It was several hours past the start of dusk when small patters of feet echoed in the hallways of Layton's home. A small shadowed figure loomed in the doorway of the occupied bedroom, stuffed elephant toy in tow. The little figure watched two people in bed, lulled asleep comfortably with their backs facing each other. Without hesitation, the child climbed in bed in between the two and shifted just enough to get under the covers.
Layton, one of the bed's occupants, was the first to wake. Once he turned over to confirm that it was his own son, he nodded in silent acknowledgement.
"Good evening, Alfendi. Is something the matter? Can't sleep?"
The auburn haired child frowned as he began lightly tugging at his elephant's trunk. "I don't wanna sleep in my room, dad… It's too open and really close to the front door. What if a burglar shows up and kidnaps me because I'm a witness?"
Emmy stirred before rising up, processing Alfendi's words. "B-Burglar? What…?"
Alfendi was a very bright child for his age, about as logical as his father. He had interests in handling police work ever since he was able to tag along with his father on a few of Scotland Yard's cases. Since then, he understands fear. While every other child feared the monsters that lied in the dead of night, he feared something more real and more concrete: Criminals.
As a result, he drops in on his dad unexpectedly at night in hopes that he can sleep with him for safety. The first time was asked of course, and Layton allowed him a place in bed. But now it seems almost frequent to where Alfendi no longer asks and lets himself in with no refusal from his father, much to Emmy's chagrin. Any hopes of privacy or intimacy was dashed. Such is the life of dealing with small children.
When her mind finally stopped swimming, Emmy folded her arms. "Al, I know it's scary being alone in your room when something like that can happen. But you know the moment anything is wrong, your father and I are more than ready to handle it. Besides, hardly anything happens on this side of town without no one knowing." Her eyes looked off to the side as she muttered under her breath, "Too many nosey neighbors…"
"Miss Emmy, there's still about a good—erm…" He paused and held up his hand, signaling he was still in thought. "Right, there's still a twenty percent chance it could happen!"
There it was, the statistics again. The woman held in a groan and eyeroll. He must be a riot at his classmates' birthday parties.
She placed her hand on his shoulder reassuringly. "Of course, but that's still only a slight chance. If anyone shows up to this house with trouble in mind, they'll have me to deal with. And your dad too."
When both pairs of eyes were on Layton for confirmation, he smiled. "That's right. As long as we all keep a level head and alert each other of the circumstance, there will always be a source of safety. Please don't worry yourself."
The young boy couldn't deny that they each had an element of self-defense. Feeling a bit of relief, he held his plush close and let out a sigh. "Alright. If you say so. But I still don't know if I can sleep alone."
Her hand reached the back of her head to scratch it. "It's fine if you come to us maybe… once in a while if you really feel scared. But the bed's really becoming too small to fit all of us."
"Can't you get a bigger bed?"
"I'm afraid not, my boy. Getting a larger bed means finding more room to accommodate for it and that is something we currently lack," Hershel cut in.
"Besides, I think you're getting to be a tiny bit too old to still be sleeping with your dad," the brunette continued.
A pout formed on the child's lips. Something about that wasn't right to him. "Oh yeah? Well, how come every time you come by and stay for the night, you're always sleeping with dad? Huh?"
Her cheeks lit up at his accusatory tone, clearly taken back. "E-Excuse me?!"
Layton turned away, doing his best not to show any signs of amusement over the can of worms being opened by his makeshift family. "Oh dear…"