Thunderstorms
It was a well-known fact, to anyone that knew him well, that not much could wake Bracken when he finally fell asleep. In fact, only two things were known to wake him up quickly, his wife and his children. He was known to be fiercely protective of both, and he wasn't about to let something as trivial as sleep, get in the way of that. On most nights Bracken Would have awoken and been out of bed the instant the pitter patter of those little feet reached his ears. So when a small hand pressed against his arm followed by a small, heartbreaking sniffle, Bracken was, in all honesty, a little alarmed that he hadn't noticed anything sooner. He quickly jerked awake turning to his left to spot the small four-year old in front of him. His small, emerald green, eyes widening with panic at his father's sudden movement.
"Alec, what are you doing buddy? You ok?" Bracken asked gently, feeling bad that he had scared him. Alec's face scrunched up adorably as a debate seemed to rage in his little mind.
"Firsty." He seemed to finally decide quietly. Bracken raised an eyebrow, seeing right through the little white lie.
"You're thirsty?" Bracken asked, wanting to see if his son would realize he'd been caught. The four-year old slowly, bit his lip before nodding hesitantly. Raising his eyebrow once more, Bracken stared down at the small child as he clung tighter to the small stuffed puppy Seth had once gotten him. Running a hand over his face, Bracken slowly climbed out of the warm bed, hissing as his feet hit the cold floor.
" Well lets see if we can fix that." He whispered picking Alec up and carrying him toward the kitchen. Alec clung to him in a death grip as he buried his face in Bracken's neck. It was then that Bracken finally heard the low rumble coming from outside, followed by a quick flash of light causing Alec to whimper. Bracken couldn't help but smile. Alec was going through the stage of being determined to be a 'big boy'. And according to him, big boys didn't get scared. Bracken held his son a little closer as he reached to flip the kitchen lights on.
" Are you scared buddy?" Bracken couldn't help but ask softly as another roll of thunder sent the four-year-old sniffling once more. Alec pulled back stubbornly, crossing his arms as Bracken set him on the counter.
"No! Firsty!" He insisted fiercely, despite his red rimmed eyes.
"Oh ok, my bad." Bracken replied, reaching for a cup "I must have forgotten."
"Swilly daddy." He giggled watching his father intently as he filled the cup half full of water and handed it to him.
"Both hands, don't spill it buddy." Bracken said studying his son as he timidly sipped the water. His bright green eyes still alight with fear. He had inherited his expressive eyes from his mother. Bracken loved to watch them change as Alec grew and learned but the fear in them now broke his heart. Another roll of thunder caused the four-year old to jump and a small amount of water to fall over the edge of the cup. The small boy stared at the wet patch before lifting watery eyes toward his father.
"I'm sworry daddy. I didn't mean to make a mess." Alec said lower lip trembling. Bracken immediately scooped his son up into his arms and cradled him to his chest.
"It's ok buddy. Don't worry about it."
" But I made a mwess." He sniffled.
" Yes but this is a mess we can clean up. The only mess's daddy worries about are the ones he can't clean up." Bracken said, kissing the top of his son's head. He picked up the forgotten cup and placed it in the sink before turning and heading back to his bedroom.
"Are you tired buddy?" Bracken asked noticing Alec had been quiet for a while. Alec nodded sleepily thunderstorm forgotten. " Want to go back to your bed?" He asked already knowing the answer.
"I stay with daddy"Alec replied, snuggling deeper into his arms. Bracken nodded and nudged the door to his bedroom open. He couldn't help but marvel at his now sleeping son as he lay him down. He marveled at how much Alec trusted him that simply his presence could make it better. Bracken couldn't keep the smile off his face as he stared down at the miracle snuggling in his arms. The child everyone said was impossible. Fatherhood was without a doubt one of the best things that had ever happened to him, and he wasn't about to let something as trivial as sleep get in the way of that.
Sorry it's short this is a random idea that came to me while writing another prompt. I'm working on a new multi chap. here soon called The Good, The Bad,and The Ugly. That I'm really excited about so be on the look out!
