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witticasterThe temptation to continue the threesome fic is overwhelming, but ultimately, I don't think I'm awake enough atm. Since it's the middle of the night, let's write middle-of-the-night!fic.
Archie woke to a small hand on his shoulder, attempting to shake him, and a whispered, "Daddy, wake up."
"What is it, Sebastian?" he asked, yawning, and mentally damned William for sleeping on the side of the bed furthest from the door to their room. Sebastian never went to wake him up, did he? "Did you have a bad dream?"
Sebastian's face was in shadow, thanks to the dim glow of the night light in the corridor behind him, but Archie could imagine his expression: wide eyes, a downward pull to his mouth. He nodded his head vigorously, saying, "There was a ghost chasing me, and you weren't there, and--and--"
As Sebastian spoke, Archie hefted himself up, quite glad he wasn't expected at the theater until late afternoon the next day. He put an arm around his son, hugging him close, and murmured into his mussed hair, "But it was only a dream, and it's over now. Why don't we get you back to bed?"
He stood up at Sebastian' nod, more felt than seen, and kept a protective hand on the boy's back as they walked to his bedroom. Sebastian curled back up in his bed, but sat up straight when Archie tried to walk away after kissing him on the cheek. "What if the ghost looks at me through the window?"
Archie sat down again at the edge of Sebastian's bed, and tried to coax him into lying back down. "The ghost was part of your dream, remember? He wasn't real, won't trouble you--"
"What if he does?" Sebastian nearly threw himself back into Archie's arms, latching on insistently as a little barnacle.
"He won't, I promise. What if I pull the shade down?" he asked, thinking fast. As gently as he could, Archie attempted to free himself, that he might do just that. "Then he can't see you at all."
"Then he can look at me and I won't know." Sebastian sounded on the verge of tears.
Archie stopped trying to disentangle himself from his embrace, instead putting his arms about Sebastian and drawing him close once more. Brushing a hand over Sebastian's hair, he promised, "He won't do any such thing. If you lay down, I'll keep you company until you're asleep again."
Sebastian didn't reply at first, and Archie hoped against hope he had fallen suddenly and deeply asleep. But then he said, "All right," in a timid, tired voice, and Archie tucked him back into his bed.
"Would you like a story?" Archie asked, almost immediately regretting it, since he wasn't nearly awake enough to think of a good one. But Sebastian had already nodded, and so Archie said the first thing that came to mind, his voice a low murmur of rolling words he'd learnt by heart decades ago. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages..."
-
He was unsure how long he had been asleep when the voice at his ear cried, "Daddy, wake up!" once more, but it couldn't have been very long. It felt like the blink of an eye, the time elapsed between staggering back to bed and finding Sebastian standing next to him, wild-eyed and worried once more. "Daddy--!"
"What, Sebastian?" Archie asked, too tired to school his tone of voice into something kinder. He regretted it when he saw Sebastian shrink back slightly, his shoulders hunching in a way cribbed entirely from William. More kindly, he asked, "Another bad dream?"
Sebastian nodded, silent, and Archie held out a hand to him. When he neither spoke nor set his hand in Archie's, Archie asked, "Is something else wrong, Sebastian?"
"Can I sleep in here?" the words burst out. Archie glanced over his shoulder at William, not nearly so sprawled as he normally ended up at night, and considered whether he wanted to get up again that night.
He sighed, smiled at Sebastian the best he could. "All right. Come here, lad, we'll put you in the middle."
Sebastian clambered over Archie, kneeing him in the stomach on the way, and curled happily between his fathers on the broad bed. William shifted where he lay, mumbling something unintelligible and (quite unfairly) remaining entirely asleep, and Archie leaned over to kiss Sebastian good night for the third time that evening.
Archie woke to a small hand on his shoulder, attempting to shake him, and a whispered, "Daddy, wake up."
"What is it, Sebastian?" he asked, yawning, and mentally damned William for sleeping on the side of the bed furthest from the door to their room. Sebastian never went to wake him up, did he? "Did you have a bad dream?"
Sebastian's face was in shadow, thanks to the dim glow of the night light in the corridor behind him, but Archie could imagine his expression: wide eyes, a downward pull to his mouth. He nodded his head vigorously, saying, "There was a ghost chasing me, and you weren't there, and--and--"
As Sebastian spoke, Archie hefted himself up, quite glad he wasn't expected at the theater until late afternoon the next day. He put an arm around his son, hugging him close, and murmured into his mussed hair, "But it was only a dream, and it's over now. Why don't we get you back to bed?"
He stood up at Sebastian' nod, more felt than seen, and kept a protective hand on the boy's back as they walked to his bedroom. Sebastian curled back up in his bed, but sat up straight when Archie tried to walk away after kissing him on the cheek. "What if the ghost looks at me through the window?"
Archie sat down again at the edge of Sebastian's bed, and tried to coax him into lying back down. "The ghost was part of your dream, remember? He wasn't real, won't trouble you--"
"What if he does?" Sebastian nearly threw himself back into Archie's arms, latching on insistently as a little barnacle.
"He won't, I promise. What if I pull the shade down?" he asked, thinking fast. As gently as he could, Archie attempted to free himself, that he might do just that. "Then he can't see you at all."
"Then he can look at me and I won't know." Sebastian sounded on the verge of tears.
Archie stopped trying to disentangle himself from his embrace, instead putting his arms about Sebastian and drawing him close once more. Brushing a hand over Sebastian's hair, he promised, "He won't do any such thing. If you lay down, I'll keep you company until you're asleep again."
Sebastian didn't reply at first, and Archie hoped against hope he had fallen suddenly and deeply asleep. But then he said, "All right," in a timid, tired voice, and Archie tucked him back into his bed.
"Would you like a story?" Archie asked, almost immediately regretting it, since he wasn't nearly awake enough to think of a good one. But Sebastian had already nodded, and so Archie said the first thing that came to mind, his voice a low murmur of rolling words he'd learnt by heart decades ago. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages..."
-
He was unsure how long he had been asleep when the voice at his ear cried, "Daddy, wake up!" once more, but it couldn't have been very long. It felt like the blink of an eye, the time elapsed between staggering back to bed and finding Sebastian standing next to him, wild-eyed and worried once more. "Daddy--!"
"What, Sebastian?" Archie asked, too tired to school his tone of voice into something kinder. He regretted it when he saw Sebastian shrink back slightly, his shoulders hunching in a way cribbed entirely from William. More kindly, he asked, "Another bad dream?"
Sebastian nodded, silent, and Archie held out a hand to him. When he neither spoke nor set his hand in Archie's, Archie asked, "Is something else wrong, Sebastian?"
"Can I sleep in here?" the words burst out. Archie glanced over his shoulder at William, not nearly so sprawled as he normally ended up at night, and considered whether he wanted to get up again that night.
He sighed, smiled at Sebastian the best he could. "All right. Come here, lad, we'll put you in the middle."
Sebastian clambered over Archie, kneeing him in the stomach on the way, and curled happily between his fathers on the broad bed. William shifted where he lay, mumbling something unintelligible and (quite unfairly) remaining entirely asleep, and Archie leaned over to kiss Sebastian good night for the third time that evening.
