Title: eyes of rain
Inspiration: Guns 'N' Roses' "Sweet Child O' Mine," which also inspired the title. ^^
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize isn't mine.
Notes: Part of the Follow You Down 'verse. Little!Kale makes his first appearance of many. 3

"Daddy?"

Kurt stirs at the quiet, hesitant voice, opening his eyes. There's a crack of light fracturing the still dark of the room, breaking in from the hall through the propped open door. The chiaroscuro plays with the light and casts an eerie shadow over the face of his son fidgeting at the side of his bed. Kale's face is tight, eyes red and glassy, and his toes are curled into the carpet. Sitting up, Kurt reaches out for his son. "What's wrong, hon?" he asks softly, lifting the boy into his lap. Kale goes eagerly and snuggles against his daddy's chest, fingers tightening over his tee shirt.

"I had a bad dream," Kale reveals, voice muffled against soft fabric. Next to them, Blaine is twitching a little, just coming into consciousness.

"Poor thing," Kurt hums sympathetically. He brushes loose, bed-mussed curls from Kale's forehead and places a kiss there. "Well, it's all done now, right? You're all safe here with me and Papa." Kale nods but only burrows deeper against Kurt.

Blaine is sitting up then, rubbing at his eyes and glancing to the clock that burns 3:37 AM into the night. "What's going on?" he asks, voice slurred a little in sleep.

"Nightmare," Kurt replies, meeting Blaine's eyes with a frown. Kale didn't have nightmares often, but when he did they seemed to shake him deep.

"Poor Kale," Blaine murmurs, edging closer to his husband to place a hand to their son's back. "Wanna tell us what it was about, kiddo?"

Kale shakes his head fervently and clutches a little harsher at Kurt's shirt. Kurt reacts instantly, carding a hand through the boys curls and humming out soft half-words of "you're okay"s and "we've got you"s. Blaine hurts inside when he sees that Kale is shivering a little, tiny shoulders hitching with held-in tears. He pushes his arm around Kurt's back and the other around Kale's, holding both of them in a tight hug. Kurt sighs quietly and leans into his husband's touch, as eager for the comfort as Kale seems to be. Blaine picks up on this, pressing careful kisses to Kurt's temple, Kale's hair.

Only a minute passes but Kale still has these spasms that send a jolt through Blaine. He knows his son is trying not to cry and eventually the effort is enough to pull hiccups from the little boy. "Hey, buddy," Blaine murmurs against the little boy's forehead, "you're allowed to cry, you know. Even I still cry sometimes, when something's really scary."

Kale turns, quivering, to blink up at him with those big blue eyes. Everyone's always so positive that it's Blaine's DNA in Kale, from the smile and the hair and the complexion. But those eyes… Blaine can only think of Kurt when he looks into their son's eyes. He hates to do it now though, when they're red-rimmed and wavering with fear. "You do?" he asks, barely audible and voice hitching with another hiccup. Blaine matches him seriously though and nods. With that permission, Kale's angel face breaks and he lets the tears free. At first he tries rubbing them away with swipes from his wrists but he soon gives that game up, opting instead to bury his face into Kurt's shoulder again.

Blaine and Kurt share a pained look as they try to steep their son in comfort, Kurt rubbing gentle hands up his spine and Blaine cupping the back of his curls. It's a long, tense moment before Kale will be soothed but it does come and he slumps against Kurt, spent and still shuddering every once in awhile.

Kurt and Blaine just wait, whispers of reassurance the only thing breaking the still night air. Once Kale's shudders give way, Kurt tucks his head, pulling his son away a bit to meet his eyes. "Feel better, hon?" Kale gives a quiet little nod, eyes blinking sleepily at his lap. "You should get back to sleep then."

Blaine watches Kale's face at that; sees the brief etchings of panic that flit through his features. And Blaine knows that his son is already like Kurt in this way. He has trouble asking for what he wants. And in this case, he's near-positive that Kale wants to stay with them but is afraid they won't let him. He beats his son to the punch then, stroking a thumb over his tear-blushed cheeks. "D'you want to stay with us?" He keeps his voice airy and light, hoping to half-lull Kale to an easy sleep.

"Can I please?" Kale asks, not moving from fear of being denied.

"Of course," Kurt replies immediately, dropping kisses to his forehead, cheeks, nose, eye-lids. "Of course, of course. Papa and I can keep your bad dreams away." Kale nods drowsily at that and settles his head against his daddy again.

Blaine sinks back down first and Kurt passes their son to him, letting the little boy burrow against his papa. He feels the damp of Kale's tears lingering on his hot-hot cheeks against his neck and collar. With one arm underneath Kale, Blaine's hand falls to rest at the back of Kurt's neck when he curls around them. "Sleep," Kurt murmurs to their son, pressing a kiss to his hair as Blaine does the same to his forehead. Kale is more than half-way there already and only gives a soft noise in response. Kurt pets over his curls softly and adds, "We love you, baby boy."

It's not long before Kale's breaths lengthen and even out, his thumb inching up between slightly parted lips. Blaine smiles down at the little boy fondly, watching him finally sink into sleep and only hopes the monsters stay away for the rest of this night. Tilting his head up, he shares a gentle kiss with Kurt, each mumbling "goodnight"s around each other's mouths.

Blaine drifts off soon after that but Kurt wills himself awake for just awhile longer, just a moment. Just to watch Blaine and Kale's breathing sync up every few inhale-exhales, to feel his husband's hip under on hand and his son's hair beneath the other, to breath in with his family, to breath out and then to slide into sleep himself.

AN: Hope you enjoyed! A few more featuring bb!Kale will be uploaded later day as well. Let me know what you think, please.
-sleepinnude