Ficlet: Growing Up
Title: Growing Up
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Merial, Jack, Ianto, Nosy.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Meriel is growing up fast, she’ll soon be a young lady and her dads think its time she gave up her bunk beds in favour of something a bit more grown up.
Word Count: 826
Written For: Challenge 194: Bed at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“But…” Meriel protested, looking from her Tad to her Dad and back again. “But if the twins have my bunk beds, where is Nosy going to sleep?”
Despite having its own room, Nosy had slept close to Meriel ever since she was born, first beneath her cot, and then in the top bunk in her bedroom.
“Don’t you think you’re getting a bit old for bunk beds?” her Tad asked mildly. “I would have thought you’d be pleased to be getting a bigger bed. You’ll soon be too tall to fit anyway, the rate you’re growing.”
“I am pleased, it’s just…” Meriel trailed off; this was a part of growing up that she hadn’t anticipated. “Does this mean Nosy won’t be allowed to sleep in my room anymore?” she finished in a small voice. Did her dads think she was too old now for the comfort of her Fluff? Nosy was her best and closest friend, it had always been there for her, no matter what, but Meriel wasn’t a little kid anymore.
She was eleven now, nearly twelve, and the twins were three and a bit, old enough to sleep in their own room on the main floor of the flat rather than in the nursery next door to their parents’ room. It was alright for them; they wouldn’t be alone at night since they’d have each other, and of course their Flufflets would be with them. Plus there’d be the monitor her Tad was busily installing so that he and Dad could keep an eye on the two troublemakers at night. But Meriel… She didn’t think she could bear the idea of sleeping all by herself. She’d never had to, not for a single night. It wasn’t that she was scared of the dark or anything, but it would be awfully lonely.
“Nosy will sleep wherever Nosy wants to sleep,” her Tad said. “You should know that by now. It gave up its own room because it wanted to take care of you when you were little; it could have gone back at any time, but it never has. We’ll just have to get you a bed big enough for two. Either that, or one with a pullout mattress for Nosy to sleep on; we’re not going to deprive you of your Fluff. I doubt that we could even if we tried, and we’d never do that.”
“Oh,” Meriel sighed, all but sagging with relief. “Well, that’s alright then.” Another thought struck her. “What about Squiggle and Spot? Will they have to share the bunk beds with the twins? They won’t be very comfortable; you know what wrigglers the Holy Terrors are.”
“Our daughter has a point,” her Dad said. “There’s no ‘off’ switch with those two; I should know, they spent several months kicking the stuffing out of my insides. Maybe the Flufflets should have Meriel’s bunk beds and we should get a new set for the twins.”
“Mm.” Her Tad paused what he was doing and gave the matter his full attention. “I think you’re right; we’re going to need two sets of bunk beds, for the sake of the Flufflets. We should probably do what we did with Meriel; kids on the bottom, Fluffs at the top.”
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” Dad said, chuckling. “Want to bet on how long it’ll take for the twins to migrate to the top bunks?”
“We do have a couple of daredevils,” Tad agreed, smiling wryly. “I suppose in the end we’ll just have to let them sort their sleeping arrangements out for themselves.”
“Not much else we can do short of tying them to their assigned bunks, which would probably be considered bad parenting.”
“They get that adventurous streak from you.” Tad smiled fondly at her Dad.
“So we’re agreed? We get a second set of bunk beds, put both sets in here for the twins and their Flufflets, and buy Meriel a new bed more suitable for a young lady.”
Tad nodded. “Sounds right to me. What do you think, Meriel?”
The bunk beds were cosy and familiar, but Meriel supposed they were a bit childish for he now, not to mention cramped. She smiled at her dads, bowing to the inevitable; it had been a bit silly of her to think she could sleep in the same bed all her life.
“Okay, that sounds great.”
“We’ll go bed shopping at the weekend then,” her Dad said. “Arrange to have the new beds delivered.” He smiled down at Meriel, winking at her. “It’ll still be a week or so before you have to give up your bunk; best make the most of it while you can.”
Meriel hugged him impulsively. “Do you think I could maybe try sleeping in the top bunk? I mean, I never have, but maybe I should at least find out what it’s like.”
“That,” her Tad said, “is something you’ll have to sort out with Nosy.”
The End
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Merial, Jack, Ianto, Nosy.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Nada.
Summary: Meriel is growing up fast, she’ll soon be a young lady and her dads think its time she gave up her bunk beds in favour of something a bit more grown up.
Word Count: 826
Written For: Challenge 194: Bed at beattheblackdog.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Torchwood, or the characters.
“But…” Meriel protested, looking from her Tad to her Dad and back again. “But if the twins have my bunk beds, where is Nosy going to sleep?”
Despite having its own room, Nosy had slept close to Meriel ever since she was born, first beneath her cot, and then in the top bunk in her bedroom.
“Don’t you think you’re getting a bit old for bunk beds?” her Tad asked mildly. “I would have thought you’d be pleased to be getting a bigger bed. You’ll soon be too tall to fit anyway, the rate you’re growing.”
“I am pleased, it’s just…” Meriel trailed off; this was a part of growing up that she hadn’t anticipated. “Does this mean Nosy won’t be allowed to sleep in my room anymore?” she finished in a small voice. Did her dads think she was too old now for the comfort of her Fluff? Nosy was her best and closest friend, it had always been there for her, no matter what, but Meriel wasn’t a little kid anymore.
She was eleven now, nearly twelve, and the twins were three and a bit, old enough to sleep in their own room on the main floor of the flat rather than in the nursery next door to their parents’ room. It was alright for them; they wouldn’t be alone at night since they’d have each other, and of course their Flufflets would be with them. Plus there’d be the monitor her Tad was busily installing so that he and Dad could keep an eye on the two troublemakers at night. But Meriel… She didn’t think she could bear the idea of sleeping all by herself. She’d never had to, not for a single night. It wasn’t that she was scared of the dark or anything, but it would be awfully lonely.
“Nosy will sleep wherever Nosy wants to sleep,” her Tad said. “You should know that by now. It gave up its own room because it wanted to take care of you when you were little; it could have gone back at any time, but it never has. We’ll just have to get you a bed big enough for two. Either that, or one with a pullout mattress for Nosy to sleep on; we’re not going to deprive you of your Fluff. I doubt that we could even if we tried, and we’d never do that.”
“Oh,” Meriel sighed, all but sagging with relief. “Well, that’s alright then.” Another thought struck her. “What about Squiggle and Spot? Will they have to share the bunk beds with the twins? They won’t be very comfortable; you know what wrigglers the Holy Terrors are.”
“Our daughter has a point,” her Dad said. “There’s no ‘off’ switch with those two; I should know, they spent several months kicking the stuffing out of my insides. Maybe the Flufflets should have Meriel’s bunk beds and we should get a new set for the twins.”
“Mm.” Her Tad paused what he was doing and gave the matter his full attention. “I think you’re right; we’re going to need two sets of bunk beds, for the sake of the Flufflets. We should probably do what we did with Meriel; kids on the bottom, Fluffs at the top.”
“We’ll see how long that lasts,” Dad said, chuckling. “Want to bet on how long it’ll take for the twins to migrate to the top bunks?”
“We do have a couple of daredevils,” Tad agreed, smiling wryly. “I suppose in the end we’ll just have to let them sort their sleeping arrangements out for themselves.”
“Not much else we can do short of tying them to their assigned bunks, which would probably be considered bad parenting.”
“They get that adventurous streak from you.” Tad smiled fondly at her Dad.
“So we’re agreed? We get a second set of bunk beds, put both sets in here for the twins and their Flufflets, and buy Meriel a new bed more suitable for a young lady.”
Tad nodded. “Sounds right to me. What do you think, Meriel?”
The bunk beds were cosy and familiar, but Meriel supposed they were a bit childish for he now, not to mention cramped. She smiled at her dads, bowing to the inevitable; it had been a bit silly of her to think she could sleep in the same bed all her life.
“Okay, that sounds great.”
“We’ll go bed shopping at the weekend then,” her Dad said. “Arrange to have the new beds delivered.” He smiled down at Meriel, winking at her. “It’ll still be a week or so before you have to give up your bunk; best make the most of it while you can.”
Meriel hugged him impulsively. “Do you think I could maybe try sleeping in the top bunk? I mean, I never have, but maybe I should at least find out what it’s like.”
“That,” her Tad said, “is something you’ll have to sort out with Nosy.”
The End