Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tears crowd the corners of George’s eyes as he forces himself to try to breathe through aching lungs, his chin wobbles as his throat tightens and he can’t bear to look anywhere else in the car but his pale ring finger. Only a few minutes prior a silver brand adorned his finger, signifying love and trust that Dream and him held for one another, now there’s nothing left but faint tan line that shows where he used to wear the ring. An uneasy chill runs down his spine as he settles back against the passenger seat, eyes staring down in a longing manner as the others in the car remain quiet. Their quiet isn’t something that he’s used to anymore, normally car kids are full of baby babble and laughter, but it seems that even Duckie knows that something is seriously wrong. And he’s sure that Punz is thinking it, if his constant glancing eyes burning into his skin meant anything.

Hot tears roll down even hotter cheeks as he clears his throat, trying to keep himself from sobbing out in front of the boys – he doesn’t want either of them to see how weak and broken he is; he has to be strong for them! Lazily, he lifts his hand up without looking, and turns on the radio so that music can flood the silence between them. He feels embarrassed enough already, anything to take their prying eyes off of him is better than nothing, and before long it starts to work as his tears dry up.

Duckie squirms around in the backseat boredly as his wide eyes stare out of the back window. Restlessness is already starting to become them not even an hour into the drive; he should’ve known a long drive with the boys would be difficult, but he didn’t think it would start when they still had six hours left to drive.

“Do you need to potty, Duckie?” George’s voice crackled, causing the little to turn and look at him with wide eyes, before he shook it roughly. “Are you lying?” he asks more sternly, eyeing him suspiciously.

“No, Poppy.” Duckie told him truthfully. “’M hungwy,” he whispers, voice slipping into a slight whine as he keeps staring up at his father with wide eyes.

“Okay.” George whispers back, before he chews on his bottom lip and blinks wordlessly at the baby. He turns back around to check the time and realizes that it’s a few minutes before their normal lunch time, causing him to sigh as he settles again and turns to look at Punz instead. “Pull off at the next exit so we can get something to eat,” he tells Punz as he crosses his arms over his chest.

“Yes, Poppy.” Punz says obediently, before he turns his blinker on so they can turn off as George told him too.

“What do you want for lunch, Duckie?” George asks, looking back at him through the back windshield mirror this time. He’d rather not have one of them throw a tantrum about something as mundane as food while they still have so many hours – too many hours – left in their drive. He’ll just about give into every one of their demands if it means that this drive can go as smoothly as possible without too much fuss. Although, asking for them not to fuss about something is probably too much of an ask anyway, he’s sure when it gets closer to their afternoon nap time that one of them will start fussing and whining.

“Twice cweam!” The baby responds, causing George’s eyes to roll as he turns to look at Punz.

“He probably just wants Dairy Queen, Poppy.” Punz tells him as he keeps his eyes focused on the road, sounding like he was trying to save his brother from some type of trouble he would get into otherwise.

“And what do you want?” George asks, having that been what he was going to ask him originally.

“Dairy Queen.” Punz chirps back, sounding cheerful as the baby squeals in the backseat, excited at the thought of getting ice cream.

“Okay, that’s what we can get. We’ll stop somewhere and eat together, that way we can stretch our legs out and get some fresh air. I suspect we’ll need a potty break in about an hour, so it best to get it out of the way now,” he trails off, as his glazes down at the ground again.

Punz seems to understand as he takes them to the closest Dairy Queen and orders for all three of them, while George makes sure he’s the one that pays for their meal. After they have their food, they drive a little bit down the road to an abandoned park so they can eat at one of the picnic tables. They all eat and laugh together as for a moment their worries melt away and they find themselves entranced in their own worlds. Duckie even manages to eat the majority of his food without a problem, however, George did have to spoon feed him his ice cream so he wouldn’t smear the majority of it over his face instead. Other than that, the meal had been the calmest, most peaceful lunch they’d had in the past month.

Once they were all finished eating, and the baby’s face was cleaned with a wet wipe, they threw their trash out and climbed back into their car. Before George slid himself inside, he grabbed Duckie’s diaper bag to pull out his pacifier, clipping it onto the baby’s shirt, and stuffing it into his mouth as he blinked back at him in a sleepy manner.

Now, they were ready to continue their drive.

Chapter Text

To George’s surprise, the rest of their drive did go rather smoothly with only a few hiccups, but nothing that hadn’t been manageable in the moment. The long drive was bound to be hard on all of them, so it came as no surprise to him that there were fussy moments, even though he slightly wishes there weren’t.

His original assumption rang true when both boys shifted in their seats and started whining about needing the potty roughly an hour after they had eaten, which was an easy fix as George had them pull off the interstate again and go to the closest fast food bathroom, but a different struggle followed as Duckie began to grow extremely whiny behind his pacifier. Tears bubbled up in the baby’s eyes as he fussed, legs kicking out discontentedly as he squirmed and refused to settle. The sight of the overtired baby in the backseat made George bite his tongue for a moment; if this was the way that things used to be, then he knows Dream would’ve been quick to turn around and scold him for his senseless behavior. However, he couldn’t bear the thought and found himself breathing out an air of thankfulness that things were different now. George could see by his eyes just how much he was fighting off a much needed nap, along with some comfort and reassurance, so he told Punz to pull off a random exit once more so he could help settle the whiny baby.

With ease, George slid into the backseat beside the little baby and gave him a soft, understanding smile. Duckie looked up at him with wide, worried eyes, causing George’s heart to ache as he cautiously held his hand out to the baby, prompting him to seek the comfort instead of forcing it onto the little thing. Duckie met him with equal caution, before he held out his hand and wrapped their fingers tight together, before leaning down against his father’s shoulder and allowing his eyes to flutter closed.

“You’re okay, baby. You’re safe.” George reassured as he rubbed his thumb against Duckie’s soft hand, helping him to see for a few hours. Before Punz could pull out of the empty parking lot, George looked at him in a questioning manner. “Are you okay to keep driving? Do we need to stop somewhere?” he asks, causing Punz to shake his head.

“No, I just wanna keep going so we can get there tonight,” he whispered back, causing George to nod his head in approval, and they were back on the road once more with four more hours left in front of them.

Duckie stayed asleep for just under two hours, before he started to let out a low whine again and tears flooded his eyes. From the way he had been moving, it was clear to George that the baby’s diaper was wet and squishy, meaning it was time for them to make another bathroom break. However, needing a bathroom break wasn’t the only reason that the baby became so fussy as he whined about needing food, causing George to sigh in agreement; another quick stop was necessary for them to make, telling Punz that he could just pick the closest restaurant. This time they just ate in the car and George settled himself back in the front seat, figuring that the baby would stay awake for the remainder of the ride, however, when they only had an hour left and he heard the quiet snores, he knew that it hadn’t been true. George just shook his head as he updated Karl, before looking back up at the long stretch of road in front of them.

“Karl excited for our arrival?” Punz asks, breaking apart the silence that flooded the car that the staticky music couldn’t.

“He’s elated.” George smiles, resting his head back and placing his hands across his stomach. “I’ve been texting him every hour or so, but he’s so excited that he can hardly contain himself through his text.”

“I’m excited to see him again, too.” Punz whispers, before biting his lip anxiously, eyes focused on the road ahead. George lazily turns his head to look at him in a questioning manner, catching a glint of uncertainty in his eye and his uneasy shift as he does.

“What’s wrong?” he whispers back, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

“Nothing,” he lies, biting his tongue roughly. “I’m just ready to finally get out of this car and stretch my legs.”

George doesn’t believe him for a second but allows the conversation to fall flat as he receives another text from Karl, pulling his attention away as a smile elopes his face. It takes another twenty minutes before Punz opens his mouth to speak again, eyes flickering between the road and his little brother in the backseat.

“Poppy?” he asks, voice shy as he pulls his father’s attention in his direction. The sun glitters in the distance as it begins to settle over the horizon, slowly sinking away and leaving them in the remaining darkness. “Do you think we’ll ever go back to Florida?” It’s a question that’s been bouncing around the back of Punz’s mind the entire trip, and it was slowly beginning to eat away at him.

George lets out a small sigh from his nose as he thinks the question over carefully.

“I don’t know,” came his timid response. “I think it really depends on how things turn out and what we ultimately want to do. As for now, North Carolina is just temporary until things become different.”

“Do you think Dream will ever be Papa again?” he asks, chewing on his bottom lip once more.

“If he pulls his head out of his ass, then I’m sure he will, but I don’t know. I really wish I had the answers, but I don’t.”

Punz nodded his head, but didn’t say anything else, as the rest of the ride was spent in silence while they watched the sun go down and Duckie snored away in the backseat.

Chapter Text

A warm breeze licks across Karl’s cheek as the remaining sunlight glimmers in the distance, pitching dull orange and pink hues across the skyline as he bounces on the balls of his feet and stares out into the empty driveway in anticipation. He just received a text from George saying that they had just turnt onto his road and he couldn’t bear waiting another minute inside when he knew that they’re almost here. He’s practically buzzing with his excitement when he finally spies Sapnap’s car turning into his driveway, and he can’t contain himself any longer as he rushes off to meet them before the car has even been put into park. A smug smile lines George’s face as he’s the first to step out of the car and head in his direction. Karl can’t help but pull him into a warm, welcoming hug, squeezing his friend like he would disappear if he didn’t.

Karl never stops smiling, not even as he pulls away from George to pull a different friend into an equally tight hug. A soft smile lights up Punz’s lips as he breathes in the comforting scent of one of his best friends, and allowing himself to soak in the warmth that is offered to him inside the hug. It’s everything he could have dreamed of and move, the long drive had definitely been worth it.

“Where’s Sappy at?” he questions as he pulls away from Punz and looks between his two best friends. Surely, they wouldn’t consider leaving the baby at home; surely not.

“Back seat, currently passed out.” George tells him softy, pointing to the back door of the driver’s side.

Karl’s eyes gleam with excitement as he shuffles over towards the car to open it up since he knows it now houses one of his best friends. He’s gentle with pulling the door open, trying to make sure the baby doesn’t accidentally fall out, and luckily enough, the little one doesn’t even stir. Karl coos down at the sight of the little one’s sleeping face, before he gently reaches forward and shakes his knee to try and wake him up. A deep breath swirls through Duckie’s nose as he starts to wake, before he rubs his tired eyes.

“Poppy?” the sleepy voice chirps, while still not opening his eyes.

“No.” Karl giggles, unable to contain himself as his excitement takes over, causing the sweet little baby’s eyes to flutter open more quickly, before he lets out an excited gasp for the sight of his best friend.

“Kawl!” He cheers, emerald eyes gleaming.

“Hey, little Ducking.” Karl coos back in an adoring voice, making the baby squirm as he reaches out for his best friends hand. Karl leans down to unbuckle the baby, before he helps him out of the car, letting him stand on shaky legs before he reaches up towards him, asking to be carried. Karl can’t help himself as he scoops the little one up and presses a soft kiss into his hair. Duckie clings onto Karl like a lifeline as he buries his head into his shoulder, and Karl makes sure to hold him back just as tightly. They both stay like that for a long moment, silence flooding between all four bodies as they take in the surrealness of this moment.

Duckie starts squirming uneasily, pulling them all back into the moment as Karl realizes that the little baby needs to use the potty. Figuring it’s as good of a time as any other, Karl leads them all up the stairs deep into his house for the first time. He lazily kicks off his shoes in the foyer – which the two walking in behind him quickly follow - before taking a right towards the bathroom. He gently sets the baby down on his own two feet and pushes the bathroom door open, quickly flickering on the light, before stepping back to allow the baby the room he needed to go inside of it. However, the little one just looks back up at him hesitantly, before glancing back into the bathroom, but he doesn’t step in one direction or the other.

“Go potty, it’s alright.” Karl reassures, but the baby still didn’t move. Instead, he wraps his little fingers around his hand and looks up at him with wide eyes. Karl gives him a soft smile as he takes them both into the bathroom while the baby continues to squirm uncomfortably. “Do you just wanna potty in your diaper? I can turn around if so,” he asks, but the baby is quick to shake his head and squeeze Karl’s hand gently.

“Hewp?” he chirps, emerald eyes wide as they stare up at him.

“Of course,” he whispers, helping the baby onto the toilet with ease after pulling his shorts and diaper down. He gives the baby room as he turns around and faces the door, before a light knock came onto it.

“I’m just gonna open the door and peek my head outside, alright?” Karl asks, not wanting to make the baby feel uncomfortable accidentally.

“Otay, Kawl,” he whispers back, although not seeming to care in the slightest.

George stands on the other side of the door with a baby bag hooked on his finger, before he hands it over to Karl, bringing a smile to his face as he shuts the door quickly. With as much ease as before, he cleans up the baby when he’s finished, changing him into a fresh diaper and pulling his pants back up. He has his baby take his shoes off too, before their hands are washed, and he’s carrying them back out of the room and setting his diaper bag down beside the bathroom door.

“Grand tour?” Karl asks cheerfully, getting a resounding head nod from the small crowd around him.

Karl reintroduces them to the hallway and the bathroom, before pointing out the kitchen and dining room that were attacked at the end. He walked them across into the living room, pointing out the wicker baskets already full of different toys he knew that the boys liked playing with. Then the part he was most excited for, the nursery he created for the boys.

The nursery door doesn’t look like anything special, but when they push it open, they’re met with soft lighting that pours down from the soft cloud lights that hang for the ceiling that make the boys gasp in surprise. When you step inside, there are cribs on either side of the doorframe, both personalized for the little boys. On the left is a light chest crib with Punzie Bee carved into the headboard, with soft blue, checkered, Tweety Bird bedsheets. It’s retrofitted with a matching mobile, has a pastel pink pacifier bag, and it even has a Sylvester cat plushie already tucked into the sheets. On the opposite side is a painted white crib with Sappy Duckling carved into it. The crib is similar to Punz’s, it has a pastel orange pacifier bag, and a mobile with Snoopy, however, it’s still unique to the little boy himself. Sap’s crib has Winnie the Pooh bedsheets, soft yellowed and also checkered, and a Tigger plush lays tucked into the sheets.

The rest of the room is left rather plain, there’s a big bed in the middle of it in case anyone wanted to sleep on it instead, and an open closet that’s filled with different baby clothes for them to wear. Finally, there are two changing tables with everything they could possibly need while changing them.

The nursery is incredible.

“You did all of this for them?” George asks, completely flabbergasted as he steps over who Karl’s direction, who had just set Duckie down on the ground and let him toddle off towards his crib to look at it.

“Well, I’ve been hoping that they’d come visit me for a while now.” Karl replies, hand reaching up to scratch the back of his neck. “And I really wanted them to be as comfortable as possible, so I hope I did good,” he smiles shyly.

“You’re absolutely incredible,” George laughs, before pulling him in close.

A smile lit up Karl’s face, before he stepped over in Punz’s direction and motioned him to follow him out of the nursery. Since George is going to help Duckie settle in the nursery, he figured it was no better time than ever to steal him away for a quick chat. Punz looks up at him anxiously, before they sit down on the couch together.

“You’re not in trouble or anything, I just wanted to check-in on you.” Karl explains, causing Punz to let out a sigh of relief and nod. “And I want you to know that you’re safe. You don’t need to keep your guard up or protect Duckie, because I’ll never let anything happen to you, I promise,” he tells him as Punz looks up at him with wide eyes. “If you wanna be little, then you’re more than welcome to.”

And that was all Bee needed to hear before he slipped for the first time in a very long time. Hands reach up for Karl, which he gladly takes, before the baby is wrapped up against him and enjoying his warmth.

Everything is absolutely perfect.