Old Worn Rocking Chair, an Avalon AU ficlet
Title: Old Worn Rocking Chair
Universe: G1, Avalon AU
Rating: G
Characters: Sparkplug, Daniel
Warnings: cuteness and fluff
Notes: written for tf_geek_boys’s April 2011 Challenge.
Originally, this ficlet was supposed to be longer and deal a lot more with Sparkplug’s thoughts and feelings through Spike’s infancy and early childhood, the death of his wife and raising Spike as a single father through the 70s and early 80s. That fic was requiring a lot of research, tons of fact checking, lots of characterization for a lot of OCs and tons of work. It would not have made the deadline. Not even close. So, that’s back burnered and you get this instead. Besides, that would have had a lot of angst early on, and this is cute and fluffy which is much more important.
Sparkplug settled into his wife’s worn old rocking chair, careful not to wake the baby in his arms. The chair creaked a little as he rocked, something it had done since Spike was four or five, but the baby didn’t stir. The sound was oddly comforting, reminding him of happier times when he and Mary Elizabeth were finally finding their way in the world before she had gotten so sick.
Daniel seemed to think so too, as he relaxed more into Sparkplug’s arms with the first creak.
He had been worried the first time Carly had asked him to babysit. It had been twenty years since Spike had been so small and helpless, and being a father hadn’t been nearly as hands on for him back then. In fact, he’d been in Burma for a lot of it, mining those rubies and making enough money for them to live off of while he found a job closer to home. He hadn’t even been home when Spike had his first hair cut or said his first words. That distance had stung at first, when he came home and his boy didn’t even know him, but Spike-Willy back then-had warmed up quickly.
Sparkplug smiled as he rocked his grandson. All his worries about not being experienced enough or being too out of practice had been completely unfounded. Daniel was better-behaved for him than for his own parents. He’d been peed on the first time he changed the baby’s diaper, but Carly assured him that was normal for babies, and he had been thrown up on when Daniel was fighting off his first real illness but that was the worst of it. The rest of the time, his grandson was a smiling, happy boy who was always glad to see his grandpa’s face.
And, Sparkplug couldn’t even try to hide how happy he was to see his grandson either.
He sat in the rocking chair and held his grandson close, cherishing their time together. His father had missed out on so many wonderful things when Sparkplug had been disowned. Especially, perfect moments like this, when Daniel was resting in his arms and trusting him to keep him safe as he rested.
His father had been a fool, but Sparkplug was glad that his mistakes had granted him enough wisdom to know what really mattered in life.
Universe: G1, Avalon AU
Rating: G
Characters: Sparkplug, Daniel
Warnings: cuteness and fluff
Notes: written for tf_geek_boys’s April 2011 Challenge.
Originally, this ficlet was supposed to be longer and deal a lot more with Sparkplug’s thoughts and feelings through Spike’s infancy and early childhood, the death of his wife and raising Spike as a single father through the 70s and early 80s. That fic was requiring a lot of research, tons of fact checking, lots of characterization for a lot of OCs and tons of work. It would not have made the deadline. Not even close. So, that’s back burnered and you get this instead. Besides, that would have had a lot of angst early on, and this is cute and fluffy which is much more important.
Sparkplug settled into his wife’s worn old rocking chair, careful not to wake the baby in his arms. The chair creaked a little as he rocked, something it had done since Spike was four or five, but the baby didn’t stir. The sound was oddly comforting, reminding him of happier times when he and Mary Elizabeth were finally finding their way in the world before she had gotten so sick.
Daniel seemed to think so too, as he relaxed more into Sparkplug’s arms with the first creak.
He had been worried the first time Carly had asked him to babysit. It had been twenty years since Spike had been so small and helpless, and being a father hadn’t been nearly as hands on for him back then. In fact, he’d been in Burma for a lot of it, mining those rubies and making enough money for them to live off of while he found a job closer to home. He hadn’t even been home when Spike had his first hair cut or said his first words. That distance had stung at first, when he came home and his boy didn’t even know him, but Spike-Willy back then-had warmed up quickly.
Sparkplug smiled as he rocked his grandson. All his worries about not being experienced enough or being too out of practice had been completely unfounded. Daniel was better-behaved for him than for his own parents. He’d been peed on the first time he changed the baby’s diaper, but Carly assured him that was normal for babies, and he had been thrown up on when Daniel was fighting off his first real illness but that was the worst of it. The rest of the time, his grandson was a smiling, happy boy who was always glad to see his grandpa’s face.
And, Sparkplug couldn’t even try to hide how happy he was to see his grandson either.
He sat in the rocking chair and held his grandson close, cherishing their time together. His father had missed out on so many wonderful things when Sparkplug had been disowned. Especially, perfect moments like this, when Daniel was resting in his arms and trusting him to keep him safe as he rested.
His father had been a fool, but Sparkplug was glad that his mistakes had granted him enough wisdom to know what really mattered in life.