actualalligator sent me this from a prompt meme "' if you don't turn off that light and go back to your room right now… '"
Owen leans against the pillows of the couch as he flicks through Netflix. For a company that boasts over 3,000 titles, there often seems to be nothing of interest. Somehow TK always seems to find something to watch. Even if it's an obscure documentary on a love bombing cult. Or rewatching some teen drama for the 50th time. Regardless, Owen struggles to find anything he truly wants to dedicate 2+ hours to.
His phone chimes beside him, indicating it's finally charged enough to turn back on. He absentmindedly turns the baby monitor app on. TK's been in his crib over an hour. The most he'll hear is the sound machine and lullaby playlist. Sure enough, he hears both but out of the corner of his eye, spots the light are on. Owen picks up the phone and looks closer to the screen.
TK is still in his Hungry Caterpillar pajamas as he sits in the middle of the pastel green rug shaped like a monkey's face. He's playing with three bigger Tonka vehicles: one ambulance, one firetruck and the other, a cop car. TK's voice narrates the different noises each make.
Owen draws a deep breath and counts back from 5. It was already a struggle to put TK to bed this evening. His son threw a fit about every step of the way. First, he didn't want to brush his teeth. Yet, he didn't want his dad to do it because "he's not a baby". Then, when he couldn't pick pajamas on his own, Owen did, but they weren't "the right ones". To prove his point, he dumped his water all over the Paw Patrol jammies, meaning he had to be changed again. Owen was exhausted by the time he finally tucked his pouting son in and turned off the light. He was admittedly looking forward to a few hours break.
He wonders if that makes him a bad parent. After all, he should love this time he gets with his son. Owen was absent a lot of his childhood. In many ways, this is a second chance. That doesn't just mean cuddles and cute words. It comes with rough nights and not so fun behaviors. Owen is fine with that, most of the time. He'd rather a pouty kid than an exhausted one.
Owen tries to avoid online caregiver support groups. They're filled of arguments over the smallest of whether or not screens are lazy caregiving all the way up to debates over whether Littles should be allowed to work. Owen tried to chime in on that last one and was told "of course you'd feel that way, you're a man". He still doesn't know what that means. Owen stopped interacting after that, though he browses when he feels the need to laugh. Through all of it, one piece of advice stuck, even the best of parents need breaks. It seems to be one of the few consensuses of the group.
It's also known that breaks can never last long.
Owen settles his phone back down and heads up the stairs. TK doesn't even flinch when the door opens. He pushes the ambulance to follow the firetruck in his other hand.
"TK."
His son looks up, a smile on his face. "Hi, Daddy."
Owen puts his hands on his hips. "Did you climb out of your crib?"
"Uh huh."
He checks the monkey clock on the wall. "It's 9 PM. Which means that all little monkeys need to be in bed."
"That's not a bed, that's a crib."
Owen looks up at the ceiling. TK giggles and goes back to his trucks. Owen leans down and pries the ambulance from his hand. TK whines, making grabby hands.
"Daddy!"
"Tyler, it is well past your bedtime. You know not to climb out of your crib unless you need something."
"I did need something," TK insists. His lips form in that infamous pout. "My trucks."
"What you need is sleep." Owen scoops up the other two trucks and settles them all back in the bin. TK remains on the floor. His arms are crossed over his chest as he looks up at his dad with the pouty lip and wide eyes. "Don't even try it. Back to bed…crib…" He's quick to correct before he can get a smart mouth. "With you."
"No."
Owen clicks his tongue. He crosses over to the crib and pushes the bars down. "Bed."
"Crib."
"Tyler Kennedy, I am not playing games with you. It is getting late and you need to get some sleep." TK doesn't move. "Either you come over here and climb in. Or I can come carry you."
"I don't wanna be carried!" TK whines. That had been another issue this evening. TK insisted he didn't need to be held or carried anywhere, yet wouldn't do it on his own.
"Then what is the only other option?"
"I stay here and play."
"Tyler. 1…" TK rubs his fingers against the brown fur of the rug. "2….Do you really want me to have to get to 3?" TK shrugs. Owen shakes his head. "Fine, 3."
He walks back over and hooks his arms under TK's legs. His son fusses instantly, trying to fight against him. Owen manages to pick him up anyway. TK whines and punches his fists, though not directed as his dad. Buttercup comes into the room but doesn't do anything to get in the way. Owen settles TK in the crib and quickly pulls up the bars before he can get out. His son lays there, kicking his legs and whining.
"I wanna play!"
"You need sleep."
Owen finds his discarded pacifier and tries to slip it in his mouth. TK's head is quick and he dodges it. He also refuses any of the stuffed animals. All Owen can do is move the blankets up once and allow them to fall back down when TK inevitably kicks. There's exhaustion written in those stubborn eyes telling Owen that this isn't a true case of not being able to sleep. He'd be more sympathetic and perhaps do a bit more to help. Right now, TK is just being stubborn. Sticking around is only going to feed into whatever game this is. If he's arguing, he's not sleeping. That's just what this little boy seems to want.
He hooks the pacifier to a leash on TK's pajamas. "You have your binky. The sippy is right here." Owen points to the still half-filled Paw Patrol cup. "Plus all your animals. Do you need anything else?"
"Play!"
"Anything for bed?"
"No! You're mean!"
"That's alright. I can be the mean daddy who wants his son to get some sleep." Owen bends down and tries to kiss his forehead. TK moves quickly, nearly hitting his head on the bars. Luckily, Cuppy blocks the impact. Owen sighs. "Be careful. Goodnight. I love you."
There is more whining as he shuts off the overhead and makes sure the nightlight is still on. Buttercup flops onto the bed in front of the crib, but TK doesn't move to play with him. He's too busy fussing in his crib. A long time ago, Owen would've stayed to make sure he calmed down. Now, he knows the only way is for TK to sort himself out. He'll fall asleep eventually. Hopefully, he won't be too exhausted tomorrow.
Owen isn't sure what wakes him up around midnight. He doesn't have to pee. There's no immediate noises. He feels around his nightstand to find his phone and with sleep eyes, reopens the app. The lights are off, sound machine whirling. Buttercup sleeps soundly by the crib. Owen zooms in a bit. He can see Cuppy, Spot, the mobile, bedspread…
No TK.
Owen makes it to the hall when he hears something coming from downstairs. He scrubs his hands over his face.
They have to be up in 6 hours. Of all the nights, TK chooses this one to rebel against sleep.
"Why?" Owen mumbles.
He wakes up as much as he can before trudging downstairs. The entire first floor is lit up. TK sits in the middle of the living room, eyes glued to the screen while he cuddles PB. The pacifier bobs up and down in his mouth as he giggles over Puss and Donkey making fun of Shrek. Owen wordlessly picks up the remote off the table and presses the red button. TK's head snaps up as the screen turns black. He tilts his head, his eyes widening just a bit.
"Uh oh," he mumbles through the pacifier.
"You know an "uh oh" is when you do something by accident," Owen says, trying to reign his voice in. "And I doubt you accidentally climbed out of your crib, came all the way down here and turned on a movie." TK shrugs. "Crib. Now."
TK takes out his pacifier and allows it to drop down with the leash. "But I wanna finish the movie!"
"It is midnight. Your bedtime is 8:00. That is not something that's changed in nearly a year. We have to be up early tomorrow, which means you need sleep."
"Nuh uh."
"If you don't turn off that light and go back to your room right now, Tyler Kennedy, you are going to be in bigger trouble."
TK folds his arms tighter around PB, pouting once again. "Whatever, Owen."
Owen purses his lips. TK learned his and Gwyn's names when he was 2 years old. For a spell, he, innocently, called both of them that. They were able to correct it in time. Though, it didn't help that they'd laugh every time he did. There was maybe twice when TK was a teenager that he tried it with each of them and it was shut down. His friends could try that with their parents, but they were not those kids' parents. After joining the 252, TK had to call Owen "Captain Strand" in the field but he was "Dad" everywhere else. Even at work when they weren't around civilians. They didn't even have to talk about it that much. Owen isn't sure if he's heard his son call him by his first name in about a decade.
It's not about to start back up now.
Owen doesn't say anything else. He stands there, staring down his son. His eyebrows are arched and lips drawn in a line. TK sits there with his adorable pout and wide eyes. It takes a few minutes for his arms to loosen. He its there for another moment before jumping to his feet. Both the kitchen and living room lights are shut off within a moment. TK beelines for the stairs. Owen quickly follows behind him. He grabs his son by the shoulders when he starts to head to the nursery and guides him into the master bedroom.
TK doesn't so much as whine or argue as he's tucked in. Buttercup comes into the room and flops down at the foot of the bed. His little grunts are the only bits of noise in the room. Owen gets in and stays awake this time, making sure TK actually falls asleep. It only takes a few minutes. He's out not long after.
In the morning, Owen makes smoothies as he always does. TK showers. When he woke up, Owen wasn't sure what space he was in. He snuggled beneath the heavy duvet and sucked on his pacifier for a few minutes. Then, nearly giving the older man a bit of whiplash, it was spit out and TK rolled out of bed announcing he needed to get ready. Nothing else was said before he left the room. Owen went about his morning routine with the events of the previous night weighing upon him.
TK wanders into the kitchen not long after the drinks are done. Owen passes him the smoothie. His son tilts his head.
"You need to get something in your system," Owen says. He points to the boxes of cereal on the table. "Eat something too."
"Yeah, I will." He pauses. "Sorry 'bout last night. My younger space…"
"TK." Owen sets his pineapple grapefruit spinach smoothie onto the island. "You know you are accountable in both spaces, right? I understand your younger acts similar to how a toddler would. It doesn't change that you're the same person, not two separate entities."
TK sighs but nods. "Yeah, I do."
"Just because you're little doesn't mean you don't have to follow the rules. And it certainly doesn't mean you can give me an attitude. There's no hiding behind that."
'I know, I know. I shouldn't have said it like that. I really am sorry I wasn't listening."
"I appreciate that," Owen says with a small smile. "Can you tell me why? And keep in mind, "I wanted to play" isn't a good answer."
"So, I take it, I wanted to watch a movie isn't…"
"TK."
"Alright, alright. Sorry. I guess now is not the time."
"No, it really isn't."
TK sticks his hands in his pockets and shrugs.
"I guess, I knew you were up and having a good time. So, I didn't think it was fair that you got to be and I wasn't."
"I'm the dad, TK. There are going to be times I do things you can't."
"I know, but that doesn't mean it's much fun." TK pouts a little. "I wanted to have fun. So…I did. And I figured I wasn't bugging you, so it'd be fine."
"You breaking the rules doesn't necessarily make me happy," Owen points out. "I would much rather you come talk to me and tell me how you feel instead of just playing by yourself."
"You say that a lot," TK mutters.
"Almost as if I mean it or something." Owen gives him a Look. "Your bedtimes are in place for a reason, TK. As a Little, you need more sleep. Especially when you've regressed. It may not seem like a lot of fun to you, but it's for your own health."
TK sighs, swaying back and forth a bit. "I know."
"So, that explains why you were up at 9. But where does the movie come in? You knew I was long asleep by then."
"Guess I was just grumpy that you made me go back to bed and I was so determined to show you I wasn't tired. But I knew you'd just put me back in my crib if you caught me playing, so I waited to watch Shrek."
"You thought that'd show me, huh?"
"You expect a toddler to have very good logic?"
Owen snorts, shaking his head. TK's still swaying as a small smile comes on his face.
"I understand you're not going to like every rule," Owen says. "They don't exist to be fun. They also don't exist because I'm trying to be mean or on a power trip. You need sleep, so I'm ensuring you have the proper tools to do so. That means staying in your room, whichever that may be. No toys, no electronics. As it is, you don't get your phone and table at bedtime when you're bigger, right?"
"Yeah," TK grumbles. "Had to get a stupid alarm clock like it's the stone ages."
"You know you had an alarm clock long before you got a cell phone," Owen reminds him.
"That was like a bazillion years ago."
"Sure. But do you understand what I'm saying?"
TK sighs and nods once again. "Yeah, I get it. Stay in bed…or crib…" A small smirk plays on his lips as Owen rolls his eyes. "No playing or anything else fun. Just boring ol' sleep."
"Thank you. But you know there still has to be consequences, right?"
TK scrunches his nose and finally sips his peanut butter and banana smoothie. "How long am I grounded for?"
"No grounding. But considering we're about to go on a 24-hour shift at a station with a TV, video games and other fun stuff, you can't touch any of it."
TK's mouth drops open, the straw dangling back into the glass. "What am I supposed to do in between calls? Outside the cleaning and stuff?"
"Whatever they did back in the stone ages, I guess."
TK groans as he drops down on a stool by the island. Owen rolls his eyes over the dramatics and returns to his own smoothie.
Awhile back, someone sent me an ask on Tumblr saying they could see TK calling his dad "Owen" when he's trying to get a rise out of him and this seemed like the perfect place to slip that in haha.
Next time, we'll get to see fun, silly TK again! The much-requested "Can we see him dropped at work?" will finally be filled!
Anyway, let me know what you think! As always, feel free to leave prompts or ask me questions! I am on Tumblr and love communicating on there, as well as in the comments!