Author's Note: Just a little bit of John and Johnny fluff with a sprinkle of Anna in there. I had so much fun writing this, I hope you like it!
Perched on the edge of a stool, his bad leg stretched out in front of him and a warmed towel draped over his knee, John watched his little boy play in the bath with his toys and smiled. It was meant to have been Anna's night to give him a bath and get him ready for bed, but when they made it home from the Abbey he told her that he would do it. Before he went away to France, those things were simply another part of their routine and he put little thought into them in all truthfulness. Being away from him all that time though, unable to hold him or read to him or even hear him laugh, made him see how much he took their precious time together for granted and he wanted to change that.
He was also glad to give his wife a break seeing as though she'd been seeing to everything while he was away.
How on earth she managed to keep the cottage sparkling while also running around after their son astounded him.
She was a wonder, that woman, he swore.
When his son brought a hand out of the water and offered him a dripping wet toy train, beaming, he chuckled and accepted it from him with a word of thanks before smoothing a hand over his hair while he went back to playing. It was still amazing to him, honestly, the love he had for this little lad. He changed everything for him and Anna, gave them all they could ever want, and he had no idea. He knew how loved he was since they reminded him on the daily and he knew that he was special to the two of them, but there was no doubt in his mind that he hadn't the first clue just how special he was to them. In their minds, he was their reward for everything they had been through together.
He was all that mattered to either of them and they would make sure he was aware of it as he went through life.
"I think it might be time to get out, little man, before you start to shrivel up." He said after giving him an extra ten minutes, taking hold of the towel in his lap and getting up from the stool as he opened it up. When Johnny dropped his toy into the water, grabbing the side of the bath so he could get to his feet, he wrapped him up in the towel and hoisted him onto his hip with a kiss to his forehead. He allowed him to wrap his arms around his neck and felt him play with his hair as he carried him from the bathroom, giving his back a gentle rub to warm him up, and when they made it to his room he carried him over to the bed and sat him down. "Now then, do you remember what we need?"
"Um…" Johnny thought for a moment, his concentration face making him look so much like Anna. "Nightclothes?"
"Right! There is something we need before nightclothes though." John smiled.
Johnny thought again before gasping and looking up at his father. "Cloth!"
"Oh, you are a clever boy." John tickled his stomach through the towel, chuckling when he squealed happily.
Turning around, he left him sitting there on the bed for a minute while he walked over to the chest of drawers to go in search of a cloth and pair of nightclothes for him, and when he returned he'd already succeeded in wriggling free from the towel. "Come on," He smiled as he took the damp towel from the bed and hung it over the back of a chair, laying his son down on the bed when he turned to him again so he could start putting on his cloth. "The sooner we get you ready for bed, the sooner we can pop down to the kitchen. How about we try to sneak some cookies again?"
"No cookies at bedtime, Daddy," Johnny shook his head. "Mummy says so."
"I think Mummy will be okay with it this once," John smirked. "It can be my welcome home treat."
When his son nodded, clearly completely on board with the whole idea, he pinned his cloth in place and sat him up so he could start getting him changed into the nightclothes he found. It took him little time to do so and he picked him up again once he'd pulled his bottoms up for him, giving him a gentle squeeze when he wrapped his arms and legs around him. He was getting tired now, he could tell by the look in his eyes. Baths always had that effect on him and it was his nightly glass of warm milk that finished him off entirely, rendering him half-asleep before they even made it back upstairs. It was a good routine they had. A simple, calming one, and it was one of his favourite things.
Leaving the bedroom with him once again, he allowed him to rest his head on his shoulder as he carried him down the landing and then down the stairs, but he lifted his head again when he entered the sitting room with him. Anna was sound asleep on the settee, the book she must have been reading beforehand still open in her lap, and it really came as little surprise to him. She had a lovely time with their son while he was away, she told him so herself earlier on, but he knew how much of a handful he could be at the best of times and she'd never had to deal with him alone before. He had worn her out completely and it was more than evident, so it made him happy to see she was resting.
"I think Mummy tired." Johnny remarked, taking an arm from around his neck to point at her.
"She is, little man," John nodded. "How about you give her a kiss goodnight and then we leave her to sleep, hmm?"
"Kay."
"Good boy."
He sat him up a little higher on his hip as he took him over to the settee, holding him tighter when he leaned down to give his mother a peck on the cheek, and when he cuddled up to him once again he smiled and buried his lips in his hair. He stood there for a minute longer, simply watching Anna sleep, and then he turned in silence and carried their son from the sitting room so they could head down to the kitchen. "If I get started on our drinks, do you want to get the cookies?" He raised an eyebrow at him when he set him down, chuckling when he nodded eagerly before taking one of the dining chairs and pulling it towards the kitchen counter so he could clamber up and get to the jar.
"Daddy, how many cookies?" Johnny asked, looking at his father as he opened the refrigerator to get the milk.
"Well, Mummy told me you were a big help while I was gone, so I suppose you can have two tonight." John told him.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
John watched him pull four cookies out, two for him and two for himself, and once he'd gotten down from the chair so he could go and put them on the table he got to work on their drinks. He put some water in the kettle and put it on the stove to boil, taking a teacup from the cupboard and placing it on the kitchen counter, and then he found a small saucepan in which to warm up the milk. It was crazy how much happiness such a simple task brought him. He loved spending time with his son, no matter what the two of them were getting up to together, and merely knowing that Johnny appreciated their quality time as greatly as he did made him happier than he could even put into words.
His father never did things like this with him.
The only time his father had anything at all to do with him was when he wanted to push him around.
When he found out that Anna was pregnant, when he found out that he was going to be a father, he made a sort of promise to himself to never go down the same path his father had. He would never call Anna the sordid names he'd heard his father call his mother. He would never raise his hand to her if she was running a bit behind on dinner, not when he knew she had more on her plate these days and was doing her best. It was the same with their son too, he never wanted him to be intimidated by him. He wanted him to know he could come to him whenever he needed to, that he could talk to him about anything that bothered him, and he would be there for him. Surely, that was his job.
He signed on for this.
He was the one who signed on to be a husband and father, no one made him, and he had to do it the best he could.
When the kettle whistled and the milk began to bubble in the saucepan, he turned down the heat and made himself a cup of tea before waiting for the milk to cool a little and pouring it into a cup. He carried the drinks carefully over to the table and set the cup of warm milk down in front of his son, smiling as he sat down in the chair next to him and ran a hand over his hair. He was having a hard time keeping his eyes open now, that was how tired he was, but he was doing it and his love for him just deepened when he had a drink and glanced at him over the rim of the cup.
"Did you have a nice time with Mummy while I was in France?" He asked.
"Mm-hm. We played trains." Johnny informed him.
"Why am I not surprised? Did you build a big track like the last time?"
"Yep! All around the sitting room."
"That big?" John's eyes widened. "Well, I'm sorry I couldn't be here to see that."
"Daddy, are you going to go away again?" Johnny set his cup down on the table, holding it in his hands.
John shook his head. "I might have to someday, little man, but not for a while. For the time being, I'm staying here."
"Good. Missed you." Johnny told him.
"I missed you too," John assured him, giving his cheek a stroke. "I love you and your mummy so much, you know."
"Lots and lots?" Johnny asked, sipping at his drink once again.
"Lots and lots," John echoed, chuckling under his breath before kissing him on the forehead. "Lots and lots…"
He eased the bedroom door open with his foot when they made it back upstairs to his bedroom, his hands full since Johnny was very nearly asleep on him, and when he tucked his head further into his neck he hushed him gently. He needed to go down to Anna so he could wake her and they could head to bed as well, but he would only be able to do that if his son was settled. It was the last thing he wanted, honestly, him to start asking for his mother when she was worn out as it was. When he woke her up, she needed to be able to go upstairs and change into her nightgown so she could have a proper night's sleep. Something that she likely hadn't achieved since he'd gone away to France.
Pulling back the quilt, he laid him down carefully on the bed and grabbed his teddy bear for him before tucking him in and brushing his hair from his face. "Night-night," He said in a quiet voice as his son blinked at him. "I love you."
"Love you, Daddy." Johnny mumbled seconds before his eyes fell closed and he settled once again.
He leaned down to kiss his temple and breathed a sigh of relief when he pulled back and began to leave the room, certain he would be able to sleep through the night and wouldn't be calling for him or his mother any time soon. It had been a huge transition, moving him out of their bedroom and into his own, and trying to get him to sleep in his own bed had been a challenge in itself, but he was doing so much better now and the arrangement did the three of them the world of good. He and Anna got far more privacy and were sleeping more and he got some independence.
When he stepped out of the bedroom and onto the landing he pulled the door to, making sure there was still a gap to let some light into the room in case he woke in the night, and then he carded a hand through his hair and turned to the staircase. He made his way down in silence and headed for the sitting room a second time, smiling when he entered to see that Anna was still sleeping well. In all truthfulness, he wanted to leave her there so she could sleep. He never liked the thought of waking her once she was asleep, knowing she struggled to even get to that point as it was, but he also knew she would ache all over if she slept like that all night and so he didn't have much of a choice.
He approached the settee once he'd stood there a couple moments longer and took the book from her lap, marking her place with the bookmark to the side of her, and when he looked her way again while setting the book down on the table he saw that she was starting to stir. He sat down in the space next to her, allowing her to wake in her own time, and when her eyes blinked open at long last and she turned her head to look his way he gave her a soft smile. "Hello," He whispered, reaching out to brush a short strand of hair behind her ear which made her sigh contentedly. "Our boy is bathed and in bed and I even remembered about his glass of warm milk, so I think I've done quite well."
"You have, my darling, well done," She gave him a playful pat on the cheek. "But cookies at this time of night?"
He blinked at her for a second. "You need to stop doing that. It really does creep me out."
"With you boys, I have to have a sixth sense for these things or else we'd be eaten out of house and home," She told him while sitting up beside him, the two of them sharing a smile before she planted a kiss on his lips and snuggled into his side. "You know, I really never thought I would end up missing you as terribly as I did while you were gone."
"Charming."
"You know what I mean. I thought I would be so busy you'd be back before I knew it, but I missed you so much."
"I missed you too," He mumbled into her hair. "I won't be going away again for a long time to come though."
"Promise?" She asked softly as she tilted her head back to look up at him.
"Promise," He nodded, tightening his hold of her with a brush of his lips against her own. "I promise…"
Author's Note: Thank you so much for taking the time to read. Reviews are welcome and much appreciated!
