Slumber Party Characters: Remus, Regulus, Tybalt, various sleepy Snapelings Summary: There's a slumber party at Azoth House.
The cartoon movie Tybalt had put on for the children - something about a mermaid, although she sure didn't look like any mer-person Remus had ever seen - was ending, and Gaia lay heavily against Remus' shoulder, thumb firmly between her pink lips and her green eyes barely open. Tybalt had invited him and the children over for a pizza party and a movie to help fill the time while Severus, Serenus, and Gaius were in Greece, and Remus was glad of the distraction, giving Nanny Stella the night off and whisking the children through the connecting door to Azoth House. It had been a fun time, and it was well past the hour when the children should have been in bed, but Remus found himself reluctant to go back to the Manor. He didn't know how, but even with three children, a nanny, a Criffler, Lurch, and Cyanide, Snape Manor seemed cold and empty without Severus there.
Sighing heavily, Remus looked at Tybalt, who was leaning back against the sofa cushions, Serafino in his lap and Etienne curled against his side. As was typical, Cymbeline had placed herself next to her crankier cousin, while Lysander was sandwiched in between Cymbeline and Remus' leg, one of his hands holding Gaia's free one. "I suppose I should go home," he said with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "The kids are practically asleep."
Tybalt looked away from the screen, catching the look of resignation on Remus' face, and he thought he understood the cause. "They are, but you won't be, right?" he asked, smiling wryly. "It's not easy, sleeping alone when you're used to having someone to cuddle with, is it." The words weren't really a question.
"Yeah, pretty much," Remus replied, sighing again before echoing Tybalt's smile. "I was giving some thought to taking the kids into the bedroom with me; at least that way, the bed won't seem like it's quite so huge and empty."
"Sounds like a great idea to me," Tybalt said, stroking Serafino's silken hair, thinking about how much it felt like Serenus'. He looked down at the children, all of whom were half-asleep, and he grinned as an idea occurred to him. "Hey, you don't have to take them home. Why don't the lot of you sleep here? We can transfigure the rug to a cushion, grab some blankets and pillows, and have a slumber party right here. The more the merrier, right?"
Remus blinked in surprised, then chuckled, enchanted with the idea. "Yes, indeed. And with two of us adults, perhaps one of us will be able to sleep while we trade off trips to the loo, glasses of water, and any middle of the night accidents."
"Brilliant - it's settled then." Tybalt eased Serafino off his lap, then stopped as the child fussed and clung to Tybalt's jumper, murmuring a drowsy protest. "I was going to go fetch pillows and blankets, but it seems that I've been co-opted!"
Regulus had come downstairs in search of warm milk or a sleeping potion or something that would keep him from tossing and turning all night; he had tried cuddling Sekhmet, who was perfectly willing to be cuddled, but it wasn't the same. It wasn't sufficient, not when he'd grown accustomed to having Gaius beside him, usually clinging to him all night long. He hadn't thought they had shared a bed long enough for him to become accustomed to it, much less unable to sleep well without Gaius, but apparently, they had.
Still cradling Sekhmet against his chest, he went downstairs, diverted from his intended course by the sound of voices; he'd expected everyone else to be asleep already, but a peek into the parlor showed he wasn't the only night owl.
"What's going on in here?" he asked, peering into the room curiously. "I thought it was past everyone's bedtime."
Tybalt glanced up, smiling at the sight of Regulus with Sekhmet in his arms. "What's going on is the same thing you're no doubt experiencing, I suspect. A reluctance to go to bed and toss and turn all night because we're missing our partners."
"But Tybalt came up with a suggestion to help us cope," Remus chimed in, gesturing with his chin toward the pile of children. "We're going to sleep down here, with the whole of the brood."
"You're welcome to join us," Tybalt added, his smile turning wicked. "If you think you can handle a mass of tiny, flailing arms and legs all night long."
Regulus moved to stand in the doorway, hesitant to accept the invitation; as a newcomer and a non-parent, he still felt a little on the outside. Tybalt had been part of the family for years and could connect to Remus as a fellow parent, but while Regulus felt a bond of friendship with Tybalt, he was still ambivalent about Remus.
Then again, the alternative was to go back upstairs alone, and that wasn't an appealing prospect either. At least down here, he wouldn't be alone, and he had the assurance that he wasn't the only one left sleepless without his Snape.
"It's better than going back to an empty bed," he said at last, moving into the room and lowering Sekhmet to the floor. "If there's room, that is."
"Room? We have the whole floor," Tybalt replied, rising to his feet with Serafino in his arms. "I think we should transfigure the carpet into a cushion, and we can all just pile up and sleep. What do you think?"
"I think you'll need the whole floor to accommodate this lot," Regulus replied, amusement lacing his voice. Sekhmet chirped as if in agreement and sauntered over to sniff and investigate the room. "Is there anything you need while I'm up and unencumbered?"
Remus rose as well, but fortunately he was able to place Gaia back on the sofa, where she cuddled up against Lysander with a murmur of protest. He straightened, regarding Regulus with a carefully polite smile; he knew Regulus didn't like him, and that Regulus was polite to him mostly for the sake of the family. He'd tried to reach out to Regulus and had botched it badly, and now he didn't know how to react beyond cool reserve. "If you want to get some pillows and blankets from upstairs, I'll transfigure the carpet. Or vice versa - whichever suits you."
"I'll get the pillows and blankets," Regulus replied with a calm nod. "You'll want as many as possible, I assume?"
"Yes, please," Tybalt said, smiling at Regulus gratefully. "Since you and Remus are handling all the magical work, I'll take the first potty and drink duty."
"Ha! You heard the man, Regulus. That means we'll get to sleep for a bit," Remus chuckled. "We can get settled in and Tybalt has to keep the rug rats happy."
"Oh, ha, ha," Tybalt replied, but there was no heat in it.
"You volunteered," Regulus said, shrugging and spreading his hands. "I'm certainly not self-sacrificing enough to turn down the offer. At any rate, should I fetch any particular toys while I'm up there? Any stuffed animals or dolls no one can sleep without?"
"I know!" Cymbeline piped up, jumping to her feet and taking Regulus' hand. "I can help. Serafino needs his bunny, and Etienne won't sleep without his teddy."
"Thank you, Cymbeline," Tybalt said, giving her a fond smile. "You do know your cousins very well."
Cymbeline preened at the praise, looking quite pleased. "It's a black-furred teddy with a frowny face," she explained with all due seriousness. "It was a normal teddy bear, but Etienne didn't like it, so Uncle Serenus had to change it."
Regulus remembered seeing the teddy bear in question, although he didn't know the story behind it, so he thought he knew what to look for. "What about Lysander and Gaia?" he asked. "Do they have anything they like to sleep with?"
"Lysander has Wuff," she replied. "He says he's a big boy, but he secretly wants Wuff at night. Gaia has a stuffed troll with big, puffy warts."
"Ah. That sounds..." Regulus searched for a tactful word. "Interesting."
With that, they headed upstairs to collect the blankets, pillows, and necessary nighttime companions, including Wuff and Troll.
Remus chuckled, watching them go, then drew his wand and turned his attention to the carpet. First he gently levitated the sofa back - children, Tybalt, and all- and then he transfigured the entire carpet into a thick, firm surface. "There, think that will do?" he asked.
"Looks good to me," Tybalt replied. He scooped up Etienne with his free arm, then scooted forward until he could kneel down. "Oh, yes. This will do nicely, I think." He laid the twins down next to each other, chuckling as Serafino immediately turned to cuddle against his twin. "And maybe the circulation in my arm will come back now that he's let go."
"Hopefully!" Remus moved to the sofa, lifting up Lysander and Gaia and putting them on Tybalt's other side. He wasn't sure where Regulus would want to sleep, except that he was fairly sure he wouldn't want to be in the middle of the pack. And probably not close to him, he thought with a sigh. "Okay, that should do. It's pretty comfortable, if I do say so myself."
A few minutes later, Regulus and Cymbeline returned; Regulus was levitating a large stack of pillows and blankets, while Cymbeline carried all the toys with ceremonious importance. She distributed each toy to its proper owner, tucking it in with care so as not to wake anyone who was sleeping; she even showed consideration for Gaia, although Etienne was the only one she bent to kiss good-night.
Meanwhile, Regulus deposited most of the pillows and blankets on the floor nearby and offered a few of the smaller pillows to Tybalt and Remus. "I got these from the children's beds. Cymbeline's is on top, then Lysander's, Gaia's, and the twins. I thought they might sleep better with their own pillows."
"Great idea," Remus said approvingly, smiling his thanks as he accepted the pillows, tucking them under Gaia's and Lysander's heads. For all that Regulus wasn't a fan of his, Regulus was very good with the children, and he'd make a decent father, if he and Gaius chose that route. "You're a natural at this. And I know that at least two of the munchkins adore you, possibly even more than they do Uncle Kitty."
Regulus glanced up from helping Tybalt distribute blankets and get everyone tucked in snugly, surprised by that observation, but it pleased him as well. He'd never considered himself parent material before, but being around the next generation of Snapes had taught him a great deal about children and about himself. He was quite surprised that any of them might feel more attached to him than to their uncle-by-blood, but he didn't have to ask which two Remus was referring to.
"Thank you," he said, giving Remus a smile that was more than merely polite for once. "I've grown quite fond of all of them, although I admit to favoring a couple more than perhaps I should."
Regulus' smile surprised him, but Remus returned it, nodding in understanding. "It's only natural, since you relate to them as individuals, rather than as your own children," he said quietly, stroking Lysander's hair, then trailing his fingers over Gaia's soft cheek. "There are differences in them all, different things to love, different things that make you want to tear your hair out." He glanced over at Cymbeline, who was settling down near Etienne, and he chuckled. "How can I not adore Cymbeline for her resemblance to Severus? Or Lysander for his quiet devotion to his sisters? Or Gaia, who is so irrepressible? Yet I still love them all equally, because they're mine."
Regulus watched and listened, thinking about how all four of them related to their respective offspring and of the things parenthood brought out in them, especially Severus, whom he'd never imagined as a parent. Yet Severus was, and he was good at it. Regulus had thought about parenthood in an abstract sense, from the self-centered urge to carry on his bloodline and leave something of himself behind in the world, but now, he was viewing parenthood differently, in a more personal sense. He tried to imagine having a child who looked to him as the Snape brood looked to their parents, and for the first time, he didn't find the thought frightening.
"I would like to think I would be a fair parent and love my children equally, assuming I have any at all, much less more than one," he said at last. "But the truth is, I worry it is easier to be fair and even-handed as an uncle than as a parent, and that I would end up being more like my own parents than I want to be."
"You're an intelligent man," Remus replied, shaking his head. "That means you know what not to do, how not to be, and you can make the choices you wish to make."
"Besides, I doubt that Gaius would allow you to be like your parents," Tybalt chimed in softly, giving Regulus an encouraging smile. "He might project an air of indolence, but I've seen him with the children; he would be fiercely protective of any children you might have, and I can believe that would extend to protecting them from you, in the unlikely event you suddenly became a total idiot. Not to mention the rest of us are here to smack some sense into you!"
"True," Regulus said, smiling wryly. He wasn't certain how he'd ended up admitting one of his deeper fears, especially in front of Remus, but there it was. "Well, it's a moot point. Gaius and I don't have any plans to start a family soon, if ever. For now, I'm safe in my role of indulgent uncle."
"It's not a bad role to have," Remus said, turning his head and waggling his brows at Tybalt. "You can get away with spoiling and coddling nephews in ways that you can't with your own kids."
"Instigator," Tybalt accused, sticking out his tongue at Remus. "Just remember it works both ways."
Regulus listened to the by-play with amusement as he selected a blanket and pillow for himself, and then he surveyed the floor. "So... where do we fit into all this?" he asked at last, still looking at the sprawl of children covering the cushion. "Hover on the edges in hopes of not falling off?"
"You can be wherever you'd like," Tybalt said. "There's plenty of space. Just be prepared for getting kicked and jabbed and poked and drooled on." He snickered. "And that's just Remus."
"Hey! I never drooled on you!" Remus shot back, throwing a pillow at Tybalt, who caught it neatly.
"Anything is better than being alone, as far as I'm concerned," Regulus said quietly. He hesitated a moment longer, and then he took a place on the edge of the cushion, feeling a little awkward, but determined to ignore it. The alternative was going back upstairs by himself, and he didn't want to do that.
"Oh, come over here," Tybalt said, rolling his eyes. "You look like Anubis when he thinks someone is going to step on his tail. I wouldn't want Gaius saying you were neglected, so if you don't mind being cuddled by a big, strong Auror, we can make sure I'm saved from fangs and claws."
Regulus glanced at Tybalt, his eyebrows climbing. "It's a difficult sacrifice, forcing myself to endure cuddling from a tall, handsome man, but for Gaius' sake and the sake of any delicate bits of yours he might claw, I'll find a way to get through it."
Tybalt laughed, lying down on his side facing Regulus and patting the floor next to him. "Scoot over then, and you can start sacrificing." He looked over at Remus behind him. "Feel free to cuddle up too, brother-in-love. Severus is even more frightening than Gaius."
Remus chuckled and moved over to spoon against Tybalt's back. "Yes, yes, he is."
Dragging over his blanket and pillow, Regulus moved closer and rolled onto his side with his back to Tybalt. He supposed it was an odd situation to find himself in, but he knew of all people, Gaius would understand and wouldn't be upset when he learned about the cuddling, which led Regulus to an interesting thought. "I wonder if they're having the same trouble sleeping without us as we are without them. It would be quite ego-crushing to find out they didn't have any problems at all."
"I have no doubt Serenus tossed and turned for five minutes, then either lured one or both of his brothers into a cuddle," Tybalt said, then yawned widely as he threw an arm over Regulus' waist.
"Both, I hope," Regulus murmured as he nestled closer to Tybalt. It was odd being in this position; normally, he was the spooner, not the spoonee, and he had never been held by someone who was so much taller than he was before, but he found it quite nice as well, once he got past the initial difference of the experience. "The whole point of the trip was to help them reconnect and bond. I hope it worked."
"Mmm... so do I." Tybalt's voice softened and deepened, as he felt himself giving in to the warmth of having two bodies pressed against his. "They need each other."
"Yes, they do," Remus agreed. He, too was feeling drowsy at last, and even though cuddling Tybalt was not anywhere nearly as good as cuddling Severus, at least Remus didn't quite so much alone - especially with Gaia pressed up against his back. "Severus will come around eventually. He does love Serenus, but he's hurt, and he always retreats when he's hurt. It just takes a little time for him to start trusting again."
"It's never easy when one has trust issues," Regulus agreed. He could sympathize with how Severus felt, because he had his own fair share of trust issues to deal with, and he knew it wasn't easy letting go and overcoming them. It was, he supposed, one of the major obstacles in his relationship with Remus. But here in the dark, warm and cozy under Tybalt's arm, he felt more of a rapport with Remus than he ever had before; even if it was only because they were both missing their respective Snapes, it was something.