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Soft music played from the radio on the nightstand by Henry’s side of his bed. Mercedes hummed along with the song that Henry didn’t recognize but loved in the sound of her happiness. They had spent a wonderful day together. He closed the cabinet under their bathroom sink, smiling to himself at the soft click of the old child safety latch locking into place.
“That should be everything, right?” He asked, looking over to his beautiful wife. She made a sound of consideration before clicking her tongue.
“Ottoman.” She declared and he nodded in understanding.
“You take care of that and I’ll get the boys ready for bed?” He suggested and she tugged him by the hem of his shirt into a quick but deep kiss of appreciation.
“Good luck.” She smiled in a way that still made his heart flutter every time. He chuckled like it might be a joke, but knew that he would likely need that luck.
He crossed the house, feeling a swell of affection for the coming day already. They had spent the day cleaning and prepping for the upcoming celebration with their friends.
There might have been a time where he did want space from them all, being stuck in a minivan with three other dads he hardly knew for weeks. The unplanned traveling with them for what had to be months in general.
It felt strange now to miss them so much, to not wake up and hear the sounds of his friends snoring all around him, the birdcalls of the forgotten realms that were just different from those on earth in a way he couldn’t explain. He considered that he should take up birding more seriously soon. Thinking of birds…
“Okay Boys, time for bed.” Henry smiled as he stepped out into the back yard. Sparrow poked his head out of the treehouse with a grin.
“Can’t we have a few more minutes Father?” He pleaded, “The sun is still up and we’re not tired yet!”
A bit of an exaggeration, the sun was hanging low and rosy in the sky and Henry knew the streetlights at the end of the neighborhood would be flickering on within minutes. He had no doubts that the boys still had energy, they always did, but none of them would have a good day tomorrow if they didn’t get enough sleep.
“It’s time for bed.” Henry repeated, “You boys have had a big day and we all have an early morning tomorrow, remember?”
The Oak-Garcia’s had all spent most of the day shopping and cleaning, preparing for a get together with so many people. The other dads, wives, kids, everybody who knew about their adventure. Him and Mercedes making sure that some of their more personal date night materials were safely stowed away after sending the boys out to play in the yard.
“Oh okay Father.” Sparrow pushed his lower lip out in a pout as he retreated from the open window, emerging a few moments later from the hatch and climbing down the tree, largely ignoring the ladder meant to help.
“Is Lark still up there?” Henry asked as Sparrow darted across the lawn, flinging himself into Henry and hugging him tight. Sparrow nodded against his stomach and Henry returned the hug.
“Brother Lark is cleaning for our company tomorrow.” Sparrow said innocently.
“Well that’s very responsible of him.” Henry praised, “But the two of you can finish that up in the morning after breakfast. Now it’s time to go brush your teeth and get ready for bed.”
Sparrow gave him another tight squeeze that briefly knocked the air out of Henry’s lungs and he smiled. Patting Sparrow on the back and sending him on his way before heading across the yard to the base of the tree.
“Lark, buddy, it’s time to come inside.” He called up to the open doorway.
An irritated sigh met his ears and he moved from underneath the hatch just in time to not have his son land on his head. Lark dropping from the treehouse without the use of the tree or ladder. Henry winced as Lark dropped in a crouch before popping back up, apparently unharmed from the fall. Oh to be young.
Henry opened his mouth to remind him of the next step but Lark was already walking past without a word. Henry waited for a moment before following, chest clenching at the difference between his boys these days.
He gave them their regularly agreed on fifteen minutes to get their teeth brushed, pajamas on if they chose to wear them, and to get into bed. It was hard not to follow and supervise every step, to trust that the boys were doing what they were supposed to, but they were growing up so fast.
He knocked softly on the doorframe as a courtesy before stepping in. Both of the boys were settled in their beds just as they should be. Sparrow was still wiggling in his bed, getting comfortable, so Henry headed to him first.
“Goodnight Sparrow.” Henry tucked the blankets around Sparrow securely, dropping a kiss on the top of his head. Sparrow hummed contentedly and burrowed deeper into the pile of pillows and blankets.
“Goodnight Father.” Sparrow said, yawning through the words. So much for not being tired he mused.
Henry smiled to himself and crossed the room to Lark’s bed, finding the blankets already pulled up and twisted as Lark rolled onto his side, back to Henry. Biting back a frown, Henry tugged the blankets lightly to straighten them out, fluffing them back over Lark’s curled up form and tucking them in around him.
“Goodnight Lark.” Henry said, voice quiet in case Lark was already asleep like he was clearly pretending to be. He gave a covered foot a little squeeze before getting up, smiling a bit at the way Lark immediately pulled it up like a turtle into its shell the same way he had since birth.
Henry turned off the lamp by the door, watching his boys settle in their beds through the dim light from the open window.
“Goodnight my beautiful boys, I love you.” Henry said softly, stepping out of the room and trying not to let his feelings get hurt when he only heard one response.
He left the door cracked halfway open so that the light from the rest of the house wouldn’t keep them up but it would be easy for Mercedes to slip in and say her own goodnights to the boys without too much commotion.
A good evening routine was something not enough people appreciated. Through the years getting the boys down was always the most tumultuous part of the night. It was easier in some ways after they returned from the Forgotten Realms, the boys had changed for sure, but part of Henry really despised that new ease.
The experience truly gave him a new insight into his boys, it shaped them even more into individuals, bringing out the personalities that were already present. Part of Henry couldn’t help but think it wasn’t worth it, but maybe that was just the selfish part of him.
He was sitting on the bed still pondering those thoughts when Mercedes came to the room to join him. Stepping right up to him and tilting his face up with a finger under his chin to kiss his forehead.
“You’re thinking too hard again Amor.” She chided warmly.
“I’m sorry.” He smiled up at her and received another kiss in return.
“Heavy thoughts before bed will lead to heavy dreams.” Mercedes said, “Do you want to talk about it?”
Henry shook his head and hugged her, basking in her warmth and love for a long moment.
“I’m alright. Tomorrow will be a good day.” He declared and could feel Mercedes smiling into his hair.
“It will be.” She agreed, “But it will only get here if we go to sleep too.”
Henry chuckled and the two separated after another kiss to strip for bed and get settled in. This was maybe his favorite part of the evening routine. Knowing his family was home and safe. Warm in bed with his beautiful wife. It was the best way to fall asleep.
Unfortunately, like many things in life, it didn’t last long.
Henry was up and out of bed before he even processed what he was hearing. One of his boys was screaming. He could hear Mercedes right behind him, fighting with her robe as she followed him out of their room and down the hall.
Henry tore their door open, stepping in just far enough for his wife to join him inside before looking over the scene.
Sparrow wasn’t in his bed, pillows askew and blankets piled up on the middle of his mattress. The round rug in the center of the room was folded up on itself and Henry’s eyes traced the small path of destruction to Lark’s bed.
There he found both of his boys, Sparrow atop the covers, clinging to his brother who was the one shaking with sobs.
Sparrow cast them both a helpless look and Henry felt his heart shatter even more.
“Mama-” Lark’s shaky voice croaked out and Mercedes was there in an instant. Ducking past Henry and planting herself on Lark’s bed, extracting him from the mess of his blanket cocoon and onto her lap with a mother’s practiced ease.
Lark collapsed into her, his sobs continuing as he buried his face in her neck.
Mercedes cooed soft meaningless words of comfort, rocking him like he was small again. The twins were headed in the direction of a growth spurt, too long legs and knobby knees, but he still tucked himself in on her lap and let her hold all of him.
Henry watched as Sparrow cuddled up beside the two, his hand reaching out and Lark finding it without hesitation. Their tiny hands tangled together as Mercedes rocked and hummed the bad dreams away.
That’s all it was, a bad dream. It wasn’t as if the boys didn’t have a lifetime worth of things to have nightmares about. Henry couldn’t blame them in the slightest, he got them too. But the boys were so young.
Being kidnapped. Sold into slavery. Put in a position of power, supervising an arena where people and animals fought to the death for entertainment. Crushed under rubble. Kidnapped again. Starved. Left under Barry’s supervision.
Under Willy’s.
Watched as their friend and guardian was nearly killed, was permanently handicapped, by someone sent for them. To kill them. His beautiful boys who were so precious to him.
“What can I do cariño?” Henry asked gently, moving to join them on the bed but pausing when Lark shook his head so hard he almost headbutted his mother.
He mumbled something into her chest that Henry couldn’t make out and Mercedes frowned, ducking her head to whisper into his hair. Henry could see his hands clench tighter on Mercedes’s robe, clinging to her like she might disappear. Lark mumbled something unintelligible again and Mercedes pressed her lips to the top of his head for a long moment.
“Can you go get us some water mi vida?” Mercedes asked, looking up at Henry with sad eyes. He nodded instantly, stepping back from the bed.
“Of course. Yes. I’ll go and get water. And I’ll just… be there.” Henry cleared his throat and quickly headed for the kitchen.
Henry didn’t know how much time passed while he waited, standing over the kitchen sink, too many glasses of water resting on the counter nearby.
“Henry?” Mercedes’s voice was soft behind him. He sniffed sharply and lifted his head.
“How is he?” He wished his voice didn’t wobble as much as it did, “I… figured that he didn’t want me there.”
“Oh.” Mercedes didn’t hesitate to pull him in close, bringing his head down to rest on her chest, steady heartbeat thrumming against his ear as she pressed a kiss into his hair. “Mi amor I’m sorry.”
“I don’t know how to fix this.” Henry let the tears that had been burning his eyes all evening finally fall. He watched the fabric of her top darken with each drop. “I want to help him, I know he’s hurting so much, but he hates me.”
“He does not hate you.” Mercedes said firmly, one hand stroking large circles on his back, “Lark loves you. No matter how hard of a time he is having saying it, he loves you.”
Henry wished he could believe her. She was always right, always had the right words to soothe the turmoil surging in his mind. But this was a magic thing, a dimension transcending curse, something that had the sole purpose of making his child hate him.
He didn’t think there was a wish on Earth that could fix this. All he could hope for now, was a better tomorrow.