BUTCHER MUTTERS NONSENSE UNDERNEATH HIS BREATH. Pushes the door open to the room they were occupying. He shrugs off his coat and throws it aside, barely caring whether it makes it on the chair or not. Lost in a storm of thoughts, he shakes his head, frustration etched into every line of his face. Annoyed with the way he carries himself. The endless back-and-forth with Hughie is wearing him thin, migraines pounding behind his eyes.
When will the lad just shut the fuck off ? Drop it. Doesn't notice right away how heavy the atmosphere is, too wrapped up in his annoyance. DOESN’T KNOW WHAT EXACTLY HE WAS walking into ? With his back still to her, Butcher rolls his neck, a deep groan rumbling out as he kneads the tension from his muscles. "The lad be drivin' me up the wall again."
Butcher finally turns to face Annie, completely ready to spill the drama that is Hughie. The older man grunts in surprise as the younger blonde's arms wrap around his neck, their foreheads pressed together. BUTCHER DOESN'T QUESTION HER and gives in to her warmth immediately by circling his stronger arms around her smaller body, pulling her close, forehead peacefully resting against hers. The irritation drains from him, replaced by a rare, peaceful bliss as he closes his eyes. But something is off. And it's not only because he can hear her heart wildly pounding in her chest- it's the fact Butcher can PRACTICALLY FEEL IT DRUMMING AGAINST HIS CHEST. Before he could even get a word out, ask her what was going on with her. What's got her so... nervous ?
Allows Annie to lead him across the room, following closely behind her as the blonde takes him to the table. Scattered across its surface are a few tests… NOT JUST ANY TESTS, BUT PREGNANCY TESTS. Annie is speaking right away, not missing a beat as she hands him one of the tests. Butcher takes it with surprising gentleness, his large hand cradling the tiny object as if it might shatter. The weight of it is almost frightening, this LITTLE TEST that could change everything, a future he never thought he would have. His eyes lock onto the two pink lines, and suddenly, reality crashes in.
HE CAN'T DIE... Annie tells him. THEY CAN'T DIE. A life... in her. A life that he helped create. A child... his child. Butcher's eyes are wide, fixed on the tiny test that now feels impossibly heavy in his hand, burdened with hope and fear. HIM, A DAD ? "You're.... pregnant..." It's unlike Butcher to speak in such a faint tone. Trying to find the right words has become rather difficult. ".... What if I end up like me old man, I-" But he still reaches to rest the PALM OF HIS HAND ON HER STOMACH, where a barely there bump is growing- where a new life is quietly growing.
A shaky sigh then leaves him, licking his chapped lips. His mouth opens and closes.... telling himself to say fucking something. SAY FUCKING SOMETHING. He gently rubs her stomach sweetly, taking in this moment- this pure. loving moment... and then it's twisted with the fear of him failing as a father. "-I ain't want t' be like me, old man... I don't want me kid t' grow up hatin' me. Wha' If I ain't good 'nough. Wha' if I taint this child. I ain't wan' t' lose yeh. I ain't wan' yeh' t' see me become a monster.- I... I don't wanna fail yeh." / @starasset