#ali carter

[leonardperreault]

Quinn and Jack take turns napping with ej all summer

oh absolutely it becomes a THING

a completely unspoken but absolutely sacred

"uncle nap time rotation,"

it starts accidentally

quinn stretched out on the couch one afternoon, reading with ej snoozing on his chest, both of them knocked out before the end of chapter two.

ali snaps a picture and sends it to the group chat.

ten minutes later, jack’s all grumbly about quinn stealing ej

from there, it’s game on.

jack sets actual reminders on his phone like

ej nap shift 🍼😴

he takes it so seriously. he puts on soft music, dims the lights, makes sure ej has his favorite blanket. ali swears she caught him doing baby meditations once.

quinn’s more casual, but it’s effortless, he’s like a human sound machine. something about the way he breathes just knocks ej out. they’ll both be asleep in five minutes flat, sprawled across a hammock or in the shade by the dock.

it’s peak cozy.

sometimes ali finds them all curled up on the giant beanbag in the basement, jack with a baseball game playing quietly and ej snuggled on his chest, pacifier bobbing with every breath.

other times it’s quinn on the porch swing, rocking slowly, one hand resting protectively on ej’s back while he dozes with his head tilted back against the wood.

luke always shakes his head and mutters something about

“can’t believe i’m competing for nap time with my own kid,”

but deep down he loves it. because his brothers love his baby, and ej? he’s never happier than when he’s curled up with one of his uncles, warm and safe and loved beyond measure.

and ali, watching from the kitchen window or peeking through the sliding glass door, just smiles.

because there’s no better sound than silence when your baby is asleep in the arms of someone who loves him like he’s their own.

[fashionjunkiebb]

[necessary-quotation-marks]

The kind of sick that only happens when you let yourself stop running long enough for the world to catch up.

Ali Carter (The Blonde who Came in from the Cold)

[grex-grex]

[teamneilrobertson]

[discofvcker]

control top was sooooo good 💁🏻‍♂️

[lotus73eater]

O captain, my captain!

[leonardperreault]

ej’s baby monitor dying on his end so when he wakes up from his nap no one knows

everyone’s outside and he’s crying and crying in his crib for like 20 minutes until luke went inside to grab something and heard him

poor babe is distraught for like another thirty minutes

oh my heart :((((

it’s a perfect summer afternoon.

its sunny, breezy, everyone out on the deck or by the lake, drinks in hand, jack setting up cornhole, quinn manning the grill.

ej’s down for his nap, and ali finally let herself relax, trusting the monitor clipped to her waistband.

except… the monitor died.

and no one notices.

ej wakes up slowly at first, little whimpers, a confused whine. he rubs his eyes, rolls over, starts calling out.

“mama? dada?” but no one comes. so it builds, louder, more frantic, screaming.

he stands up in the crib, tears streaking down his cheeks, wailing now.

he’s not hurt. he’s just scared.

and outside, ali’s laughing at something jack said, sipping her iced coffee, thinking everything is fine.

until luke heads in to grab the sunscreen and freezes halfway up the stairs.

he hears it.

the screaming.

“oh my god,” he breathes, bolting into the nursery.

ej is standing there, red faced, shaking, reaching his arms out the second he sees him.

“buddy..." he coos, "oh, ej, i’m so sorry, it’s okay, i’ve got you now,” luke says, scooping him up and holding him tight, rocking gently as ej sobs into his shoulder.

ali’s already halfway to the door when she hears the cries from inside,

“what happened?” she gasps, wide eyed, rushing in behind luke.

“monitor died,” he says quietly, guilt all over his face.

ej won’t let go of him. just clings like a little koala, hiccuping and shaking and not okay.

ali kisses his forehead over and over, whispering soft, soothing things.

“i know, baby, i know. i’m so sorry. we’re here now,"

and for the next half hour, he refuses to be put down. just snuggled against luke or ali’s chest, thumb in mouth, little body trembling every now and then.

later, ali checks the monitor and sees the battery totally drained.

she almost cries too.

but ej finally settles. curled up on the couch between them, a bottle in one hand and luke’s shirt bunched in the other. warm, safe, still sniffling a little.

and they both promise, extra batteries, backup monitors, no more missed cries, not if they can help it.