#small loany.. VERY TINY..

[r3d1ke]

[dnwdarren-blog]

“Hey, you wanna know a secret?” Darren whispered, his lips breaking into a wide smile as he stared down at the tiny baby in front of him.

Baby Loanie was tiny, like, teeny tiny, which Darren was fairly certain was quite normal for someone of her age, but still, he'd never actually seen a human so small until he'd met her. And man, she was cute, which he figured made sense considering Harper was really pretty so her kids must take after her too, right?

“I used to sing to you when you were in your mummy's tummy,” he told her, before leaning down and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Then, taking a step back and setting himself down on the seat beside her cot, crossing his legs underneath him, he pulled his Ukulele close to his chest. Delicately plucking on the strings, he broke into a soft rendition of one of his favourite songs.

“Lean on me, When you're not strong, I'll be your friend, I'll help you carry on. For it won't be long Til i'm gonna need Somebody to lean on...”

He kept his voice low and gentle, not wanting to alarm Loanie or disturb Toby or Harper in the other room. Harper had needed to see to Ethan for some reason or another, leaving him alone with the little girl for the first time ever, and he only hoped she wouldn't find it entirely strange that he had taken to singing to her. He knew that Loanie didn't understand a word that was coming out of his mouth, of course, but the lyrics rang true. He adored Harper, finding a real sense of comfort in having someone around that he could confide in. Not that he couldn't confide in his dads, or James, or even Damien, but he'd never known what it was like to have a mother, and while he was fully aware that Harper wasn't his mother, she always made him feel included, and he wanted to extend that same kindness to her and her family at any given opportunity.

The second he'd heard that Loanie had been born he'd made a silent vow to himself that he'd look out for the little girl – as well as Ethan – and that he'd make it his mission to ensure that she was safe and happy in any way that he could. And if that meant singing her to sleep, then that's what he'd do. He knew that both of her parents worked so hard, and that having two children must take some sort of toll on them at some stage, so he felt a bizarre sense of pride at being able to lend a helping hand.

As the song drew to a close, Darren gently laid the Uke into his lap and opened his eyes, having lost himself entirely in the music. As his eyelids fluttered open, he stared at Loanie for a couple of seconds, before hearing a soft creak somewhere nearby, only to look up and find Harper standing in the doorway watching him. He had no idea how long she'd been standing there for, but he felt his cheeks blush a violent red when he saw her.

“Oh, uh, hey Miss Forbes,” he greeted her, running a nervous hand through his hair. His eyes shifted between her and Loanie, when he spotted Ethan peeking out from behind his mum's legs, intrigue plain on his tiny features.

Lifting a hand, he waved to Ethan before setting the ukulele down on the ground and rising from the chair. He felt a little silly, and instead opted for hovering a little way away from the pair, his lips forming into the world's most awkward smile.

“I, um, I didn't disturb you guys, did I?” he asked. He knew that Harper hadn't minded when he used to sing to her bump, she and James being two of the very few people he ever allowed himself to perform for, but this somehow felt a little different. “I just, I dunno, I thought she'd like it, I guess...”