(John P.O.V)

Frances waddled over to me proudly, a huge grin on her face.

"Daddy! Daddy guess what?!"

"What is it Francy?" I kneeled down in front of her.

"I gonna to get married to Thea like you and pops!" She giggled and I laughed.

"Alex, c'mere and hear what our daughter just said."

I heard shuffling from the couch, which is where my husband tended to work. He walked in, face pale, dark bags under his eyes.

"What is it honey?" He prompted Frances, smiling wearily.

"Thea and me are get married like daddy and pops!" She squealed again.

Alex smiled and kissed her head affectionately. "Who'll walk you down the aisle?"

"You were technically doing the 'bride' part at our wedding." I offered. "Does that count?"

"Yeah, well I also kissed the groom, so I think we're equal."

I smiled and pulled Alex into a sitting position, kissing him briefly.

"Ew!" Our daughter whined, shielding her eyes with her small hands. "I don't want to see you kiss!"

"Well too bad, you have to sit through it." Alex said, and it came out harsher then I think he intended, not that Frances seemed to mind.

I knew he'd have a bit of trouble fitting into the role of father, so I didn't reprimand him when his words were snappier then needed. From what I've been told, his dad had been a terrible father to Alex and James.

And the most upsetting thing he'd ever don't to one of the kids was yell at Phillip. Once. So I'm not worried he's gonna go all 'starve your children and force them to sleep outside alone' on our kids.

My dad kinda sucked, but only once I came out as gay. Before then, he'd been great, always friendly, best dad ever. So I guess I have a role model.

My husband huffed but settled down on the floor, sitting next to me, head on my shoulder. I wrapped an arm around him and he sighed, yawning tiredly.

"Alex, you really need some sleep." I pointed out.

"Pops has panda eyes!" Frances contributed.

"I do not." He protested.

"Want me to show you a mirror?"

"Fine, fine I get it." He got up to head to our room, saving his document as he walked through the living room.

I followed him, our daughter at my heels. Almost immediately after his head hit the pillow, he fell asleep.

I realized he hadn't been taking his medicine for a while now, and it hadn't seemed to bother him, but his flashbacks appeared to be more prominent when he slept.

Oh well, I'll notice if he starts freaking out, I always do.

I closed the door, picking Frances up and perching her on my hip as I walked to her room. I set her down and we started to play with her blocks.

"The evil purple comes to crash the tower!" She screeched, throwing a purple block at the tower we'd built.

I laughed as my daughter invented her own little world, playing with blocks and screeching, no longer in need to my presence, so I just watched her. Then Phillip knocked on the door.

"Dad?" He called into the room and I turned around.

"Yeah Phil?"

"Where's pops?"

"He's sleeping, don't go bother him."

"Oh... ok."

"Why?"

Phillip held up one of Alex's books, and pointed to a word on the page. "I don't get this word."

I looked over his shoulder, and saw that it was a word I could explain.

"Dowager," I told him. "Is a fancy way of saying 'widow'."

"Widows are spiders."

"Widows are also women who've lost their husbands."

"Thanks, dad." He smiled.

"I'm impressed that you're already reading your father's books at 9."

Phillip smiled and I noticed that he was hiding something behind his back.

"Phil, what's behind your back?"

"N-nothing." He looked away.

"Phillip." I raised an eyebrow.

He looked at his feet and handed me a worn dark green notebook. I flipped through a few pages and noticed Alex's tight cursive writing.

"Did you steal this?" I asked, not really upset.

He nodded, shuffling his feet.

"Well go put it back before he notices! And don't bring up anything you read or he'll know you read it." I advised and he looked up, smiling mischievously and grabbing the book as he headed down the hall.

I started humming, unsure what it was I was humming until I caught onto the notes of I love play rehearsal. Why the fuck was I humming that? It's so random, nothing could possibly have provoked it. Oh well, I'll go with it.

"Daddy! Save them from a evil purple bloke!" Francis ordered and I went back over to her.

(Phillip P.O.V)

Dad seemed really chill with me taking pops's notebook, but I felt bad, so I hadn't read it.

Pops wouldn't be happy if I read it. I don't want him to be mad at me.

That wouldn't be fun.

But I did look through the pages, and there were music notes on some of them.

I didn't read any of my father's writing, because I know he wouldn't tell me what was in there and that means I don't need to know.

Right?

I snuck into my dads' room. Pops was lying down on top of the blankets of his bed, still wearing his cloths and looking tired even as he slept. I hid the notebook back where I found it and made it look undisturbed.

Pops stirred as I walked out the door and I froze.

"Pip?" He mumbled.

"Y-yeah pops?"

"C'mere." He sat up, and still had bags under his eyes.

I walked over to him and sat next to my dad. He hugged me and I squealed, wriggling out of his hug. Pops still looked very tired so I pushed him back on his bed. My dad closed his eyes and pulled a blanket around himself. He fell asleep really fast and I walked out of the room quietly.

Pops didn't wake up for a while, which was good, because he needs more sleep.

Even Francy noticed. She said he had panda eyes, which was her way of noticing his dark bags.

Dad did check in on pops often, but I guess that makes sense.

As I got into my bed I grabbed one of pops's books.

Usually he'd read to me or invent something, but I was fine reading on my own.

Francy walked into my room and asked for me to read to her, which I did, grabbing one of the books I kept just for my sister.

She smiled as I closed the book and led her to her room, tucking her in bed.

—~•~—

a / n: please note that these chapters are very minimally edited from their original editions, because I don't have the motivation to go through them and fix everything.