Giant Pandas
Title: Giant Pandas
Pairing: Knope-Wyatt family
Rating: G-ish?
Timeline: Post season-Six.
Summary: Anonymous Fic prompt: Leslie's baby shower -or- triple baby cuddles. (Or both.)
Notes: Went with triple cuddles. Are three-year-olds still babies? Could we pretend that they are? Leslie/Ben/triplets.
He’s asleep. Really deep asleep when something starts to wake him up. Ben becomes slowly aware of something poking him in the arm. Repeatedly. At first he thinks it’s Leslie, but she usually pokes him much harder if she’s trying to wake him up or she’ll just wrap her body around his and start nibbling on his neck. Maybe start saying, “Ben. Ben. Ben. Ben. Ben…” in his ear until he wakes up.
No, these are tiny, little incessant pokes. He opens his eyes. His three-year old daughter is staring back at him.
"Daddy. I can’t sleep."
He reaches out, pulls her closer to the bed, holds out an arm and protectively wraps it around her. “Why not?”
"There are giant pandas under my bed."
This is a new one. Usually its frogs. Once it was Richard Nixon (he blames Leslie for that one). “I’m sure they’re nice pandas, sweetie,” he whispers back. “They just want to be your friend.”
She shakes her head assertively. “Noooo. They’re mean. They want to eat my toes. Can I sleep with you and mommy?”
He knows he’s supposed to say no. He’s supposed to get up, walk her back to the kids’ bedroom, tuck her in, and stay with her until she falls asleep. Maybe tell her a story about waffle best friends-that’s what Leslie does. And it’s not like he doesn’t want to do that, it’s just…he looks at the clock…1:00 AM and it’s the middle of January, it’s cold and he’s so amazingly comfortable in their big, snuggly bed.
But also, she’s so small. And she’s got adorable little toes that he wants to protect and be able to tickle for years to come and she’s looking at him with those big blue eyes.
Plus, again, it’s one in the morning and he’s tired and incredibly comfortable.
It’s an easy decision. Ben holds out the covers. “Come on honey, but you have to be quiet,” he says softly. “We don’t want to wake mommy up.”
She smiles sweetly as he helps her climb up and into the bed. Ben wraps his arms around his daughter and they fall asleep.
A bit later, Ben wakes up on his side and turns over and he sees not just one child, but also his two sons in the bed. One is down, curled up by Leslie’s stomach, the other has his head resting against her chest, and his daughter is snuggled right between him and his wife-his wife who is awake and looking at him as she runs her hand lovingly through the lower of the small heads of hair.
"Richard Nixon?" She whispers.
"Giant pandas who wanted to eat her toes."
"You see the problem here, right?" Leslie asks. It’s 3AM and there’s just enough light from the hallway nightlight for him to see her smile.
"Um, yeah."
He knows she’s not mad or anything, she loves cuddling with the kids as much as he does. Most nights they all pile on the couch together after dinner while he or Leslie reads a story out loud or they watch a cartoon before the kids go to bed. On the weekends the kids get into bed with them and snuggle in the mornings before everyone heads downstairs for breakfast.
But when one has a nightmare or can’t sleep, it’s always the same-if they let one in, they always wake up with all three.
"Do you want to take them back to their room?"
She shrugs. “No, that’s okay. But we really should try to encourage them to sleep in their own room, babe.”
"I know…she just…has really big, adorable eyes. And there were mean, giant pandas."
"There are times that we’re going to want our bed to be child-free Ben," she reminds him.
"Yes. Definitely. I know that."
"But…also, she totally played you," Leslie says, looking amused before leaning down to kiss the top of her closest son’s head.
"What do you mean?"
"She knew that if she came to my side, I’d take her back to her own bed."
Ben sighs. “She played me,” he agrees. “But hey, I notice that she’s not the only extra body in the bed right now.”
"Well, I can’t send them back if she gets to sleep with us. That’s not fair," Leslie tells him. "And honestly, I was too lazy to herd them all back down the hallway."
Ben nods. “Next time I’ll take her back. But really, it’s more snuggly and warm when they’re in here too,” he says, moving closer to his family. “They’re all really good cuddlers.”
Leslie nods. “We’ve taught them well,” she says, leaning forward to give Ben a kiss.
Pairing: Knope-Wyatt family
Rating: G-ish?
Timeline: Post season-Six.
Summary: Anonymous Fic prompt: Leslie's baby shower -or- triple baby cuddles. (Or both.)
Notes: Went with triple cuddles. Are three-year-olds still babies? Could we pretend that they are? Leslie/Ben/triplets.
He’s asleep. Really deep asleep when something starts to wake him up. Ben becomes slowly aware of something poking him in the arm. Repeatedly. At first he thinks it’s Leslie, but she usually pokes him much harder if she’s trying to wake him up or she’ll just wrap her body around his and start nibbling on his neck. Maybe start saying, “Ben. Ben. Ben. Ben. Ben…” in his ear until he wakes up.
No, these are tiny, little incessant pokes. He opens his eyes. His three-year old daughter is staring back at him.
"Daddy. I can’t sleep."
He reaches out, pulls her closer to the bed, holds out an arm and protectively wraps it around her. “Why not?”
"There are giant pandas under my bed."
This is a new one. Usually its frogs. Once it was Richard Nixon (he blames Leslie for that one). “I’m sure they’re nice pandas, sweetie,” he whispers back. “They just want to be your friend.”
She shakes her head assertively. “Noooo. They’re mean. They want to eat my toes. Can I sleep with you and mommy?”
He knows he’s supposed to say no. He’s supposed to get up, walk her back to the kids’ bedroom, tuck her in, and stay with her until she falls asleep. Maybe tell her a story about waffle best friends-that’s what Leslie does. And it’s not like he doesn’t want to do that, it’s just…he looks at the clock…1:00 AM and it’s the middle of January, it’s cold and he’s so amazingly comfortable in their big, snuggly bed.
But also, she’s so small. And she’s got adorable little toes that he wants to protect and be able to tickle for years to come and she’s looking at him with those big blue eyes.
Plus, again, it’s one in the morning and he’s tired and incredibly comfortable.
It’s an easy decision. Ben holds out the covers. “Come on honey, but you have to be quiet,” he says softly. “We don’t want to wake mommy up.”
She smiles sweetly as he helps her climb up and into the bed. Ben wraps his arms around his daughter and they fall asleep.
A bit later, Ben wakes up on his side and turns over and he sees not just one child, but also his two sons in the bed. One is down, curled up by Leslie’s stomach, the other has his head resting against her chest, and his daughter is snuggled right between him and his wife-his wife who is awake and looking at him as she runs her hand lovingly through the lower of the small heads of hair.
"Richard Nixon?" She whispers.
"Giant pandas who wanted to eat her toes."
"You see the problem here, right?" Leslie asks. It’s 3AM and there’s just enough light from the hallway nightlight for him to see her smile.
"Um, yeah."
He knows she’s not mad or anything, she loves cuddling with the kids as much as he does. Most nights they all pile on the couch together after dinner while he or Leslie reads a story out loud or they watch a cartoon before the kids go to bed. On the weekends the kids get into bed with them and snuggle in the mornings before everyone heads downstairs for breakfast.
But when one has a nightmare or can’t sleep, it’s always the same-if they let one in, they always wake up with all three.
"Do you want to take them back to their room?"
She shrugs. “No, that’s okay. But we really should try to encourage them to sleep in their own room, babe.”
"I know…she just…has really big, adorable eyes. And there were mean, giant pandas."
"There are times that we’re going to want our bed to be child-free Ben," she reminds him.
"Yes. Definitely. I know that."
"But…also, she totally played you," Leslie says, looking amused before leaning down to kiss the top of her closest son’s head.
"What do you mean?"
"She knew that if she came to my side, I’d take her back to her own bed."
Ben sighs. “She played me,” he agrees. “But hey, I notice that she’s not the only extra body in the bed right now.”
"Well, I can’t send them back if she gets to sleep with us. That’s not fair," Leslie tells him. "And honestly, I was too lazy to herd them all back down the hallway."
Ben nods. “Next time I’ll take her back. But really, it’s more snuggly and warm when they’re in here too,” he says, moving closer to his family. “They’re all really good cuddlers.”
Leslie nods. “We’ve taught them well,” she says, leaning forward to give Ben a kiss.