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he didn’t really know what time it was. yeah, it was probably some point of the night that absolutely no one in the neighbourhood was awake, but he was awake. and he didn’t want to be.
a shrill cry rips throughout the house and joshua’s eyes snapped open. he’s always been a light sleeper, awaking at even the slightest noises. in the time it takes him to fully awaken, he peers over towards vernon with a still-sleepy glance. his face is soft, barely having any expression on it, but still looking as beautiful as ever to joshua. his hair’s messy, but there's no problem with that. the thought of vernon brings the realization of; holy shit, he’s nearly 26, married, has a kid and was famous earlier in life. he’s already done most of the things on his bucket list.
what else is there to do, really? see peyton grow old, graduate from her dream school, become whatever she wants to become in life, find her forever love and live a happy life? yeah, he supposes so, but there’s a chance he might not live to see all of that and it upsets him.
right, he’s off track now.
snapping out of his trance, joshua slides out a bed with a sigh. he pauses, staring back at vernon for a moment before leaning over and brushing the hair off his forehead. pressing a chaste kiss to his skin before standing, soon finding his way to peyton’s nursery they’d put together.
there she is, laying in her crib, crying away all her latest fears. joshua’s face droops with sadness, walking as fast as he can towards where she laid. making sure to pick her up softly as to not disturb her any more as she already was. holding her against his upper chest, he bounces slowly and shushes her. but she just keeps crying, tears wetting the fabric that covered his shoulder.
the only thing he can think of is to sing to her. because that’s always worked with other people in the past. maybe his voice is just so calming it nearly immediately makes them stop crying. so, he sings the first lullaby-ish song he can think of.
“sunday morning, rain is falling..”
he can already almost see a difference with peyton, her grasp on the fabric of his shoulder loosens, along with her sobs growing quieter by the second.
“steal some covers, share some skin.”
after a little while she’s stopped crying, staring up at him with those wide chocolate eyes that he’s grown to love so much. more than anything in this world. she has vernon’s eyes; big, doelike and full of wonder. even though he’s seen these eyes so many times before, from many different moments, he’s still forever lost in them. endlessly wandering and never able to find an exit.
and just on cue, the floorboards behind him creak with the slightest noise, door pushed open slowly and arms wrap around his waist. pressure is put onto his unoccupied shoulder, vernon’s chin resting there for now.
“you know, i find it kinda funny how i wake up to your singing and not peyton crying..” comes vernons voice, ripping through the silence like scissors on thin fabric. joshua doesn’t respond verbally, just leaning his head against vernon’s and nodding.
and then there's silence, just how he wants it. right then and there. no where else, just him, vernon and peyton making memories that’ll last a lifetime. peyton’s not gonna remember it of course, but vernon and him can always reflect on this night as the first intimate moment they’ve had; all three of them.
“we’re parents.” he muttered, mostly just for the shock factor of it all. “we’re actually parents..”
he scratches off what he thought before. maybe he does wanna be awake right now.
“i love you.”
“i love you too.”
joshua snickered lightly for a moment as vernon switches shoulders, moving to face peyton. she stares at him straight in the eye and giggles, adorable toothless smile coming out as she does so. joshua coos at the sight, his husband, and his kid, the two most adorable things in the world to him together.
“aand.. i love..” he boops peyton’s nose with his own, becoming the cause of more adorable giggles. “you!”
this is easily the best night of his life.
after the two set peyton back into her crib and climb back up the stairs (joshua almost falling, though, and vernon carrying him the rest of the way), they settle back into bed. joshua lays on his side, allowing vernon to wrap an arm around his waist and nuzzling up to his back. spooning wasn’t something unfamiliar at all, it just felt really right then and there. they both knew it, sighing as everything stops moving and breath growing dull.
after what he assumes to be maybe 20 minutes, his eyes are still slightly open.
he doesn’t think it to be his fault, maybe he’s just overtired now. who knows, but he feels vernon pull him closer with a sleepy sigh. joshua tries one more time, letting his eyes flutter shut, breaths catch in his lungs and soon find their way out.
“you can’t sleep, can you?”
“no, not really..” he mutters in response, craning his head to look back at vernon.
“you wanna make pancakes? i really want pancakes right now.”
joshua held back a snicker, shaking his head.
“i think our little princess would like a pancake tomorrow, wouldn’t she? best to wait for now. just try and sleep, love.”
vernon frowns.
“fine.”