Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (JoeMazzello!JohnDeacon fanfic)

eighty two

a sleepy boi

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The next few days, the pair of them feel as if they're on autopilot. It's just a constant cycle of feeds and changing nappies and truthfully, neither of them are quite sure what day it is.

Roxanne is a paranoid mess. She knew that this first few nights were going to be the hardest test but so far, without having the nurses and the doctors there to help if it's needed, she's starting to think that they truly underestimated how hard this was going to be.

John is fast asleep beside her, completely dead to the world and honestly, she envies him. She's tired, god is she exhausted but she just can't bring herself to come away from the crib. She's just watching Arthur sleep.

When he starts crying, Roxanne is up before John can even stir, scooping the little one up so she can carry him out into the living room.

"Shh," she whispers, pressing a kiss to his forehead, "What's going on, lovie, hm?"

Then, she smells it. She never thought that someone so small could produce something that smells so bad but here was the evidence that they certainly can.

She changes him quickly, watching the nurses at the hospital has taught her well and once Arthur's all clean, she snaps the buttons of his baby grow back into place and wraps him back up in his blanket - just enough so he's snug and it's not too tight.

John wakes when she returns back to the bedroom, bringing a hand to wipe at his tired eyes before he sits up.

"He's up?" he asks and Roxanne shushes him, making him quickly lower his voice, "I didn't hear him. 'm sorry love."

"That's alright," she murmurs, lowering him back into his crib, "I was awake anyway."

He frowns, reaching out a hand to rest it on her back, "Have you slept at all?"

They'd both gone to bed early, taking the doctors advice of when Arthur is sleeping, they should be to and it had just gone 1:24.

When she doesn't answer him or move to come lay down beside him, he shuffles over to her so he can rest her head on her shoulder, "He's alright, you know."

He feels her sigh as she leans her head against hers, "I know. I just...I'm scared."

"Why?"

"What if something happens to him? You read all of these stories and-"

"Alright," he cuts her off, "I knew Freddie giving you that book was a mistake. Listen to me, yeah? He's fine."

"But what if-"

"Nothing is going to happen to him, Roxanne," John repeats softly, "He's safe. Now c'mon." She turns as he moves back to his spot on the bed, patting her side of the bed with a smile, "You need to get some sleep. Remember what they said at the hospital?"

Nodding, Roxanne slowly makes her way around the bed, feeling John's gaze on her as she gives Arthur one last check and once she's settled in beside him, he makes sure that she's got an adequate amount of blankets before he wraps his arm around her.

"I'll get him if he wakes," he promises, "Okay?"

"Okay," she agrees, forcing herself to relax. He was fine. Arthur was fine.

As promised, the second time the baby woke up, he pulled himself from the warm confines of the bed to see to him.

This time, John isn't quite sure what the baby needs but he seems to settle down again when John walks around the living room with him, humming softly under his breath while Casper and Amos watch him curiously - as if they were saying what is this tiny creature and why is it disturbing our slumber?