verity wasn't panicked about the distance; he knew his baby did not go too far. He would have sensed it. Besides, there is no way he could possibly be any more panicked than he already was. What he was more panicked about was the state of his child, physically and mentally. Why? was the question. This hadn't happened since they themselves made Freakity want to— No. He couldn't think about that regrettable time period now. He centered himself on the task at hand instead.

Freakity's coordinates were unreadable to him, though. He must have messed with the code to make himself undetectable. It was painful.

LookOut, though, decided to start looking further away from the placed torches' range of visibility, taking out a flashlight from inside the home and speed-walking into the night. The ball-headed humanoid was small, but that little thing could run. He wouldn't be able to outrun either of them, obviously, but the head start he may have gotten was worrying right now. The grass crunching under him was disorienting as he tried to listen to any similar sound, but much smaller. Now with Verity following behind him, it was harder to focus on the possible sounds that could lead him to his son. On the positive side, no mobs were spawning (Verity made sure of that). No mobs around would distract him. No mobs around would hurt his little helper.

LookOut stopped and turned off his flashlight, fidgeting with his wedding ring, listening for something. If the point was to run away from them, it'd be better if neither of them were perceived instead of running around and making noise with their footsteps. Under the moonlight, they could still see potential signs of movement near or far. They could only hope that their kid had not gone in another direction. It was too dangerous to go into the forest on one side, and on the other was a dead-end cliff. The plains ahead were the only reasonable option to follow if Freakity sought to make a stop at the family's second house, which was also not a good idea because of the snow. When they thought about it for more than ten seconds, every option was horrifying.

He could have tripped and fallen into a ravine, or gotten injured with the sharp branches of the trees in the forest, or fallen into the freezing snow. What if he fell into any bodies of water? He didn't know how to swim. What if he was cold? What if he was hungry? Or sleepy? He could not sleep outdoors, it was not safe, even with all the aggressive mobs gone. What if he ran out of whatever rations of food he took? He was just a child, he wouldn't know how much food to realistically take, or how to acquire more. Thoughts rushed through like a final drop that made the meniscus break; it was a terrible time for LookOut and Verity to be thinking alike.

However, grass rustling in the distance caught their eye, and the continued sounds of running were brought to their attention.

In the dark, the smallest figure scrambled around unevenly through the tall grass. It was clear that its stamina had already been exhausted from its continuous fleeing. They had no doubt in their mind that that tiny, disoriented creature was their beloved son.

It did not take more than five seconds. The minute entity, so sad and so tired, yelped from the sudden feeling of being lifted from the ground. His mind, now active again, perked up in fear of what he could encounter in front of him, so he tightly shut his eyes. If this was it for him, at least he would not be a true burden to the world anymore. Despite that...

"Oh my goodness. Freakity!! There you are!" He was met with warmth.

Two pairs of arms wrapped around him from both sides showed him the love he needed, but he couldn't take it. His heart rejected it. He flailed. He attempted to escape their iron grasp, but they wouldn't budge. His dad took out his flashlight and shone it on him, checking for injuries, noting the scrapes and bruises on his knees and arms from some points in which he had tripped. His desperation had made him fall over some rocks several times, but he always got up without looking back. He tried to hide his wounds, but it was useless against the stronger will of the adults surrounding him.

His vision became cloudy. He didn't want to accept it. He didn't want to go back home. He learned his lesson; he didn't want to bother them anymore. If this was another trick on their part, he just wanted it to end. He didn't notice that he had started full-on sobbing in their arms.

"Hey... sweetheart, what's wrong? What happened?" Verity had a lot more questions than that, but it was important to not overwhelm his crying child, who he now held while LookOut curiously inspected what Freakity had brought with him. It was a single plastic bag with an innocent amount of food inside and nothing more. He sighed in slight amusement, but mainly unease as he considered a tragic outcome if he had brushed off the problem the same way he used to before he started taking his role as a father seriously. Somewhat seriously.

Freakity had begun to cry harder, now latching onto Verity's actually-it's-LookOut's shirt, which hung off his shoulder. It was that natural reaction people had when being asked to share the reason for their grief, and he couldn't help himself from cooling the shirt with his tears. That basic display of concern opened his tear-ducts like faucets, but it was part of what he felt he needed to feel grounded again. To get a hold of reality once more.

"Come on... you know you can tell me." Verity gently ran his hand over Freakity's hat, petting him as he lovingly held him close.

That was the word. Love. Him and LookOut loved Freakity. From the first time Verity saw him, he loved his son. Then he changed his mind—a mistake he would never commit again. For LookOut, it was the second time he saw him, but honestly knowing him it could have been worse it could have been the third so that didn't matter right now. They adored their son. He was everything to them. To wake up in the morning and make his favorite breakfast for him was everything. To come home to his excited questions after a lengthy adventure was everything. His "I love you"s and affectionate hugs were everything. He was a reason to live, even a reason to smile. His laughter was contagious, because if he was happy, they were happy. Which is why it made them so distraught to see him so disturbed it made him want to leave again. It physically hurt to see him cry. What could have ever made him relapse into his despair?

"You said I was a mistake!" Between sobs, he managed to squeak out into Verity's chest. He didn't dare look at either of them, especially not in the eyes. He avoided their gaze like the deadliest enderman to ever exist. "You wanted to get rid of me again!!"

Ah.

"Oohhh, buddy, you had a nightmare, let's— uhm." He quickly corrected his iconic phrase. "Let's not go!" It was a reflex, he couldn't help it. He could at least try to not be awkward about it, you know?

"Sweetie, none of what you saw was real. It was just a dream, we promise." So naturally, it was up to Verity to fix the moment. "We would never say anything bad about you. Not anymore." He lightly turned Freakity over to have him face them, at a minimum. He wouldn't force him to look at them, but if he wanted to see the honesty in their eyes, it'd be in front of him.

"You mean the world to us. And we know that we made some terrible mistakes in the past. It will take time for you to completely trust us again... but just know that whenever you feel doubt, you can talk to us. Take your time. Because we love you, and we'll never stop proving that."

It was silent now. But he didn't feel the same fear he did in his presumed dream. He quietly pondered their words instead, occasionally hiccuping as his crying eased. He lightly grasped at the cotton shirt Verity was wearing, and felt the fabric for a while. It was a funny thing. It looked just like the ones he himself wore on the daily. His clothes looked just like his dad's; he remembered how much he wanted to be like him. And as he looked up at Verity, met with a soft gaze and smile, he remembered that he wanted to be like him too. He wanted to be strong like his dad, and honest like his daddy.

"We love you, little one. You know that." LookOut softly wiped Freakity's tears, getting a smile out of him.

He loved them too. With his whole heart.

He cried again, but with a feeling that felt sunny compared to the crescent moon above, and he hugged his parents as close as he could in his position. On the other hand, the two dads beamed with love for their beloved sunshine.

The emotional embrace did not last more than a minute, but it felt much longer. Nobody minded that. If they could stay like this forever, they would accept it in a heartbeat. When Freakity pulled away, his already weary countenance became more noticeable.

"We'll go home now, okay? You must be tired, and we still gotta patch up those wounds, little dude. Let's go!" LookOut's regular tone wasn't alarming to him anymore, either. He recognized it as caring, and that is what he admired about his dad. Deep down, he was benevolent, notably so when a situation really called for it. One like this. Though the antonym was true as well, really, what kind of person didn't have any sadism in them?

LookOut picked up Freakity this time, cradling him so gently as if he would shatter, walking back home using Verity as a guide while he retraced their path. He would distract the kid every once in a while by pointing out something in the distance and telling him brief stories he hadn't told from his adventures. He knew it would work, and when he looked down at Freakity, who listened attentively, the sentiment was confirmed. Verity looked back, smiling at the sight of his content child, too entranced to remember what he shed tears for. Simply looking at him, they knew they had made the right choices in life.

"I'm thinking we might be sleeping in today," Verity commented as the three got into bed. Yes, the three of them. They would not be letting their son sleep alone tonight.

"Well I definitely will. You're not catching me awake before 1PM." LookOut put Freakity down in the middle of their bed, making it so he would sleep between him and Verity. The kid, with his freshly disinfected and bandaged wounds, began nodding off into sleep as soon as he was lay down.

His caring parents lay down on both sides, tucking him in with the blankets as they did so, then each gave him a kiss on the forehead. Everything was in place now and they were complete. Only they mattered in this moment: an overly needy all-knowing AI, a shitposting junkie, and the wonderful product of their love. They never envisioned themselves having a family, much less a functioning one, but their son was the best thing to ever happen to them.

"Never forget how much we love you." Verity ran his hand over Freakity's head once again. It was a gesture Freakity had come to associate with the fluffiest comfort, and recalled the times he'd crawl into Verity's lap to experience it over and over again. His daddy always gave in, humorously likening him to a very adoring cat.

"And obviously, I love you more than I love Verity," LookOut whispered to him, making him giggle. Unamused, Verity smacked the back of LookOut's head. "Okay!! Okay honey I'm sorry god damn!?"

"Good night baby, sleep well. We'll be here the whole time." Completely ignoring LookOut, Verity planted a final kiss on Freakity's cheek before positioning himself to sleep.

Nothing stung anymore, neither the wounds nor his heart. He felt brand new, full of the same joy he felt when he first came into the world. If he wasn't so tired, he would even do a backflip! Five backflips!! Haha let's go!!

He should stop hanging out with his own dad or else he was going to start saying that phrase too.

He really couldn't complain anymore. His parents were with him through the bad and good times. They saw him at his worst, and at his best. He saw them at their worst too, but there was love hidden in their pride. He sees them at their best, when guilt overpowers shame.

He was mistaken previously. Nothing was perfect, but right now his life was as close as could be.