.Terran.
I often forget that Jinju is still young. She reminds me with that quiet, hopeful patience in her eyes and in her voice, though. It shames me into pausing for a moment, long enough to pull back and really look at her. I can see now what I’d missed before: the soft curve to her belly, the determined air about her. It makes me feel … idiotic. I should have known better than to take her down this path, but hindsight is twenty-twenty and there’s no going back from here. “I’ve got my faults. We all do.” I attempt, even though it rings hollow in my ears. I sigh, turn my bald head to the side in slight frustration, and ruffle my feathers while I shift to a more comfortable position. This was more difficult than I had expected.
“What would you like, Jinju?” I ask instead, my bronze gaze flashing in interest as I redirect my attention to her. I was curious to take a peek inside her brain, get a feel for what she truly envisioned for this happy little accident. The idea that I was a father still hadn’t sunk in as of yet, so it was easy to offer a gentle smile and move back to her side where I felt most comfortable. Later, the shock would wane and I’d be left to try and make sense of it all, but for now it was simple - she just needed someone to be there.
I could do that, at least. “Tell me and I’ll do what I can to see that you … and our child,” I add, nose bumping softly against her midnight side, “are truly happy. That’s all that I want.” I finish, a warm smile spreading across my cheeks with depth that settles hotly in my stomach. I wanted her now as badly as I had wanted her then, perhaps even more so now that I knew what she was carrying, and I took that as a good sign. I … we could make this work. Jinju was worth that.
I want to live, I want to give, I'm a miner for a heart of gold