#ilovehimtooiswear

[hyperactivelittlebee]

Keeping a Secret 1/??? (HC Kiddo AU)

First half takes place in season 4, while the end bit taking place in the beginning of season 6. Yes, this is connected to “The oddity at area 77″ TW for: Blood descriptions, slight implied child abuse, Taurtis being the asshole for once.

Putrid, horrible, agonizing, miserable.

These were the words Ren could use to describe the Nether. He disliked everything about the place; the stink of sulfur and brimstone that would stick to him for days, the dim lighting of glowstone and the fire that was scattered along the ground forcing him to constantly use his sharper eyesight, the screams of the damned coming from the mouths of horrid flying creatures as they spat balls of fire at him making him consistently on high alert, everything about the place made him despise going there.

Sure, the others didn't mind it as much as he did; but they didn't have the heightened senses he had to deal with.

There was only a few reasons he felt it worth being there; Quartz, Glowstone, and Blaze rods.

That last one was why he was in the Nether right now. He needed Blaze rods for Blaze powder to get his potion stands working. At first, He had asked Iskall- well, more like begged- for some, but the Swede didn't give in, simply giving him directions to a Nether fortress and telling him to get them himself as politely as possible.

Which promptly meant he chased Ren out of his base with a Cod.

Jabbing his sword through the skull of yet another Wither skeleton, he watched in annoyance as it crumpled to the ground in ashes. The amount of sweat he was covered in gave him the feeling of being in this fortress for hours- maybe even days! While in reality, it had most likely only been 2 or 3 hours but it was still quite a long time without finding Blazes.

He'd really have to work to scrub out the smell this time.

Ren ran his fingers through his hair, undoing it and grumbling softly under his breath as he re-tied it. By now, the smell of brimstone was annoying the hell out of him- clogging his senses and making his eyes water. His eyes roved over the endless expanse of the nether, hoping to spot at least one blaze so he could just leave already.

The sound of an echoing shout made the Lycan's ears perk up, his head snapping towards the sound so fast it almost gave him whiplash.

From across the Lava, he could see a half-bred blaze demon chasing far behind another demon. The grip around the handle of his diamond sword tightened, his adrenaline rushing. As Ren focused on the half-breeds face, something in the eyes of the demon made his stomach drop- his instincts telling him something was just wrong and he needed to hurry.

Sprinting across the Fortress bridge's, Ren didn't slow down as his previous exhaustion was long gone, replaced by increasing paranoia and adrenaline.

Jumping from the fortress, the Lycan landed on the netherrack with a thud before continuing his sprint; quickly catching up to the Blazes. He skidded to a stop as they reached a cliff, jumping behind a cluster of Quartz as a voice spoke up. The half-breed held a golden sword in one hand, his hair a chestnut brown and wearing golden armor. He was bulky and looked to be about Iskall's size- making Ren a bit nervous. He looked to be in his early 20's, having a slight beard that only added onto his similarities to Iskall. His eyes were an unnatural gold, seeming to be blank and soulless.

"This doesn't need to be hard pal; just give up the girl and we'll be on our separate merry ways!"

"Like hell!"

"I will not ask you again!"

Peeking out, he spotted just what the blaze was chasing. A demon stood with his back to the cliffs, tensed in a defensive position. His hair was the color of honey, his skin was pale as the moon, his scerla's were black as the void and his iris' were red as blood, wearing nothing but a ripped tunic and cloak the color of freshly grown grass and black tights. He seemed to be young, around the age's of 18 or 19- but his skin was littered in scars and bruises.

Then, as his gaze shifted, Ren's focus was on something else.

His eyes narrowed in on the small child next to him, their hands clamped around each other tightly as the teen held her slightly behind himself- eyes locked with the Blaze hybrids.

"Salem's dying wish was to take her child away from- from HIM- why the hell can't you just respect that Mini?!"

"I do respect that, I really do! But you know how it is around here."

"Why are you acting like this?!"

A thud inches away from him made Ren jump, seeing another demon land beside him. Following him were two more male demons- both of them holding golden swords, but not wearing golden armor. The first seemed to be an Incubus, his hair a golden blonde with strikingly beautiful blue eyes, a black bandana tied around his head. He was smaller than the hybrid in stature, his slight curves showing through his clothes. His shirt was lime green and he wore slightly ripped blue jeans, a long whip-like tail waving behind him.

The other seemed slightly older than the others and easily could match Doc in his size, but seemed to have a gentle atmosphere. At first glance, He was just a regular demon, but the uncharacteristic black demon wings folded behind him gave away his rank easily. It wasn't often demons were born with wings- but when they did, Ren heard it could be insanely dangerous. The demon had auburn hair that was gelled back and the mustache on his upper lip was well-groomed, his eyes a soft red and his skin a tanned color. His horns were curled back like a ram, and his tail was just as whip-like as the Incubus'. He was dressed more formally in a rusty red pin-stripe vest, a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and black dress pants. He held the golden sword with less tensity, seeming to not have as much malice as Mini.

"M-Martyn- You're-" The teen spoke up, looking surprised and hurt as he locked eyes with the Incubus. Martyn seemed to flinch, taking a step back, "Look- I have to. You know what happened last time I went against order's..."

The larger demon stepped forward, his look almost pleading, "He's willing to forgive you, bud...You just need to come back with us- Please....I...We don't wanna hurt you." His voice was soft, sounding genuine and calming.

He reminded Ren of Mumbo.

"Zee- You should understand better than anybody that I- I need to fulfill Salem's wishes. Please!"

"I-i..."

The Child let out a yelp as her foot slipped a bit, causing Ren to react instantly, taking out his sword and charging the Incubus.

The blond spun around and blocked the strike with his own sword, eyes wide as he looked at Ren. He pushed back against the Lycan, taking Ren by surprise with a kick to his stomach, making him stumble back. The larger demon caught him, holding his sword to his neck, "Move and I kill you-" Ren gulped, surprised at how fast he was taken down as well as his lack of self control.

What was he thinking?

Mini huffed, completely ignoring the situation as he cut off the larger demon, "I really don't understand how the King keeps forgiving you. You've always been nothing but an ungrateful brat..." His voice was flat, void of emotion. Zee's head snapped toward him in shock, eyes wide, "Mini, what the fuck are you saying? What has gotten into you?!"

A grin spread across his face as he dashed forward before the teen could react, grabbing the child by the arm and tossing her behind him carelessly, "I'm just a bit smarter now, that's all ya big softie! And I'm smart enough to want to get rid of the problem!!"

Marytn reacted fast, catching the crying child and pulling it to his chest comfortingly before it could hit the ground- looking at the brunette in a panic, "Mini what are you doing?!"

"MINI NO-!" The larger demon let go of Ren and ran toward the pair in a panic. Ren watched in horror as the hybrid pulled the teen towards him; the golden sword plunging into his stomach as his eyes flew wide. Blood seeped past his lips and tears flowed freely from his eyes as he frantically gripped Mini's arm.

"M-mini...?"

The look in his eyes was so full of betrayal and heartbreak as he looked up at the older demon, the scene being something that would not stop playing through Ren's head for years to come.

Mini withdrew the blade as his eye's turned a soft green, flushing with emotion again as he seemed to pale, "G-gri?" A look of horror and realization spread across his features as he dropped the blood-soaked sword. The teen wavered, holding his bleeding stomach and stepping back shakily, "I-i...how...cou....ld....you..." His breath hitched as he slipped, falling back off the cliff. Mini shot out, grabbing him by his tunic front and pulling him back with enough force to knock himself back. Zee fell to his knee's beside them as Mini sat up, cradling the young boy in his arms tenderly.

"No..nononono-"

He began to shake, eyes welling with tears, "God- FUCK- what have I done-" Mini looked up at Zee with wide, teary eyes as he ripped up his vest and used it to cover the wounds, "Zee- Please- believe me, I didn't mean to hurt him- I don't know what the hell happened-!"

"H-hey- I know I know..." He leaned forward, kissing the hybrid on the forehead reassuringly, "He's- he's going to be fine- we need to think fast, they'll be here any moment-"

Martyn looked at the child and the 3 demons, seeming to struggle with an internal decision. The conflict swam in his eyes, seemingly brewing as old memories seemed to resurface.

His head snapped to Ren as if he had decided, "You. You're from the human world right?" Ren swallowed dryly, hands shaking, "I...y-yes." Martyn chewed his lip, gulping before walking over with the crying child in his arms, "Take her and Run. Make sure she never comes back to the nether- I'll take the blame for losing her-"

"W-what?!"

The incubus handed the Child over, kissing her forehead before stepping back his hand gripping a golden locket, "Hide- they're coming..."

Martyn ran over to the others and Ren tensed at the sound of beating wings approaching.

Thinking instinctively, Ren held the small child to his chest and made a break for it, his mind running at 100 mph as he searched for a hiding spot. Skidding to a stop when he reached the base of the nether fortress, he spotted a crack in the netherrack wall. It was just big enough to hide the child if he dug a bit in, but not big enough for both of them.

Looking down at the child in his arms, he felt her tiny hands gripping his shirt as she sobbed, breaths shaky and uneven. He could just drop the child and save himself- after all, he could be assisting in a kidnapping without even realizing it. He owed nothing to those demons anyway, he had no attachment to this child, and besides- he wouldn't make a good parent. He had no idea how to raise a normal child, never mind a demon child.

Then there was the issue with realm rules. Trafficking any species out of the nether other than pigmen, ghast's, blazes, or magma slimes was strictly forbidden- taking a normal demon from the nether would for sure get him banned from the server, but taking a demon child? That would probably be a one-way ticket to being eradicated.

But as usual, Ren was thinking with his heart rather than with his head. He didn't take a second to think about his own life on the line as his mind drifted back to the demons from before. His heart ruled out all logic in the situation as he put down the child and took out his pickaxe, digging a bit more into the hole before picking the child up and putting her inside the crevice. She scooted back into the hole in confusion, her entire body engulfed by shadow's as only watery golden cat-eyes stared back at him.

"W-where...Gri-gri?"

"Hey..."

Leaning forward, he reached in and cupped her face, heart-squeezing as he felt her soft cheek covered in warm, wet tear streaks. His voice softened almost instinctively, sounding barely recognizable to his own, "Gri-gri is uh...He's gonna be okay. I need you to stay here and sit quietly, don't make a sound and don't come out until you hear me yell uh..." His mind drawing a blank, Ren blurted out the first thing he thought, "Firefly. I want you to do your ABC's 15 times. If I'm not back by then, I want you to climb the weird staircase right there-" He turned and gestured to the cobblestone staircase attached to the nether fortress, waiting for a nod before continuing, "From the top, go straight past 2 hallways. Take a left, then a right. You should find another staircase just like the one you climbed up. Climb down it and you should see a weird square tunnel through a wall of the rock below us. Go down it, you should find a weird rectangular thing with a pretty purple curtain like thing. Go into it and don't step out until you see warm brown floor and grey brick-like walls. From there, do this." He took out his communicator, clicking on Iskalls contact before handing it to her, "Click that slash icon, and then when another man answer's, tell him to come because Ren Dog might be in trouble and sent you. Then stay till he arrives, okay?"

A soft nod came in response as she took to the communicator, "Promise me you'll do this?" She nodded again and Ren bit his lip, reaching and taking out a flint knife, handing her the small object, "If any bad guy's come after you or grab you, you use this to hurt them back, okay?" Reaching out, she took the knife by it's handle and held it close, nodding once more.

Ren heard a yell, making him tense as he snapped his head towards the noise, "Alright- I'll try to be back as soon as possible."

Unsheathing his sword, Ren ran back toward's the spot with the demons, quickly ducking behind the same quartz cluster as he spotted a few new demons. He peeked out from behind the cluster, watching yet another scene unfold.

"Lost her- What do you mean you lost her?!"

One of the new demons spoke up, seeming to be the ring leader. He was roughly a few inches shorter than Mumbo but made up for it with muscle mass. He had tanned skin and neatly combed raven black hair, a red and blue headset sitting around his neck while he wore a blue t-shirt and ripped blue jeans. His horns were long and sharp, his tail whipping irritably behind him and large red demon wings folded behind him. He looked furious, his glowing blue eyes narrowed at the Incubus from earlier.

"S-she ran off after Mini stabbed G, Sir. I was too distracted by the scene to account for her escaping. I-"

"So what your telling me...is that your incompetence...not only let my property be damaged-" He gestured to the teen on the ground from earlier, his head now in Mini's lap as Zee had begun wrapping the wound. They both seemed to flinch and tense at the man's words, Mini's eyes narrowing on the man before quickly looking away, "But also let my daughter run away alone. Where she can easily be killed?!"

Faltering, the incubus stepped back, "W-well- Yes but-"

"Are you a fucking imbecile?!!" The raven-haired demon reached forward grabbed the blonde by his hair, throwing him to the ground, before suddenly freezing in place, "No...You think I'M the imbecile, don't you?" His pupils dilated and he brought his foot down on Martyn's stomach, the man crying out in pain, "You let her go, didn't you Martyn?!" He dug his heel in, Ren's stomach twisting as he heard the cries of pain erupting from the smaller male.

A young woman stepped forward, her short silver hair tied back, wearing a grey jacket and pants over a white tank top, her horns significantly smaller than any of the others.

"Taurtis, that's enough- you're being irrational again-"

"SHUT IT NETTY!!!"

She flinched back, looking hurt at the man's sudden bark. The man- Taurtis- turned his attention back to Martyn with fire in his eyes. He snarled, growling as he stepped back and let the Incubus stumble to his feet, "Just like Tim...Just like that goody-two-shoes boyfriend of yours, you're starting to get soft....I have no use for anyone "soft" unless they're my property." He walked over the wounded teen, smirking as he grabbed him by the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, "You all wonder why I haven't gotten rid of little G over here? He's soft. Soft doesn't fight back. Soft runs away, and once you wrangle it up again and beat around the bush a bit they are nice and obedient for you again.Thats exactly why I love him." He let go of the teen carelessly, Mini just barely managing to catch him before he hit the ground, letting out a pained sob.

Mini and Zee looked at Taurtis like they were ready to bite his head off, both of them hovering protectively over the teen.

Taurtis glared back before moving on, walking back towards Martyn, "This…This is the bad kind of soft.” Lifting the sword, Ren watched in horror a Taurtis brought blade down across the Incubus’ neck. “I have no use for soft!!” With a gurgled screaming and coughing, Martyn collapsed while holding in neck, bleeding out onto the netherrack. Ren slapped his hand over his mouth to keep himself from crying out. Without hesitation, he scrambled back and took off towards the nether fortress. As he approached it, he called out- “FIREFLY!!” Approaching the hole, he looked inside and was relieved to find the little demon still there, golden cat eyes staring back at him in the darkness hopefully. “Cmon, we gotta go-” He reached in and carefully removed the toddler from the crevice, holding her against him.

Sheathing his sword, Ren used both arms to support her against him before taking off towards the staircase. Up the staircase, across the bridges- Ren’s lungs burned as he inhaled the scalding air and ash, the muscles of his legs burning as he ran on pure adrenaline. All that mattered to him was getting the child to safety, forgetting the entire reason he had been in the nether in the first place. As the purple hue of the portal came into view, Ren only ran faster, his instincts taking over as a whimper sounded from the small body in his arms.

As he jumped through the portal and landed in his base, Ren knew this wasn’t over. He put the child down and took out his pickaxe, using what remained of the adrenaline in his system to breaking the obsidian portal.

As the portal broke, Ren sighed in relief and flopped back, panting. The adrenaline finally flushing out of his system, he started to become more aware of his surrondings.

“M-mister…?” Oh. Right. Sitting up, Ren looked to see the little demon beside him, her appearance making him grimace. In the brighter lighting he could see the bruises and cuts that covered her body much better. Her hair was a black as a ravens feathers and looked unkempt, her sclera engulfed in that same black and eyes a bright gold, Soft maroon markings made patterns on the warm brownish tan skin of her face, and two small black horns protruded from her head. His heart sank as he realized the situation, eyes widening and freezing. If anyone found out, he was sure he’d be banned immediately and the child would be sent back to that- that hell. …...Alright. He could do this... Slowly, he reached back and picked up the toddler, setting her in his lap as he crossed his legs, “Heya kiddo...Do...Whats yours name? I’m Ren.” Giving his warmest smile as he could feel the small body in front of him slowly relax. He reached out and brushed her bangs from her face, seeing her leaning into his touch as he gently cupped her face again, “I...I don’….I don’ like my name…” He hummed softly and picked her up, cradling the demon in his arms, “Then how about we pick a new one, hm? How’s that sound kiddo?” “New name…?” “Mhm! How about....Amanda!” He walked up into his base and to his bed, gently setting her down on his bed and he began to look for something to clean her cuts. “Nuh-uh!” “No? Aww darn...Emily?” “Bleh!!” He chuckled and turned to her, putting down the rubbing alcohol and kneeling in front of her, beginning to clean the cuts, “Well, aren’t you a picky nicky!!” A smile broke across her face and she giggled, “Silly puppy!” He felt a tug at his ears and chuckled, letting her play with them, “Ay! I’ll have you know I am the fearsome diggity dog, thank you very much ya butt!” Her giggles grew into full laughter as they kept talking, a warm feeling spreading into Ren’s chest as he gently bandaged the young girls wounds. As he finished, he looked up at her and tilted his head, “How about...Pele.” She lit up instantly, a wide smile spreading across her face telling him everything. “Pele it is then! Now,” He picked her up once more and sat on the bed instead, placing her in his lap, “You need some sleep. When you wake up, We’ll get you bathed and some new clothes, okay?” “Okay…” He hummed softly, inhaling deeply, “You…Your gonna be staying with me from now on, alright? But i’m gonna take real good care of you! I won’t let any bad guys hurt you anymore…” “Promise…?” She held out her pinkie to him and looked up at him with pleading eyes, making his heart melt, “Yea…” He intertwined his pinkie with hers and shook it, “I promise. Now- let’s get you to bed kiddo!” Internally, as he tucked Pele into bed, he made a promise to himself. He wouldn’t let anyone stand between him and Pele. Not that Taurtis fellow, not Xisuma, Not Iskall, no one. ----------------------- As Ren ran towards the future district, all he could think about was his little girl. Sure- she was little older now, but to him she was still his little girl deep down. By now, Xisuma had figured out how to code the Nether without demons, making it safer for the hermits. It took a long while for Ren to get used to being a father- and raising a demon wasn’t the easiest- but he figured he’d done a good enough job. Pele was responsible enough, was a quick learner, and by now she could barely remember her real father- a fact Ren was grateful of. He had told not a soul about her, not only because he fearful of the repercussions, but ideally worried about being separated from her. Shaking his head, he focused on the problem at hand. Xisuma had announced an emergency arrival at spawn, something that was alarming to everyone. The admin had never called such a thing to the server’s attention, so it made everyone curious and worried.

As he arrived at the spawn, he was surprised to find False, Stress, and Iskall standing around a nether portal as Xisuma was pacing back and forth in front of it, his helmet strapped to his side as he looked shaken. Ren approached a familiar blond, putting a hand on her shoulder, “Falsie, what’s going on?” “Mumbo went into the nether for the emergency arrival, but he hasn’t-” Almost if on cue, there was a vooping noise and Mumbo emerged, holding a bundle in one arm and someone else thrown over his opposite shoulder. “Close the portal!! NOW!” Without hesitation, Xisuma took out his pick and broke the side of the portal. The person over Mumbo’s shoulder was sobbing and kicking, reaching towards the portal pleadingly, “NO! ZEE’S STILL BACK THERE! LET GO!!” Rushing over, Xisuma took the bundle from Mumbos arms and cradled it. Ren watched as Mumbo slowly lowered the smaller person, kneeling beside them with an apologetic look as they finally stopped struggling. Ren spotted the demons tail whipping behind the person and his breath hitched, walking closer. His heart stopped as the young demon looked at him, honey blond bangs hanging in front of his face and vibrant red sweater standing out. Slowly, the demon calmed down and he looked around, “M-my baby...where is he- please-” Xisuma walked out and kneeled by him, handing over the bundle. The young man took it with a whimper of relief, hugging it close as it began to cry and snuggle up to him. Xisuma inhaled deeply before taking out a communicator, “I’m sorry but...I’m gonna need your name…” Taking a deep breath, the demon looked at the admin through blood red teary eyes, “I-i’m Grian…”