a book of parent!phan

18. gen the giraffe, with four legs.

Seven year old Cassie lay in bed, the room dark and silent.

She lay quietly, lifting the blanket slightly to gaze at her toes. They weren't painted- by the way- it was something Cassie always dreamed of. Even if she couldn't move them. She saw other girls her age with bright purple or blue nails, but she was too nervous to ask, because she was never properly settled and comfortable with anybody. Other girls that she saw at school had parents that they could ask to paint their nails pink. Cassie didn't have that.

Cassie gave a sigh, trying to clear her thoughts. She reached next to her, where she grabbed a small stuffed giraffe. It's name was Gen, Gen the giraffe, and it had recently been gifted to her.

"Can't sleep either?" she murmured to the toy. "It's probably very late, isn't it, Gen?"

She went silent for a moment more.

"Have you ever been lonely, Gen?" questioned Cassie. She was always lonely- she had learned to sleep in a bed by herself since very little. She had been too little to learn that. "I have. I-I'm always lonely, aren't I? No one says goodnight to me, Gen. No one reads me bed time stories, or tells me to sleep tight."

Cassie's voice faltered, and she could feel tears pooling in her eyes. "It's alright," said Cassie, fighting back a sob. "You can keep me company."

Tears were now streaming down her face, and she wiped them away furiously. She gripped Gen tightly.

"You have four legs, Gen," whispered Cassie, her voice wavering. "Can you give me two? Mine aren't working too well, you see. If you give me two, I'll have two and you'll have two, and we'll be even, yeah?"

Cassie cried, hard, her tears streaming onto the stuffed toy.

"Good night," she whispered to Gen. "Sleep tight."

-

Eleven year old Cassie lay in bed. The room didn't seem as eerily dark as it normally did, and the soft moonlit atmosphere and the sound of crickets softly humming were soothing.

Cassie lay with a grin on her face, lifting the blankets up from her feet. She could imagine the bright nail polish on her toes so clearly, she could practically see the color glinting off of them. She new that the next night, when she checked her toes, they would be painted.

She reached next to her, pulling out a small giraffe. Gen. He was very worn, but the wear and tear just showed love.

"It's quite late, Gen, and I'm going home tomorrow," whispered Lily, giggling. "That's alright, though. I'll probably spend all of tomorrow evening with my dads, cuddling and kissing their cheeks like other girls do to their parents... and we'll watch movies and paint our nails! Dad promised we would. Can you believe it?"

Cassie held Gen above her head, grinning wildly. "Which dad, you're probably asking? Well, I'm referring to both, of course." Cassie feigned surprise, clapping her hand to her mouth. "Two dads?" she gasped, smiling. "That's right, Gen, I've got two dads and we won't be alone anymore! I'll officially have three  friends!"

"You're coming with me, of course," whispered Cassie, holding Gen close.

"Good night, sleep tight." Cassie yawned and paused for a moment. "Tomorrow, my dads will be telling me that. And don't worry, I'll say goodnight to you, too."

She smiled. "How could I forget?"

-

a/n: idk what this is???? but i cried while writing it?????