A/N:
Nobody will understand the pain...
...of not owning Skulduggery Pleasant...
...being unable to actually pair up Skuldugery and Valkyrie...
...and make them a cannon pairing...

...

...and being unable to kill Fletcher.

Chapter 19 Daddy's Boy

I am not afraid.

I'm 13 years old not the 6 year old body I have.

I am not afraid of a silly lightening storm.

The lightening stroke and Nicky whimpered curling into a ball.

I'm not afraid.

I'm not afraid.

T he thunder boomed and Nicky fought back a cry.

I'm going to stay in my bed and fall asleep. I will not go to my parents like a little boy.

Nicky remembered that his mother was away that night which only left the shell that could once be called human left alone in his parent's bed.

I am definitely not going to my parent's bed. I am not going to admit to that excuse of a father that I am scared of thunder storms.

But inside he shivered while he thought of what he really wanted. He wanted to go to his father. He wished he was still small enough to fit in his ribcage.

Nicky remembered the time when bad people came to their house and Dad had put him in his ribcage and covered him with a jacket. He found out how serious it was later on but at that time he could only feel safe and warm.

Of course his mother had to perform CPR afterwards from the lack of air in the time spent in there and boy did Dad get a beating for that but after that (until he got too big and snapped a rib) he always went to Dad's ribcage when he was scared.

Nicky wished he could be there now. He wanted the warm, oddly comfortable safe little hiding whole that he so-

Thunder roared and Nicky screamed.

He ran unthinking just wanting that safe feeling again. He ran as fast as he could, past familiar walls, threw the door open, jumped into the bed and hid under the covers searching with hands for that familiar skeletal frame.

"Nicky?' said the voice.

"Shut up!" he said hoarsely sobbing.

Skulduggery sighed.

"Nicky it's alright"

"Shut up you dead bastard! I told you to shut up!"

Nicky clutched to his father's thigh bone sobbing profusely. Not because he was scared. But he was ashamed. He had never seen his father scared. Ever. Why couldn't he be the same?

He felt bony fingers find him under the covers and patted him soothingly.

"Nicky it's alright I'm here" he said and his sobs quietened.

Nicky sat up throwing the covers away. His eyes were red and blotchy, snot dribbled from his nose.

"Don't you tell anyone what happened here" he said, his voice still shaky.

"Nicky you know I won't"

"Especially not mum"

"Definitely"

"And I'm not afraid of storms"

"Nicky, I know you have been since the night we left you home alone when you said you were big enough to stay by yourself"

Nicky went silent. He hadn't known that he knew that.

The lightening strike and Nicky yelped hugging his father again started to cry.

Skulduggery made hushing sounds stroking his back.

"Screw you" Nicky said still sobbing.

Skulduggery continued his calming therapy on his son until the boy started to quiet down.

"Nicky?"

"What?" he answered after a few moments.

"Goodnight"

Nicky's eyes got tired and he felt hazy. But warm. Comfortable. Safe in his father's arms.

"Fuc-" he started but he fell asleep.

Skulduggery watched his son sleep peacefully, enjoying this moment of fatherly tenderness. One of the few times that Skulduggery felt like he succeeded in parenthood.

"I love you too Nicky"

A/N: Just a bit of fluff.

Yes Nicky has a potty mouth but no matter how much he and Skulduggery pretend to hate each other they really do love each other.

And Nicky, well he just wants to grow up to be his Daddy.