"Huey, can you do me a favor?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"I need someone to watch Leo today. He got sent home because he started a fight within the first hour of the school day." Dewey spoke as someone who already had a headache at 9:30 in the morning.
"Whoa, wait, Leo did that?! Not Raphael?"
"Yeah. Leo's been a bit of a troublemaker lately, I don't know what happened, he's never shut me out like this before."
"Ah, that's rough, Dewey. Kids go through weird moods sometimes, it won't last forever. You're a good dad."
"Thanks, Huey. So, can you watch Leo?"
"Not today. Sorry... I can't take off work right now."
"Totally understandable. You're off saving lives and stuff. I guess I'm going to have to bring him."
"Bring him where?" Huey asked, alarm bells going off in his dad brain.
"Just a few cargo flights today. Standard stuff. It'll be fine."
"Dewey, are you sure about that?" Dewey and Huey had vastly different definitions of fine and vastly different parenting styles. Huey was more like Uncle Donald while Dewey was more like their mom.
"Relax, Hubert, I'm not gonna let him fly the plane. Not for another five years, at least."
"Let me know when the flight lessons start so I can properly evacuate the earth," Huey said with a nervous laugh.
"Will do. Thanks anyway, Huey. We'll be okay." Dewey hung up and glanced at the backseat at his grumpy six-year-old.
"Alright, little troublemaker. You have to come into work with me because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself."
"Phooey," Leo muttered, kicking the seat.
"Well, you would get to keep playing with your friends if you hadn't started a fight. Want to tell me why you thought that was a good idea?"
"No!" Leo snapped, squirming against his seat restraints.
"Leo," Dewey said in a warning tone, his heart breaking, "Please behave. You don't want to get into more trouble than you're in."
Of all his kids to get in trouble for throwing hands, Dewey had never thought it would be Leo. But Leo had been a little spitfire lately, extra cranky about everything. Dewey had been gentle and loving and tried to figure out what was going on but Leo was being stubborn and not using his words. Dewey was worried that something was seriously wrong with the usually cheerful little boy.
Soon they got to the air space, where Dewey would be moving cargo pretty much all day. Dewey wouldn't have brought Leo out if it had been a dangerous adventure. Today was just business.
"Alright, buddy. Let's go." He lifted Leo, holding him close. Leo still looked as frustrated as Dewey felt. It was really wearing on him that Leo wouldn't open up. He was doubting himself as a parent when all he wanted to do was help his son.
"Okay, Leo, we're about to get on the plane. How are you feeling? Do you need anything? A snack? A potty break? Do you have something to play with on the plane?" There had to be something that was agitating Leo, something Dewey could fix. Leo was overstimulated or understimulated, he didn't have the right snacks, or some kid had been mean to him, or something else that Dewey could handle. The mystery was eating away at him as Leo just continued to pout.
"Alright, well you should use the potty even if you don't think you need to," Dewey said with a sigh, hustling Leo over to the bathroom. Then, they boarded the plane.
Dewey didn't stop trying to talk to Leo for the entire first flight. Leo wasn't grumbling anymore but he'd stayed quiet, playing with his favorite action figure and ignoring Dewey.
"Leo? Will you please talk to me? I'm trying to understand why you started a fight today. I don't want to punish you before I know all the details." Leo didn't look up, just let out a little grunt.
"I'm not going to be mad at you for telling me what's wrong, Leo. I want to help you. I love you, you can tell me anything."
"Mmph," Leo muttered. He was usually much chattier. His moody, broody silence was a recent affliction. Dewey was terrified of whatever Leo was hiding.
After flying and not bonding with his youngest for about an hour, Dewey had to land and oversee the cargo unloading.
"You can stay here or you can come with me, you cannot run off or mess with the controls."
"I'll stay here," Leo muttered, the longest sentence he'd said to Dewey so far today.
"Okay. Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back." Leo let out a frustrated sigh and Dewey went to clear his head with some mindless work.
When he came back, Leo was crying.
"Leo! Buddy, what's wrong?" Dewey quickly pulled Leo into his arms and the little boy buried his head in Dewey's shoulder and sobbed.
"I've got you, bud, I'm right here," Dewey cradled Leo close, bouncing and twisting like he had when Leo had been a baby.
"Daddy," Leo sobbed, gripping Dewey's jacket, clinging on as tightly as he could.
"I'm right here. You can tell me what's wrong, I love you, I won't be mad at you." Why did it feel like it had been a while since Leo had called him daddy?
"Hunter G. said you're not my real dad," Leo whimpered, not looking at Dewey. Dewey's grip tightened around Leo and he sat back down so he could hold Leo in his lap.
"Leo, honey, of course I'm your dad. I'm your dad because I chose to be your dad. Look at me, buddy, I'm just as much your dad as some tiny punk's bio dad. Just because you aren't biologically related to me doesn't mean you're not my son. I love you, Leo. I'm your dad."
"Hunter said you were gonna get bored of me and send me back."
Dewey looked appalled, "No wonder you hit him. Don't go starting fights again, but don't listen to that kid either. Hunter G. doesn't know anything about you or me. I'm never gonna get bored of the coolest little kid in the world. I would never send you back. I will always be your dad and you will always be my son. Family is the greatest adventure of all." Dewey pressed a kiss to Leo's head.
Leo visibly relaxed at the promise, the tension of the past few days leaving his body as he curled into Dewey's arms.
"I love you," Dewey murmured, running his fingers through Leo's dark hair.
"I love you too, daddy," Leo murmured sleepily, feeling secure and safe in the world once more.