Work Text:
Danny didn't know what woke him at first, but it quickly became obvious when he reached across the bed and felt a cold, empty space where there should have been a warm body. He sucked harder on the binky in his mouth, eyebrows scrunching in confusion.
Where had papa gone? Danny knew he had been lying with him when he'd fallen asleep, so where was he now?
Danny grumbled to himself as he pulled himself up and threw the comforter off, grabbing his teddy bear blankie before getting out of bed. He used the light from the nightlight that sat on the dresser to pad across the room to the door, blankie dragging behind him. The hallway light was the only light on in the apartment, since papa didn't need any light, but just in case Danny needed the potty in the middle of the night. Danny made his way towards the darker end of the apartment, coming to a stop when he reached the edge of the living room. He squinted his eyes, trying to make them adjust quicker to the dark.
"Danny."
That was papa!
Danny still startled slightly though, head whipping in the direction of the man's voice.
The lamp on the side table next to the couch suddenly switched on, bathing the living room in a yellowish glow. Matt was sat on the edge of the couch, the coffee table in front of him littered with open case files written in braille. He gave the boy a soft, tired smile.
Matt's head turned towards him. "What's wrong, bud? Did you have a nightmare?"
Danny shook his head, a pout forming on his face.
"No. Woke up an' papa no'd the'or."
"Oh, angel, I'm sorry." Matt moved to sit further back against the couch before opening his arms. "Come here, bud. Come sit with papa."
Danny didn't need to be told twice. He toddled over to his papa and climbed onto his lap, curling up against his chest with his blankie pressed between them. Matt rested his chin on top of Danny's head and began to gently rock them.
"I'm sorry you woke up alone, honey. I just wanted to read up on a couple of cases coming up before I went back to bed with you."
"Can'd s'eep wi'out you, papa. Don' 'ike i'd."
"I know, bug, I'm sorry. I really thought I'd be back before you woke up, though."
"You come back wi' me now?"
Papa exhaled a soft sigh through his nose that tickled the hairs on Danny's head. "I want to, honey, but–"
Danny didn't let him finish his sentence, whining low in his throat and sucking harder on his binky as he pressed himself even closer to his papa. The hand that wasn't wrapped around his blankie and caught between them tightened on the navy-blue fabric of the man's t-shirt, burying his face into the crook of his neck.
"No, papa. No work. Go back a's'eep wi' Danny."
"Ten minutes, that's all I need, and then–"
"Noooooo!" Danny whined, voice still muffled but louder and more upset. "Wan' papa s'eep wi' Danny noooow!"
Matt sighed again, rubbing a hand up and down Danny's back while continuing to gently sway.
"You're a stubborn little bug, you know that?" Papa said, pressing a kiss to his head.
"Ye'sh," was all Danny responded with.
"Okay, okay. Papa will go back to bed with you, okay?"
Danny smiled, nuzzling against his papa like a kitten who'd caught the mousey.
"Lo'be papa."
Matt's chest rumbled with a chuckle, and Danny felt him smile into his hair.
"Papa loves you too, baby boy."