(no subject)
Title: Once Upon a Date Night...
Characters/Pairings: Claire, Lyle, Noah (maybe a bit of Sylaire at the end ;D)
Rating: PG
Spoilers: A little one for "I Am Sylar"
A/N: This was written for the You're So Spoiled! challenge on the sylar_claire lj community. Hope you enjoy! (The beautiful banner was made by the talented kathrynthegr8 - thank you, dear!)
Twelve-year-old Claire watched her parents from her place on the stairs. Even though she was supposed to be in her room, she always couldn't help sneaking a look at them whenever this specific night rolled around. They were sitting on the couch, her father with his arm around her mother, sipping wine and talking quietly. She loved seeing them like this.
"What are you doing?" a voice whispered behind her.
"Shhhh!" She put her finger to her lips and waved her other hand up and down indicating to her ten-year-old brother, Lyle, that he should be quiet and sit down.
"What are you doing?" Lyle repeated in a quieter whisper.
"Watching Mom and Dad," Claire whispered back, not taking her eyes from the scene before her.
"Why? It's Date Night, you're supposed to be in bed."
"So are you."
"Whatever." He didn't want to tell her that he had a nightmare and was planning on doing the exact same thing she was doing until he felt better. "You're going to get in trouble if they catch you."
"They won't catch me if you'd shut-up."
Lyle sat down two steps above her with a quiet huff, and they watched their parents in silence for a minute before Claire said something under her breath that Lyle couldn't quite catch.
"Huh?"
"I asked, " she began a bit louder and with an eye-roll, "if you thought they looked good together."
Lyle shrugged. He'd never thought about it, but he didn't want her to make him leave, so - "Yeah, I guess."
Claire nodded approvingly. "Yeah. I can't wait until I'm old enough to do that."
"Do what?"
"You know, have my own Date Night. Someone who will pour me a glass of wine, put his arm around me and just talk to me." She looked down. "And just...pay attention to me," she finished in a sad kind of mumble.
Lyle looked down at his sister's blonde head and frowned. "We get paid attention to all the time . Mom's always dragging us off to dog shows with her, and Dad always brings you back a stuffed bear and me a Hot Wheels when he comes back from a business trip."
"I know. But to have someone's undivided attention. To have someone entirely and completely focused on you and you alone. To be someone's whole world. Doesn't that sound nice?"
"I don't know. Sounds kinda creepy to me."
Claire glared. "You're just too young to understand."
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
"Lyle! Claire! Aren't you two supposed to be in bed?"
They whipped their heads around and down to find their father looking up at them with his hands on his hips.
"Sorry, daddy."
"Sorry dad," Lyle echoed.
Their father's expression softed a bit. "Beds, now. And try to stay in them this time, hm?"
They grinned at their father before scrambling up the stairs and into their separate rooms. Before too long, they were asleep.
Lyle dreamed he was a race car driver in the Daytona 500, Even though he was going faster than any before him, he could still make out his friends and family cheering him on as he moved into position to take over the only car remaining in front of him. It shouldn't be that hard. Everyone knew bears were terrible at finishing races.
Down the hall, Claire dreamed of a man with dark hair and dark eyes. Though she could tell he was handsome, his features remained indistinct. They were sitting very close together and he was speaking intently to her, though she couldn't make out the words. The man's attention never wavered from her as he gently tapped his glass to hers.
When their parents came to check on them, they found both their children smiling in their sleep.