Prompt: Have Angelo and Kian trick Leon into sleeping using their own special way without Brennan's help
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I peeked into our bedroom, where Brennan was fast asleep. He'd been running a fever since yesterday, and spent most of today sleeping it off. Nothing seemed to wake him up, not even when the boys accidentally knocked the coffee table in the living room over.
I shut the door and went back down to my office. It was getting late and I'd have to put the boys to bed soon, but I'd give them an extra twenty minutes to play.
There was so much work to do. I sighed as I looked at the stacks of paper in front of me. Adam had rejected a monetary proposal Caroline had sent him, and sent it my way for revisions. That was going to take me most of the night.
So I got to work on it right away. I still had a few reports to fill out when I was done with the revisions. At least Brennan being sick meant he wasn't going to drag me to bed tonight. Besides, I needed to get all of this done. If Brennan's fever didn't go away in a day or two, I'd take time off of work to take him to the doctor's and look after him. And what if one of the boys got sick? No, I had to get this work done so I could help my family.
But after a little, I realized how late it was. I rubbed my eyes, feeling tired. I'd pulled an all-nighter last night to keep an eye on Brennan and read through my many emails.
The door creaked open and I turned. Angelo frowned at me.
"Dad, why are you still awake?" he said.
"Why are you still awake?" I countered. "It's past your bedtime. Let's go get you and your brother tucked in."
"Are you going to work all night?" Angelo asked as I got up.
"I have to." I ruffled his hair. "I have responsibilities, Ang."
"I'll go get Kian in his pajamas! Can you get me some water, please?" he said.
"Sure. Make sure the two of you brush your teeth," I said.
He hurried out of the room and I went into the kitchen. I got two glasses of water, heading upstairs and setting one down on Brennan's nightstand, and leaving to put the other in Angelo's room.
I went into Kian's room, where he was curled up in bed. But when he looked up at me, he had tears in his eyes.
"Hey, what's wrong?" I asked.
"He said he saw something scary on TV," Angelo said.
"Daddy," Kian said, holding his arms out to me.
I sat on his bed, lifting him into my lap and hugging him. "Hey, it's okay. What scared you?"
Kian looked to Angelo. Angelo dropped his gaze, fidgeting a little.
"We, um..." He paused before speaking again. "We saw that scary movie on TV. The one with the...the shark!"
"Jaws?" I said, and Angelo nodded. I kissed Kian's head. "Hey, Kian, it was just a movie. Besides, no water here, see? A shark can't get you."
Weird. I didn't think any stations were showing Jaws tonight. Damn, I should've been checking in on the kids more to monitor what they were watching.
Kian curled against me, gripping my shirt. "I wanna sleep with you and daddy."
"Daddy's sick, buddy," I said. "You can't sleep with us. I'm sorry. We don't want you to get sick, too."
"Sleep in my room," Kian whimpered, looking up at me with sad eyes. "Please. Please, daddy."
I hesitated, torn. I couldn't let him sleep with Brennan. But I couldn't leave him alone when he was this shaken up. Sometimes Angelo could comfort him, but sometimes he was hysterical unless Brennan or I sat with him.
But...my work. What if I didn't get it done and one of the boys got sick? I had to get my work done.
"Dad, don't leave him alone," Angelo said, frowning. "He's scared."
"I'll lay with you until you fall asleep," I said at last, sliding under the covers with Kian in my arms.
"Ang too," Kian said, gesturing his brother over.
Angelo climbed into the bed, sandwiching me between the boys. Kian gripped my shirt, burying his head against it as he closed his eyes.
He was asleep pretty quickly. But I realized that he was still holding onto me, and I'd wake him up if I tried to pry him off.
"Ang?" I whispered.
"Yes, dad?" he whispered back.
"He's never even seen Jaws, has he?"
I could almost hear the smile in Angelo's voice. "Nope. Goodnight, dad. Sleep well."
I mentally groaned. How did these two always manage to trick me into sleeping, even when Brennan wasn't there to help them concoct a plan? Of course our boys had to take after him. Just my luck.
Still, there was nothing I could do now. If I woke Kian up, he'd just get upset and drag me back into bed. I guess I'd just have to wake up early and do my work throughout tomorrow.
So I shifted slightly, until I could feel Angelo's back against mine, and hugged Kian against my chest. I closed my eyes, smiling a little. These brats of mine. I loved them as much as I loved the man they took after.
