Work Text:
Sting doesn't know where he is. He's standing in a dark hallway and it seems that every time he blinks, the shadows creep closer to him. He doesn't know where he is, just that he's alone. He had fallen asleep in his hotel bed, Darby curled up against his side, and woken up here.
He's so cold.
And where was Darby?
He wasn't scared per say, but that thought caused a feeling of fear to creep through his body. Where is his little boy? He had sworn to protect him, where-
He can't move. He tried to step forward, backwards and to the side, but his feet are frozen in place, and the shadows just keep getting closer and closer until they're lapping at his shoes like waves. Shadows shouldn't move like this, should they? They shouldn't creep up his shoes, spreading up his legs until they wrap around his midsection. The shadows have reached his lungs now, the darkness stopping his breath, squeezing his organs in its tight grip. A voice cuts through his panic, muffled and distant, but he can't quite place it.
Someone's telling him to sing?
The shadows are curled around his shoulders now, almost as if gently shaking him. He feels off balance, and the voice is getting louder and louder, the shadows curling up his throat until suddenly-
“S'ing! Up!” Darby's voice startles the older man awake, his voice thick with both sleep and concern. He's leaning over Sting, both hands clutching at Sting's shoulders, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. “You were shakin’ and mutterin'.”
“I-” Sting's voice cracks and sputters, and suddenly one of Darby's hands is pushing him into a sitting position, gently rubbing circles on the fabric of his shirt. He doesn't realize it at first but he's reached forward, gripping onto part of Darby's sleep shirt with so much force that his knuckles are white. “You- You were gone.”
The younger man frowns, shaking his head gently. “Nuh uh, I've been right here.”
“No in- in my dream-”
Darby clicks his tongue, a look of understanding passing over his face. “Daddy had a scary sleep?”
“Yeah but I'm sorry to wake you sweetie, we can go back to bed-”
“Nope!” The younger man shakes his head, sticking his tongue out before he continues talking. “You always sayin’ I should tell you when I've gots scary sleeps. And you help. So now I help.”
He's pushing Sting back in a lying position before he can even argue, pulling the duvet back and quickly tucking the blanket around Sting's body so he can't wiggle around much. Any time he tries to speak Darby just shushes him, making sure the blanket is completely wrapped around him. He's searching for something now, eyes searching over the bed, and Sting's just about to ask what the younger man is looking for when he suddenly cheers, reaching forward to grab a stuffie.
It's a small stuffed skeleton Sting had bought him awhile ago, and it quickly became one of Darby's favorites. The boy is currently tucking the skeleton into Sting's arms, muttering something inaudible until he hums in satisfaction, patting the stuffie's head. He leans forward, gently kissing the older man's forehead and pulls back with a smile.
“There! Now the scaries can't get ya anymore!”
Sting smiles, feeling his heart warm at his boy's words. He can just barely wiggle an arm out of the blanket where he'd essentially been swaddled, and he beckons Darby closer, pulling him down against his side again.
“Thank you spooks, I know you'll protect me.”
“Uh huh! I'll fight any bad things!” His sentence trails off into a yawn and his eyes flutter a bit, his body melting further against Sting's.
“Well I appreciate it. Goodnight Darby, I love you.”
Darby smiles, letting his eyes completely shut as he reaches a hand forward to rest over where the stuffie is still tucked into the older man's arms. “Love you more Daddy, night.”
Sting lets his eyes close too, no longer feeling suffocated by fear, knowing that his boy is safe in his arms, tucked against him away from the rest of the world. He drifts off into a peaceful sleep, no shadows choking him the rest of the night, just him and Darby curled up in a hotel room.
And a skeleton stuffie.