A/N- Kind of a new direction for me. The idea for this story just kind of hit and I'm writing like a maniac. Inspired by checkerbloom's The Grey Crayon. So, there may be parts that don't make any sense or get kind of jumbled and wordy, but I'll go back and edit later, just wanted to put this out there are hear what you lovely people have to say! Enjoy!

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Naruto was screaming. Again. It must have been those nightmares coming back. Naruto had been getting them worse over the past couple years; Minato supposed it must have been something to do with the fact that he was growing up so fast.

Minato really didn't want to get out of bed right then. The bed felt empty and cold without its other usual occupant, so Minato had to roll himself into a cocoon to get the warmth just right. It was a hassle to keep getting in and out of his blankets, besides, he'd been comforting Naruto for almost three weeks straight with the nightmares now. He loved his son whole-heartedly, he really did. He just wished he knew how to get the nightmares to stop, obviously waking Naruto up every night wasn't doing the trick.

The screams from a little ways down the hall pierced straight into Minato's heart and he finally wrestled away his cocoon to run to his son.

"Shh, Naruto," Minato murmured softly, gently shaking his young son out of his nightmare. "I'm right here, you're all right."

Naruto's screams turned into sobs as he woke up and hid his face in his father's large sleep shirt.

"I-I cou-ldn'-t ge-et the bo-oy o-out," Naruto sniffled, taking breaths in the middle of his words as a crying toddler does.

Minato hummed gently, picking the small boy up so that his stance was a bit more comfortable. He rocked them both as he paced slowly around the room, bouncing Naruto lightly as he had when he was just an infant.

"Out of where, Naruto-kun?" Minato asked patiently as Naruto started to calm down.

"Out of the… the fire," the little blond responded, knuckling his eyes now that the tears had stopped. "There's always a boy trapped in the fire. I can never get him out."

"There's no fire now, babe," Minato responded, sounding grave as he turned so Naruto could see the bright night sky out of the window. "Just stars and the moon."

Naruto nodded as he sank his head back against his father's chest. He hated being held like a baby, he was nearly 5 now! But whenever his nightmare, watching the boy in the flames, came back, he wanted nothing else but to be held and comforted.

The pair stared out the window in a peaceful silence as Naruto got the last of his sniffles out. Minato's mind was far away though, seeing the night sky, he hoped his other precious person was doing alright. Minato sighed, thinking of the cold, lonely bed that awaited him, even if only for a few more hours. Naruto's thoughts seemed to be drifting as well.

"Dad, when will Kakashi be home?" Naruto asked, looking up at his father.

"Soon, babe, a couple more weeks," Minato frowned, he wasn't exactly sure when the silver-haired nin would be back, his mission did have a rather fluid time-line.

"Why do you have send him on such long missions?" Naruto pouted, making Minato's heart swell.

"He's one of the best shinobi in the village, Naruto," Minato squeezed his son, then turned away from the window and set the blond back on his bed. "You'll understand when you're older."

"I miss him," Naruto mumbled sleepily as he crawled back under his covers. Minato tucked him easily back in, kissed his forehead, and ruffled his hair.

"Me too, babe," He whispered, admitting it out loud as he left the room. "Me too."