So every time I try to update a WIP today I get really tired and can't make any headway so here's a short little thing I've had the idea for for a while.

When Walter opened his eyes and didn't see the familiar sight of the loft, his heart started to race – but only for a moment. He knew this décor. He'd been here many times before.

He rolled onto his back, tipping his head to look to his right. Paige was on her back, one arm over her eyes, her hair splayed out around her as if she'd purposefully arranged it that way.

Walter smiled. He'd seen her like this before, but never here. Every time they had slept next to each other before, it had been at the garage. Any intimate encounters that happened in her condo took place during the day, while Ralph was at school, or in the evenings after work when Ralph was out with Sylvester or at a friend's house. And then he always left. Neither of them had liked that, but Walter understood Paige wanting to wait a while before the three of them went home together.

Walter stretched, pointing his toes and grunting quietly, then looked back at his girlfriend. He had always been a light sleeper, but when he was next to her, he found that his rest was a lot more sound. This usually meant that they woke up around the same time, but she didn't seem to be anywhere close to waking up naturally. He wished she would. They were nose to nose barely eight hours before, holding hands under the covers and whispering quietly to one another, but he found himself missing her, wanting to talk to her again. He wondered if that feeling would fade in time, as their time together grew longer.

His patience for lounging in bed without active companionship was low. Walter rose, careful to not disturb her. As much as he wanted her to wake up, he knew better than to do that, especially on a day off. Locating his slippers, Walter quietly entered the bathroom, relieving himself and washing his face before heading out of the bedroom and down the hall.

As he passed by the other bedroom, the door opened, and Walter suddenly found himself face to face with the reason that the previous night was his first at the condo. "Ralph."

"Hi, Walter."

"Good morning." Walter wondered why he suddenly felt so awkward. It wasn't like Ralph didn't know he had stayed over.

"Good morning." Ralph started to move down the hall and gestured to Walter. "Come on."

"O – okay." He followed, confused, until Ralph stopped in front of the kitchen window. "What's up, Ralph?"

"It's pretty from this view."

Walter looked out. There wasn't a clear view of the sunrise, but he could see what Ralph was talking about. The way the sun looked from behind the palm trees did have an aesthetic value to it. He wondered if Ralph had always liked this view, or if he had come to appreciate it because his mom did. "You're right," he said finally. "It's nice."

Ralph turned toward him, biting his lip. "I'm glad you're here, Walter."

He smiled. "Yeah, buddy?"

Ralph nodded.

Walter hunkered down in front of the boy. "You're being honest? Because neither your mom nor I want you to be uncomfortable."

"Walter," Ralph said, pressing his lips together, "I don't lie about things like this. Truth is…" he shifted his weight from one leg to the other before standing flat footed again. "Truth is, I was always glad that Tim never stayed over. And neither did this other guy my mom was seeing for a week or two when I was six. I took that as a sign that things weren't serious. And I liked that. I didn't want to share my mom. And I definitely didn't want to share her with someone who wasn't right for her, and someone that I didn't want in my life." He pulled a chair out from the table and sank down on it. "But it was different when we met you."

Ralph looked down. Walter understood. Words were still hard for him, too. But he really wanted to know what else Ralph wanted to say. He dropped to his knees in front of him. "You can talk to me." He thought of how Paige reacted when she knew he was nervous about something. "I'm not going to make fun of you."

Ralph let out a breath. "I told Cabe when we were on that island that I was scared that the situation would push you and my mom back apart. You know that it's been a long, long time since I've had a dad. And I used to want my father back. But now I don't." He looked away. "Now I just want you."

Walter couldn't help the small smile that came over his face. "Yeah?"

Ralph looked back at him. "You're exactly what both of us need. Which doesn't sound logical, because there's no algorithm or function to prove that. But I know it." He kicked one of his legs out. "So when you kept staying at the garage, I wondered what was wrong. I guess I assumed that you would be here right away."

Walter put a hand on the boy's knee. "I'm here now, Ralph."

"And you love my mom."

"Yes." Walter nodded. "I do." He smiled. "And you know what else? I love you, too."

Ralph smiled that crooked smile. "I love you too, Walter."

Walter reached up and mussed Ralph's hair. "Good. That makes me very happy to hear."

Ralph slid off the chair and threw his arms around Walter. Walter smiled, enveloping him in a hug.

"We're all going to be so happy," Ralph said.

Walter smiled. "I think so, too."