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A small finger prodded his shoulder, again, and again. It took him a beat to release it wasn’t Henry annoying him in his sleep and was in fact, someone much cuter than his husband. Rubbing his eyes, Alex turned around. “Papa,” Lyla, their four-year-old daughter, their absolute everything in this world, whispered. He could barely hear her over the sound of the rain falling outside. She stood in her cozy pj’s clutching her favorite soft toy, a dog that looked much like David.
Sitting up, Alex pulled her closer, running a hand down her back, kissing her forehead. “What’s wrong, Mija?”
She turned her gaze to the window, the rain hitting the brownstone. “It’s so loud, it’s scary.” She never did like stormy weather. Running his fingers through her hair, he murmurs softly. “It’s okay, we’re safe inside.”
“Can I sleep in your bed tonight?” Alex mulled it over. They’d been trying to get her out of the habit of sharing their bed at night, but he supposed tonight was an exception. Plus, he found it incredibly hard to say no to her and her little face.
Suddenly, Henry sits up. “Lyla, come snuggle with me.” Completely stealing his moment, and his snuggle time with their daughter. Lyla crawls over him to get to Henry while Alex frowns at him, but the smug bastard just sends him a knowing smile. Idiot. Insufferable, idiot. But he’s his insufferable idiot.
Henry snuggles back down with their daughter and Alex forgets all about the cuddle thievery. Because, at the sight of the two most important people in his life, how could he not be happy?
“Why are you scared of the storm, darling?” Lyla tucks into Henry’s side.
“It’s so loud like someone is hitting my window.”
“You don’t like the rain?”
She shakes her head.
“That’s okay,” Henry kisses the top of her head. “Do you know that I love the rain?”
Alex sees her head turn slightly, and he can almost picture her confused frown. He for one is also curious. Most definitely sporting a similar look.
“Why?” She asks, perplexed.
Henry slides down so he’s at eye level with her bopping her nose. “Because it reminds me of something your Papa did.”
She whirls around, “What did you do this time?” He snorts at the accusation from her. She’s four and already throwing things out like this. They both laugh. “It was a very special night, sweetheart.” Henry turns her back around. “He stood out in the rain, waiting for me, be that shouting but looking back now some would say it was romantic.”
“Why would you make him wait in the rain for you?” She asks like it's the strangest thing she’s ever heard. Alex tucks his hands under his cheek on the pillow. “Yeah, baby, why would you make me wait out in the rain like that?”
Henry sighs, his signature eye roll sure to be crossing his face. “Here I am trying to tell a sweet story and yet you’re both not letting me. Why am I surprised?” He leans down tickling Lyla, getting a little squeal, and giggle, out of her. “Don’t worry, I let him inside,”
“Eventually,” Alex teases.
“Though sometimes I wish I didn’t,” He teases back, causing Lyla to giggle again.
“No, you don’t,”
He gets another fond eye roll from his husband before he turns back to Lyla. “What happened next?” She asks, trying her best not to fall back asleep. Continuously forcing her eyes open.
“Not many people have fought for me, but that night he fought for what we have, and I’m so incredibly happy he did.”
Alex swallows back the lump in his throat.
“So now when I hear the rain, I’m reminded of that night, and I smile.”
“Because you love him,” Lyla sighs happily into his side. Sleep, slowly taking her.
Alex watches them and aches to be closer to them. Shuffling along the sheet he intertwines his legs with Henry and softly runs his fingers through Lyla’s hair.
“I do, very much,” Henry says as his eyes search for him in the night. They lock eyes, and Alex is hit with that love tenfold. “Just as much as I love you, little one.” He whispers, tucking her in closer.
They watch as her eyes drift closed one last time. “Sweet dreams, Mija.” soft breaths are the only sound in reply.
“Should we put her back in her own bed?” Henry asks.
Alex takes in the sight in front of him and decides no, this is where he wants two of the most important people in his life to be right now. His forever family. “I reckon we let it slide for tonight.”
“Good, because I wasn’t actually intending to move.”
Alex chuckles softly. “You do look very comfy,” He muses. “You get all the cuddles, and I’ll get all the feet shoved in my back as she sleeps.”
Henry tries not to smile. “Why do you think I swooped in first?” He peers up from where he was watching their daughter sleep.
“Forever insufferable.”
“It’s why you fell in love with me,” He grins.
“Is it though?”
Henry shakes his head, probably fighting the urge to roll his eyes again. It's a common occurrence between them both, even still to this day.
“That night feels like so long ago now,”
“Because it was, dear.”
“We are getting old,” He groans. Henry hums as Alex reaches out, braiding his fingers through his soft hair. “No matter how old we get, I’ll always storm a castle for you,” He looks down between them. “For her.”
“Likewise,” Henry adds. “You know, sometimes I used to wonder where we would be if you hadn’t shown up that night.”
“You think we wouldn’t be together?”
Henry shrugs.
“It’s cute, you think there's any chance of us not ending up here.”
“Yeah?” He raises a brow.
“I mean have you met me?”
“Unfortunately,” He says, scrunching his nose.
“Hey,” Alex flicks his nose lightly. “I think you mean, fortunately.”
“Of course, darling.” He chuckles lightly.
“Storming that castle was the best thing I ever did.” He says proudly.
A loud shushing sound comes from their daughter between them. They both laugh.
“And she’s the best thing we ever did.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” Henry smiles. “I have everything I used to think was never possible.”
Now when it rains, Lyla asks them to tell the story again, and again.