floriography [ stories five ]

lupine || bedtime stories

[ lupine- imagination and admiration
song- lullaby by fall out boy

⚠️- mentions death.
finished july 8th

stay safe,
lew. ]

——

"C'mon, Ty, it's time for bed," Lewis called softly, waiting for the five year old to put down his toys.

Obviously, Tyler whined, but ultimately followed his father through their normal nighttime routine. Once his teeth had been brushed and face washed, Lewis tucked his baby into bed. "Goodnight, sweet pea. Sweet dreams."

"Story?" Tyler asked hopefully, giving Lewis his normal gap-toothed grin.

"What do you wanna hear tonight?"

"Somethin' 'bout you and Uncle Logan," he decided, clutching his teddy bear close to his chest. "If it won't make you sad."

Lewis' breath caught in his throat for a moment, but he shook it off and offered his little one a smile. "If that's what you wanna hear, I'll tell you. What kind of story?"

"A happy one, duh."

"How about one from when we started the band?"

"As long as you don't make stuff up."

Lewis laughed, fondly pushing Tyler's hair back off his forehead. "Okay, baby. Ready?"

Tyler nodded, eyes bright as he watched his father.

"When we first started thinking about a band, Logan was on the football team at school. But he got kicked off the team for getting into a fight-"

"Did he get hurt?" Tyler interrupted worriedly.

"A little bit, but it didn't stop him. I didn't even hear about the fight until the next day, and I ended up leaving class to call him because I was worried. He wouldn't tell me the full truth about why he fought his teammates, but part of it was because they were calling one of his really close friends some mean names and spreading rumors about him."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because they thought it was funny, I guess. I dunno, Ty. But the next day, he came by my house and talked to my mom-"

"Grandma! I didn't know she was gonna be in your story."

"Shh. Grandma talked to Logan, and then once he left, she told me something she'd been hiding for a long, long time."

"What was it?"

"Can you keep a secret?"

When Tyler nodded, Lewis cupped his hands together and closed his eyes, mumbling something unintelligible under his breath. When he opened his hands, Tyler scrambled to see easier. Cradled within was a tiny flower, one that the child carefully plucked from his father's open palms.

The small pink and white blossom brought a sad smile to Lewis' face, but the wonder and awe in his baby's expression made the memories worth it. "It's so pretty, Dad," Tyler marveled, twirling the stem between his fingers.

The scene was familiar, enough so that Lewis had to pause and take a deep breath before continuing on. "Logan thought it was the coolest thing when I showed him what I could do. He was so proud of me, and I tried to give him a flower just like that one. But once he looked at it..."

Carefully, he plucked the blossom from his son's hand and tucked it behind his ear. Tyler threw back his blankets and got up to go look in the mirror. "Is that what he did?"

"Yeah. He put it behind my ear. Get back into bed, kiddo," he prompted, fixing the blanket again.

Tyler did as he was told, gently setting the flower on the nightstand. "Do you think Uncle Logan would like me?"

"Of course, buddy. How could he not like you?" Lewis wiped at his eyes as his son laid back down. Softly, he added, "I just wish you could've met him."

"Don't be sad," Ty protested, but really, it was too late.

Lewis kissed Tyler's forehead again, smoothing down the blanket and flicking on his nightlight. "Sorry, Ty. That's all I can talk about tonight. Sweet dreams, baby. I love you."