Send 🍼 to see how my muse would react to being handed a baby
“Wha… no, Bellamy don’t you da– oh my god!”
Bryan’s eyes went wide as Bellamy handed over the small bundled up child to him, looking frantically between the bundle he was now holding awkwardly in his hands, and the older man in front of him. He was frozen in place, as if unsure how or if he could move at all, and silently praying in his head that he wasn’t going to end up dropping the child or something.
“It’s not funny!” He finally sputtered out when he heard Bellamy and the child’s mother laughing, “Bellamy! Take her back! I’m not ready for the responsibility of being an uncle! That has to come later when she’s at least old enough to sit up by herself and not like… this fragile!” He glanced down at the child again, arms still stiff and just feeling a little panicked; he’d never held a child like this before.
It was then however that the tiny child let out a gurgle and then a cooing noise, and he felt his arms relax just a little. The kid was cute, he couldn’t deny that of course; and he did want to be a good uncle after all. Still, the baby was so tiny and fragile, and although Bryan appreciated the fact that the kid hadn’t started screaming yet, it made him still feel a little nervous.
“Okay, uncle time is over. If this is some ploy to get me to babysit for a while, it’s a no go, Bellamy,” He stated, taking a step back towards the older man so he could take the child back.
“Why are you claiming I am THAT stubborn? I can give in as well. If it is necessary and prevents greater damage, I can be less stubborn”, Clarke insisted and chuckled a little, although she knew that she was rather persistent. It had helped them a lot through the years, however, so a little bit of that would get her little girl places. It was hard to imagine her any older than she was right now, but one days she would grow up on a planet that was still hostile and dangerous, so a little perseverance could not be wrong.
“Uh-huh,” Bryan raised an eyebrow playfully at Clarke’s words, “Is that why you’re arguing with me about it? So stubborn. Poor baby is gonna be twice as bad.” He snickered, though froze as the baby seemed to move a little. He looked like a deer in the headlights; eyes going wide and looking down at the baby for a second, relaxing when the little one still seemed to be asleep.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that. You’re already the good uncle. There is not a bad bone in you body”, she chuckled and leaned back on the bed, stretching her legs out. It still felt a little unreal that the small baby in Bryan’s arms was HERS, but she was going to get used to it with time. “I hope she isn’t as stubborn as me, or puberty will be a real struggle. I’d rather have a quiet reader like her father, with a love for mythology and a strong bond with her future siblings.” Clarke smiled and handed him a small blanket he could drape over her.
Bryan gave Clarke a lopsided grin at her words, nodding sagely, like that was completely true. “I mean, someone’s gotta make up for all the others,” He stated innocently, “They’re all gonna try and corrupt the poor thing.” Hearing Clarke’s words, he tried hard not to laugh too loudly at the thought. “I’m sure she can be a quiet reader and as completely stubborn as both her parents,” He offered, reaching out to take the blanket carefully and drape it over the little one in his arms.
“She has been really good so far. Then again, she is only two hours old, so there’s that. So far sleeping is her thing”, she replied with a chuckle, shifting a little on the bed to get more comfortable, since she felt rather sore. “I hope you know that as her uncle, the duty of babysitting every once in a while falls to you. Rhea will most definitely love you, if you tell her stories about farms.”
“True,” Bryan stated, then suddenly snickered, “It’d be funny though if she was already causing trouble this early. You’d really have your hands full. I still think she’ll be as stubborn as her mother though.” He grinned at Clarke, leaning back a little more in the chair to relax now that he was sure he wasn’t going to drop the baby. He chuckled again, nodding his head. “Trust me,” He hummed, “I’m going to be the best uncle, and I’ll tell her all the best stories about farms. I’ll be the good uncle out of the bunch.”
Bryan looked up at Clarke, relaxing a little at hearing the child did that sometimes. He was careful as he held Clarke’s baby close, smiling softly up at his friend. “Guess I came at a good time then, if she’s sleeping and going to be all cute and cuddly, instead of screaming at me?” He joked lightly, grinning.
14. My muse left yours, promising it would be only for a couple of minutes. They come back in a couple of years.
Bryan had stepped out of the bunker for five minutes. He’d promised Clarke that it would be five minutes tops. Five minutes for him to do a quick scan of the outer area, to make sure that there was no one else that was out there, that everyone was safe in the bunker that they’d managed to find. Five minutes before they were going to lock and seal the door completely so that they could survive the five years it would take for the radiation to be survivable again.
Six minutes. He glanced down at the watch he had on, realizing that it had been six minutes. And he was at least three minutes away from the bunker if he ran. He took a few steps back towards the bunker, heart pounding in his chest. Would he make it? Could he? If he sprinted, if he could get back… But no, Clarke had told him when they were sealing up the bunker, and that they wouldn’t be opening the door again. Not until it was over.
There was a loud rumble, and Bryan’s heart sank to his stomach. No… No, they couldn’t have been that accurate. They couldn’t have been that right, could they? That the storm was now? He ran. He ran, and ran, and ran, and stumbled, and fell… only to find a door in his face. What was this? He yanked it open, and seeing that it seemed to be shelter, quickly ducked into it. Maybe it wouldn’t work, but if he could at least die being comfortable…
Five Years. Five years passed with Bryan curled up in the small underground shelter. Five years of suffering; because the bunker was safe, but not completely; because somehow he would get blisters, and others he wouldn’t. Five years of starving, of taking the few cans of food that had been left, and rationing himself enough to just barely survive. Five years of marks on the walls, counting down the days until thought he could return above ground.
Five years and one day. He waited and waited, glancing at the stairs, wondering when would be time to try again. The small space he was in was so claustrophobic, and all he wanted was some fresh air. All he wanted was to get out of there and go to the bunker, to see if his people had survived, to see if they were still alive, and how they all were. He slowly pulled himself up off the couch, a shell of what he’d been when he got down here, ready to live again.
Then he heard it. Yells. Cheers. People’s voices. His heart leapt and he tried to quicken his steps. He could hear them. It was faint, but they had to be nearby. Were they all out there? Testing and seeing that they could live? He forced himself to climb the stairs, wincing at how heavy the door felt now as he pushed it open, wobbling and nearly falling. He pulled himself out of the hole in the ground, glancing around.
…Clarke. Bellamy. Octavia… He let out a weak laugh. They were there. He could see them. Yards away, but there, with so many others, so many who’d been save in the bunker. He couldn’t stop grinning, because they’d done it. They’d survived. They were five years older, but they’d survived. He struggled, trying to push himself up to stand, wanting to get closer, to go see them. His body was weak though and he wobbled…
Then Clarke was there, grabbing onto him to hold him up, looking at him in shock, like she’d thought he was just a hallucination or something. He was breathing hard with how much of a struggle it was, but smiled more at Clarke. “Guess those… minutes turned… into years, huh?” He tried to joke with his friend, as he heard the others coming over to them.
indiebryan 