Prompt by Fontiptoes:
Would it be wrong to just ask you for just 'anything-Waige-smut'? There's not nearly enough of that on the internet. If you'd want something more specific I'd love something cute, fluffy and a little domestic maybe? :)
I decided to go with fluffy and domestic that becomes smutty because why not have all the nice things? This was going to be a one-shot but these things tend to have a mind of their own. Also, the story is currently rated T but it will change later with the last chapter or two. As always please read and review. I love to hear from you!
It was just another Friday morning when Paige walked into the garage with Ralph in tow. In the two months since Walter's accident, things had slowly returned to normal but at the same time, it was the little things that weren't quite the same. Walter and Paige had come to the unspoken conclusion that Ralph was better off inolved with Scorpion and although Paige had been right to worry over his safety, she had underestimated the geniuses. They had all been too caught up the case to really stop to think about the position Ralph had been in but as soon as Paige had made things clearer for them, they had all rallied behind her. She knew they all would stand with her between Ralph and anything that might harm him and she knew that she should never have questioned that. They all loved Ralph, and they were what was best for him. Just as she also knew that Scorpion was her home too and she could never have left.
Ralph had insisted that he wanted to finish one thing or another with Walter before school and Paige had enough course study to catch up on that she let her son drag her out of bed 45 minutes before her alarm was due to go off. Later, at a more reasonable hour once she had actually woken up, Paige might pause to consider just how unusual it was for her to not have to drag her young son out of bed on a school morning. For now though, her only thoughts consisted of coffee and how quickly she could get her hands on some.
As if answering all her prayers, Walter greeted her with a fresh mug of steaming coffee. She all but groaned when she detected the wafting scent of cinnamon in the air.
"Thank you, Walter." She said with a genuine smile, taking the mug from him and taking a sip. "You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say you and Ralph planned this. What is it with geniuses and their aversion to sleep?"
Walter only smiled sheepishly as he shot a glance over to where Ralph had already started tinkering with the rocket component they had been working on the day before.
"Fine, just make sure he doesn't get covered in grease before school." Paige said with a exaggerated eye roll as she crossed over to her desk to do as much study as possible before her work day officially started. She was surprised to find a brown paper bag resting on her desk and one glance at the "Kovelsky's" logo on the side told her exactly what would be inside; her favourite fresh bagels from the place on the corner.
"You're forgiven!" Paige called at Walter from across the garage and she could have sworn she heard a chuckle from the work bench.
Time passed in companiable silence until Sylvester, Happy and Toby all turned up for work. Walter looked up at the clock and realised that it was regrettably time to take Ralph to school. As much as he would rather work on parts with the boy all day, he had recently learned better than ever that his position in Ralph's life was becoming more parental, than friend. It was a role that Walter valued more than anything else in his life and he would never willingly put it in jeopardy again.
"Time for school, buddy." Walter told Ralph and couldn't help but smile when Ralph groaned and started to argue.
"I know Ralph, but you have to." Walter said, taking the boys shoulder and steering him towards his backpack. "Besides, I have something planned for after school."
"Okay, Walter." Ralph said brightly, forgetting about how much he didn't want to go to school in his excitement about the plans Walter had hinted at. He rushed off to grab his things and say goodbye to the rest of the team. Walter felt momentarily guilty that he hadn't cleared the plans with Paige first but he hope she would be on board so he didn't have to disappoint Ralph. As the boy quickly rushed over to grab his bag, Walter walked over to Paige. She seemed to be frantically searching her desk for something.
"Lost something?" Walter asked as he came up to her desk.
"Uhhh… yeah my Poli Sci textbook. I thought I left it here because it isn't at home." Paige replied distractedly, her brow furrowing as she continued her search. As he hand brushed against her phone, the clock popped up on the display and she realised just how much she had lost track of time.
"Oh my god. Is that the time? I have to get Ralph to school and I still have to sent an email my Professor and find that stupid book!" Paige groaned as she frantically started looking for her purse and coat.
"Paige… Paige." Walter caught her arm and made her pause from her stress wirlwind. He was so impressed at all the things she managed to juggle while being an amazing mother and liaison for the team. It was clear though that things were starting to pile up for her and he suddenly felt bad for allowing Ralph to drag her out of bed early.
"I'll take Ralph to school." Walter offered, giving Paige's arm a reassuring squeeze. "You can stay here and finish what you need to and we can start work when I get back, okay?"
"Thank you." Paige said with a relieved sigh, quickly digging out her car keys from beneath a stack of journal articles. "Here take my car."
"It's okay." Walter assured with a smile.
"Also, sorry I didn't clear it with you earlier but there is an astronomical event tonight and I had planned to show Ralph how to photograph it. I was talking to him and I let it slip before I asked you." Walter explained in a rush. The last thing he wanted to do was stress Paige out more. "I can take care of everything and you can even get some more study done while I watch Ralph."
"Walter it's okay. You should have asked first but I'm sure Ralph would love it and I need a night off. Why don't we all have a grill like the night he first got his telescope?" Paige suggested.
"Sounds great." Walter said with almost the same level of excitement as Ralph had.
Ralph quickly returned with his over-sized backpack that seemed to engulf him as ran up to Walter and his mother.
"Were you telling mom about what we are doing after school?" Ralph beamed. "What are we doing?"
Walter and Paige exchanged an amused look at Ralph's eagerness.
"I think Walter wants to keep it a surprise." Paige explained as she readjusted the collar of Ralph's shirt that was caught in the strap of his backpack. "But I promise it will be worth the wait."
"Scoop?" Ralph asked as he pulled away from his fussing mother, drawing the line when she tried to fix his hair.
"Scoop." Walter replied with a laugh. "Come on, I'm taking you to school today while your mom finishes a few things."
"Bye honey." Paige said as she knelt down to kiss Ralph's cheek.
"By mom." Ralph said as he took of in tow of Walter and they chattered about whatever theory they had been working on, all of which sounded like another language to Paige.
As Walter pulled up at Ralph's school he parked so he could walk him all the way to the front door. Walter knew Paige liked to make sure he was safely delivered to the school and Walter had grown just as protective. Walter helped grab Ralph's backpack from the back seat and as he did, he spotted the top of a textbook poking out from beneath the seat. He chucked as he pulled it out and saw the title, "The Political History of NATO". He was willing to bet it was the textbook Paige had been frantically searching for, so he put it on the front seat and made a note to return it to her when he got back to the garage.
"Come on, Ralph." Walter said as he locked the car and started walking the boy to the entrance of the school.
As they walked, Walter noticed Ralph dragging his feet a little more. Obviously Ralph had been reminded of the reality of having to go to school for the rest of the day. As they neared the entrance, Walter stopped Ralph to try to encourage him even though it certainly wasn't his most developed skill set.
"Look Ralph, I know school can be difficult." Walter began, crouching down to Ralph's level. "But it is important for you to go. I know you think there isn't much you can learn here and you might be right intellectually but school is important for other reasons too."
"I thought people go to school to learn." Ralph pouted. "What is the point of I already know it and they always try to tell me that I'm wrong?"
"There is more to learn than just math and science." Walter said and couldn't help but reflect on how a mere year ago, those words would never have passed his lips. "It's something I've only just learned myself since you and your mom joined Scorpion, but the ability to be around people and meaningfully interact with them is important too. I know Toby, Happy, Sylvester and I always talk about how social skills are irrelevant but we were wrong. They are important and they can be learned, just like any other skill. That is why you have to go to school. Do you understand?"
Ralph paused for a moment to consider and eventually nodded his head.
"Like you talk to mom more than when we first joined Scorpion and now you are happier, right?" Ralph asked innocently and Walter couldn't help but smile. He wasn't the only one whose EQ had grown exponentially and he couldn't help but be proud of Ralph for making an observation he never would have noticed when they first met.
"Exactly." Walter said with a beaming smile as he ruffled Ralph's hair. "Also, I have something for you."
Walter quickly reached into his pocket and dug out the small piece of paper he had written a particularly complex equation on before Ralph and Paige had arrived that morning.
"You have to promise though that you will only start on it after you have your lunch with the new friends you have been telling your mum about. Deal?" Walter asked, making sure he didn't undo all the progress Ralph had made with his EQ but also knowing that a 30 minute lunch break was a long time to keep a genius mind occupied.
"Deal." Ralph said, taking the equation and putting it in his own pocket. "See you after school, Walter."
"See ya." Walter replied and he stood to watch Ralph walk safely inside the building.