Nether Worry

Part 9

Pairing: Agent Washington/Tucker, Caboose/Church, Grif/Simmons, Connecticut/South Dakota, New York/Carolina

Description: In which the Reds and Blues come across a lonely Creative Mode dweller, Sarge makes about ten times more Iron Golems than are strictly necessary, and where Tucker learns that Wash is indeed not a replacement for Church and that may or may not be a bad thing after all.

A/N: So I can't remember if I set this story in any specific month, but I'm just gonna roll with the idea that it's late November there too.

"Okay, Junior! Repeat after me!" Doc ordered, smiling at the baby Endermen-Human hybrid.

Blue Base was rather quiet that morning, it being three days since 'End's Offspring' had been born. Currently, Doc had taken a liking to teaching Junior new words and phrases, but nothing worked that well unless Tucker was around. Said miner had been sleeping more, claiming that the birthing process had taken a huge toll on him, which wasn't completely untrue. Still, everyone was starting to grow tired of Tucker's laziness, all except Caboose of course, who'd been too busy hanging out with Church (Which meant following him literally everywhere he went).

Red Base was rather loud, the noise never ceasing to completely dissolve. Amazingly enough, Grif was struggling to sleep, claiming that Junior was making him nervous as fuck. Simmons was unaffected by Junior, but sympathized with Grif, spending even more time with the orange miner. Sarge busied himself in building, attempting on behalf of Church to create some kind of potion that'd restore him to his human form. Meanwhile, he was also trying to make an eternal life potion for the Freelancers. Donut had taken a liking to hanging out with Connie, for some reason, but no one complained. But somethings never changed, like how Lopez stayed loyal to Sarge, growling at anyone who came near either of them that wasn't a Red (or Grif).

The Freelancers had started up on making their own base, building it with mostly grey and black colors. Maine seemed neutral as usual, Connie was excited to explore and talk to anyone who'd listen, York seemed happy as a clam to chat for hours with Tucker, Carolina and Tex liked to wrestle and argue on a daily basis, North liked spending time hanging out with Caboose, South seemed eager to play with Junior, and Wyoming tried as hard as physically possible to avoid everyone. Things had been cooling down, and everyone was glad for it.

As for Washington… he was still worrying over everything, but even he couldn't deny the air of peace that'd settled over Blood Gulch. So, he had decided to keep staying in Blue Base, currently watching Doc make a fool out of himself… again.

"You ready to be amazed, Wash?" Doc asked, looking all too hopeful as he grinned at Wash, while Junior sat before him in a highchair made by Sarge.

"If you think this'll actually work, sure." Wash muttered, giving the little infant an interested stare.

"Alrighty, Junior! Say purple! Pur… ple!" Doc sounded out, looking excitedly at his miniature student.

"Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Junior sounded out, the noise loud, torturous, and downright offensive.

However, Doc seemed to find it acceptable, patting Junior on the head. "Good job, Junior! Once I've taught you all the colors, I'll teach you how to not judge people by them!"

Washington rolled his eyes, standing up to leave. Tucker wouldn't be up for at least another hour, and boredom clawed at his brain like an out of control grizzly bear loose in a petting zoo. "Hey, I'm gonna go check on 'Lina and the others, 'kay Doc?" He called out, standing up to leave. "Call me if Tucker wakes up."

"Got it, Wash!" Doc replied, looking up from where he'd been playing with Junior, who he quickly turned to with hopeful eyes. "You finally gonna say that thing to Wash, Junior?"

"Scr- MPH- Blar-" Whatever Junior had been trying to say to Washington over the last few days, it seemed like today was not the day for it to be said.

"Aw well. Bye, Wash! Can ya tell Connie I said hi?" Doc asked, picking Junior up out of the highchair to set him on the recently carpeted floor.

"Sure thing. Bye, Junior!" Wash said, before waltzing out the door, the wind blowing right into his eyes.

November had, at first, blown into Blood Gulch without so much as a chill, but after only a week or so, it was snowing and damn near impossible to go outside without freezing to near death. Thankfully, it wasn't December quite yet, meaning the snow wouldn't stick around after landing for a few more weeks. Washington tied the Creeper scarf around his neck tighter, feeling almost like a hangman as he stumbled over the rock-hard ground. It was terribly cold, yet it refused to snow, much to Connie and Maine's delight. Personally, Wash liked the snow, as long as it didn't stick around for way too long. It was peaceful, and he'd rarely seen it growing up in a Desert village as a child.

Speaking of childhood, Wash could just make out his older sister from where he stood, her cherry red hair flowing like ocean waves in the harsh breeze, her aqua sweater looking nice and cozy around her short form. York was beside her, his arm wrapped around her thin waist as another harsh breeze blew by, making Wash and probably everyone else outside shiver. Carolina, York, and the other Freelancers were currently holed up on top of their in-progress new base. It didn't look half bad from where Wash had been standing, and would be at least three or more times bigger than Red Base or Blue Base.

"Hey, Wash, you okay over there?" North asked, poking his head out the front door of the base. He and Maine had been busy working on the bottom floor and basement rather than the upper levels, seeing as they both feared heights quite a bit. "Wanna come inside?"

Nodding, Wash happily took the offered invitation, hurrying inside of the base. Inside, it was made very clear to the blond man that things weren't even close to finished. There was still a gaping hole in the floor, for one thing, where Wash could see Maine inside setting up torches and cleaning away some of the excess dirt. North and Maine were both filthy, covered head to toe in dirt, grass blades, and still wet mud. Thankfully, they were both dressed in older and more worn out clothes they had found, making it not as annoying or at least less awful to get a little dirty. As long as their armor and everyday clothes were clean, they'd be just fine.

"How's the baby? Sorry, South's been bugging me every ten minutes to call you and ask about him." North admitted, scratching the back of his head as he blushed.

"Oh, Junior's fine. Doc's been keeping him entertained while Tucker rests." Washington explained, pulling off his scarf. It was beginning to itch and strain his breathing. "How's everyone here?"

"Busy." North deadpanned, making a sideways jerk with his head in the general direction of the ladder leading upstairs. "Everyone's been working on the base. You should consider joining us, it'll be funner with the whole gang around."

"I know, but I wanna stay with Tucker if I can. He needs me right now." Wash mumbled, it being his turn to blush as he looked away nervously. "I was just checking on you guys is all… hey, tell Connie that Doc and I say hi, 'kay?"

"Sure," North muttered, sounding almost hurt at the fact that Wash still wasn't interested in joining in on the building process. "Need me to pass anything on to 'Lina too? I don't mind."

"Naw, just tell her I said hello." Wash explained, reluctantly tying back on his scarf. "I'm gonna go back and recheck on Tucker. Visit me at Blue Base later if you want. Oh, and bring York! I've been meaning to hang out with you guys for awhile now."

"You got it, Wash." North replied, turning back to digging out the hole with Maine, though he stayed above ground. "Bye."

"Bye." Wash muttered, leaving the warmth of the unfinished base, only to plunge head first into the bitter cold of Blood Gulch's incoming winter.

"How was your walk?" Doc asked as Wash entered, holding a half undressed Junior in one arm, Epsilon under the other.

"Just fine. How was Junior?" Wash asked, looking concerned as he spotted the scratch marks on the baby's face and arms.

"Oh, yeah, he yanked on Epsilon's tail… not pretty. I ran to get the first-aid kit, but when I came back, Epsilon was paralyzed on the ground while Junior stared at him… was kinda weird. Think he's gonna grow up to be like Medusa? That would be so cool!" Doc explained excitedly, allowing Wash to hold the injured baby. "You're just in time. Mind patching Junior up while I make sure Epsilon isn't… ya know, dead?"

"Yeah, sure, no problem, Doc." Wash mumbled, placing Junior on the carpeted floor as he pulled out white bandages from the first-aid kit, easily tying them over the tiny scratches. "You'll be alright, buddy. Just a few scratches."

Junior, still having not reacted to the cat's attacking of his person, stared at Wash, pink eyes bright and big with a certain, black-hole nature to them. Wash shivered. "You've got quite the death stare, Junior. That'll come in handy when you're older." Wash explained, grinning at the infant.

Junior simply blinked back at Washington, opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, as if trying to ask a very important question. "Come on, let's see if your dad wants to get up yet." Wash suggested, scooping Junior up and carrying him to Tucker's bedside, shaking the father awake. "Hey, Tucker, you ready to get up yet?"

"Fuck off…" Tucker mumbled sleepily into his pillows, not even looking at Wash or his baby. "I wanna sleep…"

"You've been asleep all day, Tucker. Come on, don't you wanna play with Junior?" Wash asked, smiling confidently at the man.

"'S not mine…" Tucker fibbed, rolling over, face smothered deeper into his little blanket cocoon. "I was never in that village, I swear."

"Tucker, I literally watched you have this demon baby, so man up or shut up." Wash declared, gaining a bit of sass as he held the baby up to Tucker's face. "Just own up and respect the fact that you're a dad now."

"Fuck that, just… put it back where you found it, man." Tucker ordered, seemingly asleep again as snoring filled the air, but Wash knew better.

"Alrighty then, spread 'em." Wash in turn ordered, moving to the foot of the bed as he held Junior up to Tucker's feet. "Let's put 'm back in then."

"Wait, what!?" Tucker shot up, fully awake, and glared at Washington, grey eyes glistening with rage and annoyance. "Dude, that was a bitch move."

"Oh good, you're awake." Wash simply replied, as if he hadn't just been about to shove a new born baby up Tucker's ass. "Junior's been crying for you on and off. Might wanna fix that."

"Dick. Move." Tucker muttered, but nonetheless took the baby from Washington's hold, holding Junior up to his face. "Heya, Junior. You hungry?"

"Scree!" Junior replied, clapping his hands, tiny speaks of purple glittery bits disappearing into the air whenever his palms connected.

"Alrighty then, breakfast it is." Tucker announced, heaving the infant onto his hip as he passed by Wash and into the kitchen. "What's with the bandages?"

"Epsilon." Wash deadpanned, joining Tucker in the makeshift kitchen to stand beside him, watching Junior with worried eyes. "Junior stared at him though and… Epsilon hasn't moved since. And I mean that, he's like a goddamn ice block."

"Whatever. If he was messing with Junior, he probably deserved it." Tucker explained, pulling out a slab of steak from a chest. "God, is this even healthy for babies? I mean, what the fuck do babies even eat?"

"Happiness." Wash suggested. Upon gaining silence, he huffed immaturely. "If York makes a joke, everyone goes nuts, but if I make one, no one even chuckles! I hate this canyon."

"Dude, I think it's been that way for way longer than you've been in Blood Gulch." Tucker said, turning back to mashing up the boneless steak and slow-cooking it. "How're the Freedancers by the way?"

"It's FreeLANCERS. And they're fine, but… I think they want me to live with them again." Wash admitted, staring at Tucker.

Tucker paused, turning to look at Wash. "But you're not, right?" He asked, then laughed outright. "That'd be fucking ridiculous."

Wash frowned, squinting his eyes at Tucker. "How is that ridiculous? I lived with them for years before I ended up in Blood Gulch. In fact, it seems reasonable."

"Well… it's just a dumb idea." Tucker announced, glaring at the food he was cooking. "You know what? Can you just… whatever, I don't care what you do! I don't care if you're helpful, or intelligent, or the nicest guy I've ever met! I don't fucking care!"

It was dead quiet, Junior looking from one man to the other, pink eyes wide with surprise and curiosity. "… Do you want me to step out for a few minutes?" Wash asked, feeling uncomfortable.

Tucker sighed, nodding as he turned back to the steak. "Uh… yeah. I just… need some time, ya know? There's been alot of shit going on… I got a kid now, and, I think I might be rethinking my life or some shit. It's weird."

"It's not weird, at least… I don't think it's weird, Tucker." Wash told him, walking out the door once again that day. "I'll be back soon… later."

"Later." Tucker repeated, Junior crawling onto his shoulders, despite being a newborn. Once Washington was gone, Tucker groaned, smacking his own head with the spatula in his hand. "… Should've said it, Vern. Should've fucking said it."

For about an hour, Washington laid on the grass outside Blue Base, staring with no intention of looking away at the sky. It was getting late, he knew that much, but a party was going to take place soon. Now that things had cooled down, York had insisted on throwing a 'We Found Our Once Misplaced Wash' party, which would take place in the middle of a well-torched Blood Gulch. Said misplaced Wash sighed to himself, finding his life to be way too complicated, and considered narrating to himself to blow off some steam. He tisked it away though, not nearly focused enough to do it. Or was he too focused? He had no clue.

It didn't take long for someone to notice him, not that Wash was overly concerned with being noticed, but nonetheless, someone did and they gingerly laid beside him. For a long time, far too long to be normal, Wash didn't look at them, until his curiosity won over and he rolled over. It was Texas, sky blue eyes matching the space of blue above their heads, her breaths coming out in soft puffs of white, natural smoke. She was like a dragon, words like magma on her tongue with too many ideas coming out at once, yet those words could turn to smoke and intoxicate you, wrap around you and-

Wash had no idea if those comparisons were appropriate, so he stopped thinking on them so heavily.

"It's cold out here." Tex mumbled, not looking at Wash, making him feel… safe. She wasn't pushing it, wasn't pushing for eye-contact like the others unknowingly did. Wash had no idea if it was for her benefit or his.

"It really is." Wash replied, because thanking her would be way too weird, far too awkward to say. "You gonna be okay?"

Tex nodded, and the corner of her mouth turned upward on her face, a strand of blonde hair almost blocking it. "I'll be fine… me, Church, and the Reds got a surprise for you. 'Lina pointed us in the right direction for a mine… we hit the goddamn jackpot, Wash."

Wash sat up then, eyebrow raised at the woman. "Oh really? I've never been a real mining-nut, if you don't mind me saying. York and Maine are super into that stuff though."

"Oh no, it's nothing quite like that… you just wait and see, Wash. You and everyone else are gonna get one Hell of a surprise at this party." Tex promised, jumping to her feet, turning to grin at her companion. "And thanks for letting me lay with you… haven't gotten the chance to in a long time."

"No problem. Thanks for sitting with me." Washington replied, standing up beside Tex. He was taller than her, almost a whole head taller. It made him uncomfortable for no particular reason.

"See you at your party, Wash." Tex yelled over her shoulder, already running off, before Wash could even say goodbye.

And, for a moment, Tex reminded Wash of a mother he hardly remembered… he had no idea why though. He supposed, also, that there were alot of things he didn't have a clue about. But maybe if he waited for awhile, and didn't force it… then things might go right after all.

Yeah. He could give that a try.

"Happy birthday, Washingtub!"

"Caboose, it's not-"

"Shut the fuck up, North! Caboose, you do as you damn well please. It can be everyone's birthday if you want it to be! North, go fuck yourself with a used dildo."

"South!"

"I'm just saying…"

Washington smiled fondly as he walked through the party, it being held in the middle of the canyon in the dead of night, hundreds of torches keeping monsters at bay. Several times already, South and Carolina had almost killed Andy, who'd cussed them out in Creeper (Carolina didn't understand any of it. South did. It was BAD). However, the party still went amazingly, the twins having set it up, being birthday party masters, according to York. Wash was sat up on top of a snack table, watching from afar as Sarge demonstrated how to turn a Flint 'n Steel into a flamethrower.

After only a moment, Wash felt someone sit next to him, and he at first thought it to be Tex, also attempting to avoid big crowds. But upon actually looking, Wash did not find Texas, clad in heavy black armor, but instead found Tucker, dressed in messy old leather armor dyed an ugly teal color. Wash knew it was ugly… but he didn't think it was very often, not anymore, not after seeing it everyday for months and months. Tucker was watching as well, Wash being able to see that Tucker wasn't as focused on Sarge as he was Junior, who was sitting on South's shoulders for a piggyback ride.

"She might seem like a bitch sometimes, but she's good with kids." Wash felt it was good to tell Tucker this, as to keep him from worrying too much. "You can trust her."

"It's not easy, dude." Tucker announced, sighing as he stared at his own goddamn kid. "I just… it's so fucking weird, having a kid. I mean, I used to not give two shits about having kids, but… now that I actually have one… it's so fucking weird, Wash."

"I would assume so. You doing better now?" Wash asked, leaning closer to Tucker, the odd apple cider drink in his hand held just a bit tighter.

"Uh, yeah, I am actually. Sorry I got so dramatic earlier… still dealing with really odd shit, and I'm freaking out a little." Tucker admitted, looking ashamed in himself.

"You don't need to be upset at yourself, Tucker. I mean… we all have shit days, ya know? And sometimes, we have shit months, but good things can come out of those." Wash explained, telling himself somewhere in his head that he was not the man to explain this sort of thing. Carolina was better at talking, not him.

"You're right about that." Tucker agreed, smiling at Junior as the Endermen-Human hybrid giggled when Sarge almost lit himself on fire, high-fiving South as the blonde woman laughed along with him.

Just as Wash was about to maybe, I dunno, finally get his goddamn act together and ask Tucker out, Tex got on top of one of the tables, clapping her hands. "Hey, everyone, can I have your attention?" Once everyone was staring at her, Tex grinned and nodded at the miners. "Great. Alright, so me and the Reds came across something quite interesting while on our mining trip today, and we've got a big surprise for ya. Church?"

Church stepped forward, holding Sarge's Flint 'n Steel. "Thank you for that shitty ass introduction, Tex. Now then, I'm going to explain the science behind this shit… because science is kickass. So then, to begin, this block-"

"This isn't the science fair, dumbass! Just tell us about the goddamn block!" Carolina ordered, glaring at the Zombie, unimpressed by his performance.

Church, in turn, stuttered uncontrollably, before flailing his arms in the air and falling to the ground, looking like a misplaced rag-doll.

"… Wow." Connie deadpanned, tisking at Church's limp body. "Are you seriously throwing a tantrum right now?"

"… No." Church mumbled, appearing as a ghost above the Zombie. "Just, kinda freaked out internally. Running this thing ain't easy, ya know. Me and Tex had to hunt down my dead Zombie ass for three days straight… not fun."

"So are you gonna explain what the fuck you found or not!?" South yelled, Junior yelling with her on her shoulders. "Just tell us already!"

"Fucking fine!" Tex screamed back, ripping off a blanket from on top of… a Nether Portal. "Here's what we fucking found, happy assholes!? I'm gonna go make Iron Swords before we go…" Tex stomped off, looking like an angered tabby cat.

The group stared at the portal, all with very wide eyes. "Is… is it safe?" Carolina asked, not looking very sure of herself for once. "I mean, I've heard of the Nether, but… I don't know if it's safe to go in there."

"Nether to worry, my dear!" York yelled, grinning at his girlfriend. "We'll just have to go and see!"

Everyone groaned at York's pun, making anyone who happened to come by Blood Gulch and see them think twice before entering the canyon.

A/N: Hope you guys like this, and I've got a SUPER special announcement for you all! (For my CabooseHeart people, I'm supercasey on tumblr)

Starting now, and up until a month after the last chapter of Nether Worry, I am holding a contest to see who can make the best fanart for the fic, seeing as I know many people have been reading it thus far! So, here's the rules:

1. All entries must be submitted to Tumblr, and placed under the tag #rvb minecraft au

2. Anyone can enter, but must have a Tumblr account in order to fulfill rule number one.

3. Please message me on Tumblr or on a site I have this fic on when you post your art, though this is not required or you, it would be greatly appreciated.

4. All participants will have their art placed in the story on AO3 (Jujukind will be assisting me with it).

5. You can draw anything, as long as it's from the Minecraft AU and not yaoi. You can draw anything from an actual scene to a comic, or even just one of the characters in their armor.

6. At the end of the contest, I'll pick out my top five favorites, to which I will write them all RvB fanfiction.

7. Writing is also optional, though it will not be posted in Nether Worry on Ao3

8. That's about it. Have fun!

~CabooseHeart.