A Time-Travel idea I can't get out of my head
Before he can think more on it, before he can open his mouth to ask Carol what she would do if she woke up four decades younger-- a tiny voice calls out, clear and eager.
βUncβa Mav!β
Peteβs heart stops in his chest, his breath catching painfully in his throat. A small form appears at the end of the hallway, sleepy and stumbling, but instantly recognizable. A toddler in his pajamas, with sleepy eyes that snap wide awake when they land on Pete.
Bradley.
Without thinking, Peteβs legs give out beneath him. He falls to his knees in an instant, his hands reaching out, and without hesitation, Bradley throws himself at him. The weight of the little boy in his arms is like a spark to his soul. The way Bradley clings to him, his small arms wrapping around Peteβs neck, is so familiar it nearly knocks the breath out of him.
βOh, Baby Goose,β Pete chokes out, his voice raw with emotion he hasnβt felt in a long time. βIβve missed you so much.β
Bradleyβs small body wiggles in his embrace, giggling.
Pete holds him so tightly, afraid that if he lets go, this moment will slip away, that this little boyβthe one whoβs still innocent, still wholeβwill disappear.
This is a Bradley who he didnβt lose. A Bradley who hadnβt stopped talking to him at 18, who hadnβt shut him out as he grew older. A Bradley who didnβt grow up without him.
Pete kisses the top of his head, his tears wetting the little boyβs messy hair, and he pulls him closer. Bradley doesnβt even notice the tears in his eyes, too busy wrapping his arms tighter around Peteβs neck.
This was it. The one thing he never thought he could have again. The one thing that had slipped through his fingers so painfullyβbut now, now itβs here. And Pete canβt let it go.
βIβm here, Baby Goose,β Pete whispers, his voice shaking.
Damn it I'm going to write an entire fic on this, aren't I
