"I Am Your Shield" (Zech/Revan)

Right. Avery bugged me to write a "sweet" story. I have no idea if I pulled it off or not. NEEDZ MOAR FIGHTINZ.

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‘I am your shield’

Zech slowly blinked open his eyes at the sound of childlike sniffles and lifted his head from the pillow. He lifted a hand to rub his eyes with a finger and thumb as he yanked the blanket from over him, dumping it on the other side of the bed. As he lowered his hand, he recalled lying down on the bed after returning from the Caan village to rest.

As he scanned around the dark room, lit only by candlelight, he had begun to suspect he slept for far longer than he intended. He set his feet against the cold wooden floorboards and pulled himself to his feet as the sound of sniffling erupted into incredibly loud crying. He stood still and looked in the direction of the crib sitting at the foot of the bed and smirked faintly at the sight of chubby hands and feet springing in and out of view.

He hadn’t really adjusted very well to the idea of being a father, even if it was something he had been looking forward to since Avery had told him about falling pregnant. He shook his head gently as he walked around to the foot of the bed and rested his forearms on the side of the crib, to look down at his crying son.

‘Hey kid’ he said as he lowered a hand into the crib to run his index finger across the child’s forehead. As he moved the hand away to rest it on the baby’s stomach, he let out a slight chuckle as the sound of crying faded. A slight smirk replaced his own chuckling as the baby stared up at him, wide eyed, as he’d been informed babies tended to do.

‘Don’ mean t’interrupt yer cryin’ session or anythin’, but ye migh’ get us kicked outta this place. ‘sides… wha’ ye cryin’ about eh?’ he said quietly as he stroked the baby’s stomach gently. ‘Revan Caan never cried… but ye know wha’? ‘e never stopped me cryin’ either’

Zech closed his eyes for a moment before straightening up a little and lowering the other hand into the crib. He opened his eyes as he lifted Revan from his crib and rested him gently in his arms. Yet as he looked down at his son, he couldn’t help but feel as though he hadn’t quite managed to connect yet. The child was his son, it was his flesh and blood and it was somebody he knew he loved; yet he couldn’t help but wonder.

‘Ye reckon losin’ me’ parents is gonna make me a crappy dad?’ he said quietly as he looked down at Revan and walked back round the bed, eventually sitting on the edge of it. He smirked very faintly at the gurgling noises emanating from Revan, as though the child was trying to make the connection that Zech felt they were lacking.

‘Nice effort… but I reckon yer a bit young fer ‘eart t’earts’

Zech slowly shuffled back onto the bed and rested his back against the pillow he had been sleeping on, seemingly unable to take his eyes off the child. ‘He is my son’ he kept saying, over and over in his head, as if trying to make himself realise the obvious.

‘Y’see kid… I only ‘ad eight years wit’ me’ parents, an’ I guess it’s makin’ me wonder jes ‘ow long ye might ‘ave me. An’… in a way, I guess I’m sorta scared o’ all this’ he said quietly as he moved the child slightly, to slip both hands beneath it’s armpits and lift it up, leaving Revan hanging in front of him.

‘Yer kickin’ me’ arse at this starin’ contest we’ve got goin’ on though’ he said with a faint smirk as Revan continued to stare at him. As the smirk moved across Zech’s lips, the child began to kick his legs a little, almost in approval.

Zech hadn’t expected for a second that he wouldn’t immediately connect to his child and fall straight into fatherhood. He had seen so many people do the same, most of which were under far more strenuous circumstances than he found himself in, and yet it wasn’t as immediate as he had always hoped for.

‘Follow the moon Zech’
‘Never let it get away from you; chase it all the way across the world if you have to. It’s your guide; it’ll lead the way to the wonders that you’ll never experience in this village. I found your mother here and fell in love, but that is my luck, it isn’t the sort of thing that I can simply pass on to you. You must fight to wrap your arms around someone that means something to you, and then… you can pass the moon to your own son. I can’t give you much, boy, but I can give you that’.

Zech closed his eyes sharply as Revan let out a sneeze, spraying his face with saliva and other delightful things. He opened one eye at the sight of a very happy looking baby, before lowering Revan back onto his left arm and lifting his right, to wipe his face with the sleeve of his shirt.

‘Yeh… real funny!’ he muttered, before letting out another quiet chuckle and looking down at the baby. ‘Yer na’ old enough t’understand a word I’m gonna say t’ye t’night… but I need t’get it outta th’way if I’m gonna be wha’ y’deserve’ he muttered as he lowered his right arm.

Another brief smirk appeared on his lips as the child grabbed his thumb as tightly as he could. ‘I can’t promise t’give ye a safe life, Revan, I can’t even promise t’give ye a good one. Wha’ I can do fer ye, is try me’ ‘ardest t’make sure ye’ve got a smile on yer face’ he said quietly.

‘Once I lost me’ paren’s, I felt like I didn’ ‘ave any reason t’smile fer a good few years, an’ na’ matter ‘ow ‘ard I tried, I could never get past tha’. Problem is, I don’ live a safe life… ‘cause wha’ I do, ‘cause o’ me’ clan… ‘cause I’m still breathin’ even. There’s plen’y o’ people tha’ll use ye t’get t’me, an’ I can’t lose anyone else.

So righ’ ‘ere, righ’ now, I’m promisin’ tha’ na’ matter wha’ ‘appens, I’m gonna be a reason fer ye t’smile. I’m gonna do everythin’ in me’ power t’give ye th’life tha’ I didn’ ‘ave. An’ sure, I migh’ screw tha’ up… feck knows I ain’ screwed up plen’y befer… but at least I gave it all a shot eh?’

Zech closed his eyes as a smile formed on his face, listening to the quiet squeaks and squeals of the child in his arms, before opening his eyes again, this time welling up with a few tears.
‘My name is Zech Caan, an’… I’m yer dad. An’ tha’ name means much more n’ th’bloke tha’ knocked yer mum up. It means I’m yer teacher, I’m someone ye can tell everythin’… an’ most importan’ly, I’m someone t’protect ye na’ matter wha’ ye get yerself into.

An’ righ’ now… I’m startin’ t’feel wha’ I figured I’d feel righ’ away. Love ye, kid’.

Zech shook his head and looked up, scanning across the dimly lit room. He was feeling it now, he was a father and Revan Caan was his son. He was going to live a troublesome existence for both himself and his son, but he had made a vow to do all he could to be the father that his father before him had been.

‘An’ when yer old enough… I’m gonna tell ye all o’ this again, an’ I’m gonna give ye th’moon’.

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