Call of Duty Bedtime Stories

It was nine o'clock in the evening, and thus time for all little boys to go to bed. Elias, being a single father, had settled into his part of the routine admirably. By this time of night his sons were all ready incredibly, adorably sleepy, and very easy to herd around. With the brief proclamation of "Night-night time, buddy." almost anything could be accomplished.

Yes, by nine o'clock it was easy to get tiny pairs of jammies on, baby teeth brushed, and tired children tucked in. Granted, his younger son wasn't quite two yet, so he was usually fast asleep by the time nine rolled around, but that didn't count. Besides, on some very rare occasions he was awake to witness the most hallowed, sacred part of their bedtime routine.

On one such night, having helped five year old David into his dinosaur covered pajamas and brushed his teeth already, he carried him to his bedroom. Elias stepped over the baby-gate in the doorway with practiced ease, fumbling for the light switch. Logan was already fast asleep in his crib, but when he flicked the light on so he could safely navigate the toy-strewn room, the toddler woke up.

The sleepy little one gave a mild noise that could have meant any number of things as he watched the other two make their way across the room. Carefully picking his way across the battlefield of toys, Elias dodged the ever so lovingly constructed block towers. Then, when he took a detour to avoid stepping on most of David's toy soldiers ("Sorry, sergeant- didn't see you there.") he plugged in the nightlight along the way.

When Elias arrived at David's bed he dropped his son on it heavily. The little boy bounced back up with a shrieking laugh, and flopped once more onto his blue blankets. Letting out a huff of air, he sat up and stared at his father in a very serious manner. "Story." It was neither a request or a command, merely a statement.

Elias smirked, skittering his fingertips across David's stomach. Once he was wriggling about giggling uncontrollably, Elias fetched the now babbling Logan from his crib. When his other son was safely lying on his big brother's bed, David repeated himself. "Story?" This time it was a mildly concerned question, reminding Elias to get back on track. "Yeah, story. Give Daddy a minute, 'kay?" He promised the confused five year old, wiggling his fingers at him. Wrangling small children all day every day was pretty hard, and he'd be a filthy liar if he said he wasn't exhausted sometimes.

The baby was now staring up at him, still settled contentedly on his tummy. "'Towy?" Logan asked innocently, and Elias just about melted. It was the cutest thing he'd heard in his life, which almost distracted him. Almost. It _was_ story time, though, and that couldn't be skipped. It would be a crime against humanity if story time lay forgotten. Seas would rise, civilizations would crumble, the very fabric of reality would- he didn't even realize he was talking aloud until David started giggling. Maybe he _did_ need to go to bed early tonight.

He paused, head tilting to one side unconsciously. "What _kind_ of story, Ace?" Elias asked after a bit, prepared to make something up on the fly. It was a very important question, and little David took it very seriously. Elias barely concealed a stupid grin when his son's eyebrows drew together, and a pout formed on his lips. There was a comfortable silence. "Knights?" David requested after his decision was made. He wriggled about until he lay on his stomach like his baby brother. This time, the grin _did_ make its way to his face. David wanted a story about knights, and Elias knew just the one. It was a bit strange, but he thought his boys might like it.

So he opened his mouth and told his boys the story his tired mind had come up with. Six brave knights who set off to save a mad king from a dragon. Though the king was clearly crazy, it was imperative that he be returned to the kingdom, because without him there could be no more magic. Ever. Such a horrible revelation was this that even the Queen, an awe-inspiring inventor was speechless. His words wove a new world, and even though Logan was asleep again before the dragon even arrived in the story, David was ensnared.

The little boy just barely made it to the end, when the brave knights rescued the mad wizard king from the evil dragon's clutches, effectively saving magic. He clocked out before the words 'the end' passed his father's lips. Mumbling to himself in congratulations at avoiding clichés, Elias kissed his boy's forehead and fixed his blankets. David snuffled a little bit, and he paused to make sure he was asleep. Then he scooped Logan up, changed his diaper, and put him to bed too. Shuffling out of the room quietly, he stepped over the baby-gate once more, took one last look at his sleeping children, and flicked the lights out. David had kindergarten in the morning, after all.

If his little boy brought home a picture of six knights and a crazy wizard king fighting a dragon, well that was his business wasn't it? He stuck it to the refrigerator.

* * *

Here. Have some, uhm, cute?


End file.

Call of Duty, Family