Chapter Text
Klein's morning routine during the work week was to wake up at five am, have breakfast for the kids ready by six who wake up one by one within that hour. Have them dressed and off to school before seven am as school starts at seven-thirty.
Klein heard a series of knocks on his bedroom door, waking him up from his sleep with a grumble. He only got to finish grading his students' exam papers and inputting them into the school system by two am. Opening one eye, he takes a peek at his alarm clock which says that it was seven am.
Seven am, wednesday.
.
.
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SEVEN AM?!?!
Klein sits up in a flash, grabbing his cellphone on the bedside table and sees that was indeed the middle of the week
Oh god-
He was about to get off the bed when his foot was suddenly caught tangled in something. He ends up tripping and falling off his bed with a loud thud.
"Dad!"
"Papa!"
"Father!"
He can hear his children shout from outside, their knocking now hurried joined with the rapid twisting of the door knob.
Klein lifts the blanket laid on top of him, rubbing his nose that was thankfully cushioned before he faceplanted on to the flooor.
"Kids I'm alright–" Klein answers when he then pauses.
Whose voice was that? And why did his hands shrink???
Klein stumbled-slash-crawled towards the nearby mirror and saw a heart-shocking sight.
Why is he smaller? No, younger??
Klein poked his own face, his reflection doing the same. He pinched both of his cheeks, stretching it to the point of making him wince.
He then slaps his face with both hands. Yep that's painful. He definitely isn't dreaming.
"Holy mother of-", he was about to curse before his bedroom door is slammed open, a key in the doorknob as four individuals almost stumbled into entry with a shout.
"Dad/Father/Papa! Are you okay?!" They all shout, looking around before seeing Klein in his loosely-fitting pajamas.
"...kids?" Klein asks in a whisper, intensely praying at the back of mind hoping he was just dreaming.
The four young adults looked at one another, before pushing a stoic lookung man with glasses on. That was definitely his Gehrman.
"It's us, Father. And we definitely are not dreaming." He nods.
Can Klein just faint right now? Please? Dramatically?
"Okay...so lets get everything sorted." Klein takes a deep breath and exhales, looking up from his clenched hands to look around the dining table where his children were seated at. Gehrman was on his right while Dwayne on his left. Merlin was seating beside Gehrman while Sherlock, was next to Dwayne.
His children were all grown up in front of him. Klein would be crying in pride at this sight but he wasn't planning to see this kind of scenario until they graduated highdchool or college! Especially not under these dramatic turn of events.
While he did often imagine what they would look like as adults, while also feeling melancholic they would eventually leave the nest, he wasn't that excited to the point t he wanted it instantaneously!
Klein was currently wearing clothes borrowed from his children, the four may or may not have argued a bit whose outfit their dad was going to wear but finally agreed on rock paper scissors. Sherlock won by the way.
Each of his children are also wearing his spare clothes stored in the walk in closet room. It kind of felt surreal to see how their age and forms have been switched. Don't think he didn't notice how the length of his clothes were a bit short for his children's current tall height....
Klein cleared his throat before looking down at the paper where he had listed down what his children had just informed him on what happened before he woke up:
As always, Gehrman woke up first before being followed by Sherlock.
"Good morning..." the latter yawned in greeting as he stretched his arms up. He blinks in confusion as he looked up and seeing his arms having reached the underside of the top bunk, which he definitely wasnt able to do before.
He stared at his arms, definitely not looking like his but felt as, he then turns his head to look at his younger brother who was also up and was silently staring at him this whole time like a wary cat.
"...Who are you?" they both asked in unison.
"Why do you have a beard??"
"Why do your glasses fit to your new size?"
They asked one another before turning around and peeking at their respective top bunks to check on their younger siblings.
"Why does Dwayne look older than both of us?"
"Huh, I thought Merlin would let his hair grow out down to his waist."
The two were verbalizing their curiosities while both their brains were trying to figure what was going on.
Based on their appearances, they have indeed grown up in physical form but not their thoughts, no new memories were also present therefore they have not switched with their ten year old versions from the future. Based on the appearance of their bedroom, the clock and calendar, they were still indeed in the present.
However, the question remains on how on earth did this occur?
The two snap out of their stupor when they hear a new voice yawning and whimpering as blankets rustle before Merlin's grown up-face pops out under the sheets.
"Whats going on...I can hear your thoughts being loud." he grumbles, rubbing the sleep off his eyes as he opens them, now staring blankly at the suspicious individuals before him.
The three stare at one another, before Merlin decides to act by grabbing his Mr Fool cat-octopus plushie and throwing it over like a shotput right onto Dwayne's still sleeing figure.
"Dwayne wake up! Suspicious people!" He shouts as he then aims and throws his pillow at Gehrman who catches it with a sigh.
"What- what happened?" Dwayne sits up in a rush in response and stares down at Sherlock who waves with a hesitant smile.
"....I'm going back to sleep."
"Dwayne get down from there." Gehrman tells his brother as Sherlock manages to coax Merlin out from his blanket hideout and tell him it was still them.
The four were now taking turns looking at the mirror at their grown up forms while voicing out their concerns.
"How do we tell dad?"
"We can't go to school like this. We'll have to call in sick."
"Father has plently of clothes we can wear for the meantime."
"Do you think dad also aged up??"
The last question made them pause, imagining their dad with an older appearance, having wrinkles on his face maybe even a mustache or beard like Sherlock.
They were curious...
"For now, let's get properly dressed and check on dad." Sherlock tells his younger brothers as they all shuffle out of their bedroom.
While getting dressed, they suddenly hear a loud thud coming from their dad's office. Gehrman rushes off first, before being followed by the rest of his siblings.
"Father?"
"I'll get the spare keys" Sherlock hurries to their room where Klein had told them to hide a spare key for each of the rooms in the hoise for emergencies.
Cue them rushing inside, worrying that their father kay have aged up too old that he migt have had troubke standing up, they were met with him being of their age instead.
.
.
.
"We definitely cannot go to school nor to work like this..." Klein rubs his temple, trying to ease an incoming headache.
"I'll prepare breakfast."Sherlock stands up before pausing as Klein raised his hand.
"No... Sherlock, act as me and call Miss Edwina to inform her of your absence and to include telling you and your siblings having gotten sick with the flu. We don't know how long we're going to be like this so...I'll just arrange either your aunt Fors or uncle Emlyn to write up a medical certificate for each of you."
"Understood, father. What about your work?"
"I'll email Old Neil. Mr Azik is currently in the city so I can email him to ask if he's available to serve as sustitute. "
"Then, I will get your laptop papa." Merlin volunteers.
"Gehrman and I will help you cook breakfast" Dwayne nods.
Having their respective responsibilities, they all stand up and set to work. Klein felt a great sense of pride at how responsible his kids were even in these unusual circumstances
Hah, take that Grisha.