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.
โUncโa Mav!โ
Peteโs 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, Peteโs 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 Peteโs neck, is so familiar it nearly knocks the breath out of him.
โOh, Baby Goose,โ Pete chokes out, his voice raw with emotion he hasnโt felt in a long time. โIโve missed you so much.โ
Bradleyโs 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 boyโthe one whoโs still innocent, still wholeโwill disappear.
This is a Bradley who he didnโt lose. A Bradley who hadnโt stopped talking to him at 18, who hadnโt shut him out as he grew older. A Bradley who didnโt grow up without him.
Pete kisses the top of his head, his tears wetting the little boyโs messy hair, and he pulls him closer. Bradley doesnโt even notice the tears in his eyes, too busy wrapping his arms tighter around Peteโs neck.
This was it. The one thing he never thought he could have again. The one thing that had slipped through his fingers so painfullyโbut now, now itโs here. And Pete canโt let it go.
โIโm here, Baby Goose,โ Pete whispers, his voice shaking.
Damn it I'm going to write an entire fic on this, aren't I
