Chapter Text
A familiar sound of Otto's door opened slightly, the creaking noise only making a couple of the actuators perk up as they sensed someone coming inside. Since they didn't detect a threat, they simply watched instead of hiding on the ceiling like they usually do.
They listened as they picked up on sniffling and quiet padding. Before they knew it, the figure, who was wrapped up in a blanket, padded slowly towards underneath their father's hammock. The actuators just gave a gentle warning to Otto before the person gave a slight pst of Otto’s name.
Maybe just a little too loud and fast.
Father, it's the youngest.
They didn’t blame Otto for his slight delayed response. Their poor father has only gotten 2 hours of sleep so far due to the stubborn and hardworking nature of himself, always prioritizing anything else before himself.
Despite the actuators guiltily pushing Otto to stay asleep, his eyes fluttered open slowly before he let out a a quiet humming sound.
"Mm? What is it my boy?" The man drawled out almost incoherently. “Medicine is on the counter…”
Father, maybe we can handle the child. Just go back to sleep, okay-
"I- I had a nightmare."
…
“What?”
Like a spring, Otto immediately stopped mumbling and turned to face down at the young kid, clicking the nearby lamp on to see him better. The sight before Otto almost gasp loudly, but didn’t stop his eyes widening.
Dark eyebags lingered on the youngest Peter's face, glistening with sweat all over. The kid was shaking, really badly, regardless of the warm looking blanket he had wrapped around him. His teeth chattered like cooking timer and his eyes were brimmed to the max with tears.
It didn’t help that sleeping high in the air made Peter look smaller.
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t wanna bother you- but- the Peters..I mean they tried..but.. I just want…want..”
Oh, Peter.
Otto doesn't remember ever moving as fast as he did now. Sitting up, he left his arms out wide open as he dropped down, the boy immediately shot into his grasp and held on to dear life. Otto didn’t care about the loud wailing ringing in his ears, or at the moment his sleep ridden headache, begging for more sleep. He only kept his focus on Peter who was trying to find comfort, any snippet of it.
"Peter, you are never, ever bothering me, okay? This isn't bothering me. I never want you to think that, it’s simply not true.” He began to pat Peter’s back because the boy began choking on his tears. “There, there, easy my boy.”
“Every time I close my eyes, I just see…see her,” the boy sobbed loudly, whimpering as Otto could feel him trying to recollect what he saw in his sleep. “I just…miss her so much.”
Otto felt his heart throb even more than it was, wishing that was only a nightmare and not something the kid actually had experienced.
He’s lived through it for God’s sake, why does he keep having to dream about it?
This immediately prompted the man to pick up Petey, holding him tightly as if he was a clumsy child. Peter quickly found the chance to stuff his face into Otto’s midsection, trying to burrow himself to the more warmth and comfort to ground him to a dream what’s happening now.
Otto gently grasped a smaller closed fist to where his heart was beating. “Breathe to this rhythm, in and out. In and out. There you go, you’re doing fantastic.”
After a few more moments of rocking back and forth, Peter sighed wetly as he snuggled, the choking and crying ceasing into little sniffles. Otto was so close to falling asleep standing up, but, something inside him told him no matter what, he needs to stay up right now.
For Peter. Come on..stay up!
Otto looked down to see the boy, basically clinging to him as he was seeming to be asleep. His grip stayed strong but his hands were no longer fists, instead they just grasped tightly around his mid section.
He figured there was no point in sending Peter back into his bed, where untold monsters lied and sweaty sheets would consume him. Instead, he gently sighed as he ruffled the boy's curls and picked up with both arms supporting the kid’s back.
The actuators did the rest of the work, both of them gently being placed in his hammock. Since Otto was able to sleep on his back ,he left Peter on his stomach to sleep on. When the boy was moving slightly, Otto covered both of them with a blanket and shushed him gently, humming soothing noises in hopes to keeping Peter’s dreams light and sweet like the boy himself.
Otto’s smile deepened when Peter gave a tiny sleepy smile.
The actuators simply turned off the lamp, keeping patrol on the ceiling to protect the comforting lump in the hammock, making sure none of them would be attacked by nightmares tonight.