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the older chip's father got, and the more independent his son had gotten in recent months, mr whistler began to feel more and more unsure of everything. they still had phone calls daily, and chip would visit him at least once every a week, but he'd been feeling a lot less comfortable living alone. and he wasn't shy to admit that it was because he felt lonely.
he missed chip living with him. a lot.
it wasn't that he kept it a secret or anything; the fact was shared between them both whenever one visited the other. but he tried not to let it be a persistent comment. he didn't want to be such a bother.
but it was a little different, he had to admit, when he lurched awake in his bed gasping for air. he clutched at his chest, clinging to his shirt. with how his heart was beating, he thought maybe it was a heart attack, but it was clear that he was just panicked from a dream.
he hadn't had many night terrors in his lifetime. the most memorable where those that happened when his wife had died, and it was just him and chip. he wasn't sure if chip remembered it, but everytime he woke up in the night, quietly choking on his breath and anxious like this, he'd quietly pass through the house, into his sons room, and cradle him until he felt better. some nights, it was the other way around, with chip crawling into his dad's bed wanting to be held.
for a long time, it was just the two of them together. if mr whistler had to guess, the change of being alone again was making him agitated.
usually, calling people this late would feel wrong to him. heck, he wasn't often awake this late to be able to. but he just had to check up on his son. just to be sure.
.
chip is awoken in the dead of night, much to his displeasure, to the loud, repeating ringing of a phone. he turns over, his hand flopping onto bill, and asks frustratedly, "why is someone calling this late..?"
bill mumbles, mostly muddled words strung together, but chip managed to catch a "thats your phone, darlin" before the other rolls over and goes back to sleep. chip groans and grumbles angry mutters to himself while picking up his phone, but he lightens immediately when he reads who's calling.
"hi daddy," he says quietly while just barely sitting up.
his dad seems to let out some sort of sigh, before uttering in relief, "hi baby.. i was just calling to.. um.. i just wanted to hear from you. are you... how are you doing?"
chip scratches the back of his head in a tired jot of confusion, "i'm good, dad. i was just in bed.. is everything okay?"
theres a pause, then a gruff sigh, and his dad tells him, "i'm alright.. just woke up and ..figured i'd call, check in on you."
"are you sure that's all dad?" chip asks in a slight concern, sitting over on the edge of the bed and sliding a pair of slippers on. his dad didn't usually ever call this late, and that mixed with the subtle strange tone,, it was worrying.
"well-" his dad stammers, "i just.. i'm having some sleeping troubles. i wanted to make sure you were okay," it's a little embarrassing to admit, but he knows better than to be shy to his son, "sorry for waking you.."
chip adjourns, just for a minute, then he asks in a light chuckle, with worry riddled in his tone, "are you having nightmares, dad?"
mr whistler sighs in admittance, assuring chip that it wasn't anything serious and that he just wanted to hear him, to make sure he was alright, but chip was already standing up and picking out a jacket to wear.
"how about i pop by and check in?" chip asks, though he's already sure in his mind that he's going, "just for a little bit. okay daddy?"
"no, no no, thats okay- you don't have to do that, son. everything is-"
"i'll be there in thirty minutes dad!" chip says cheerily, listening to his dad fumble around with his words before simply accepting it when he hears chip shut the door behind him during his leave.
the drive there is just that; about thirty minutes, give or take, in gloria's car that chip usually "borrowed" whenever he needed to go somewhere. he was a little intimidated by bills kludge (also worried that it give out on him), and gloria hardly minded. at least, he acted like she didn't. usually she'd give him a lecture about personal property over the phone.
he gets to his dads house and knocks lightly on the door, considering just going in but he decides to just wait. the lights on the front deck are on, so he assumes dad flicked them on for when chip got there. the door opens up wide, and mr whistler stands there with his tired, heavy eyes. chip struts in confidently and embraces his dad, like how his dad has to him a billion times. he slouches down, pretty much petting his dad, who sinks into his son and mutters something about "..miss you so much."
"i've been missing you too, daddy." chip leans into him, humming in the hug and shutting his eyes. for a while they stand and hold each other, sometimes muttering a few sentences to each other until chip pulls away slightly and tells him, "i'll come by tomorrow, hang around for a while. promise. we can go out for lunch, too."
mr whistler drones, patting chips back and finally, chip pulls away, though still holds his dad's shoulder.
"you didn't really just drive all the way here to give me a hug, chip.."
theres a chuckle, "of course i did. i do gotta get back before gloria gets up, though. she'll really let me have it if her car isn't there in the morning."
his dad laughs, somewhat emptily, and holds his hands together after giving chip a kiss on the head and telling him goodbye, that he loves him. chip reciprocates before leaving, but when he turns to leave, he finds that he really doesn't want to go. not leave bis dad all alone for the night.
he flips his head back around and blurts out warmly, "why don't you just come back with me for the night?"
his dad looks at him from the doorway for a instant, looking off to the side and questioning worriedly, "wouldn't bill mind? i don't want to intrude-"
"psh, pft, daddy, please," chip scoffs and waves a hand with a titter, "bill won't care. he'll probably want you to stay for breakfast, too. come on!" he holds out a hand, egging his dad to take it and come along with him. his dad huffs, ticking his head back and forth in a minutes time before giving in and holding his sons hand, all the way to the car.
they exchange conversation in the car, ranging from whatever each other had been up to in the last few days to what had happened that night. his dad didn't go into detail about the dream, but admitted with a embarrassed chuckle, "i guess i called because thats what we've always done when one of us gets a little scared. i remember when you were little, you'd come to my room and ask to sleep with me for the night."
"i did that when i was grown up, too, daddy," he says in good fun, "but you didn't usually come to me. i mean, except those couple times you thought you were sneaky coming into my room to cuddle," he quips lightheartedly, making his dad heartily laugh in embarrassment, "but that was only a few times.."
chip must not remember all the times, because mr whistler remembers it being more than a few, but he decides not to mention that. instead, he comments, "well, most nights when you came to me, i was feeling pretty upset myself. sometimes i wondered if you knew somehow."
"really.?" chip asks, a little dejected at the thought of his dad being like that.
dad shrugs, "well, i think.. i think i was always a little sad, back then."
that comment makes chip frown, but he cheers up a small bit when they pull up to the greens house, chip leading the way to the front door and tip toeing inside, past the living room to shut any doors, urging his dad to sit. strange how sneaky he was being, considering he assured his dad that nobody would care, but he gave his son the benefit of the doubt and assumed he was just being proper to not wake anyone up.
theres a quiet sound of some doors shutting, then chip's quiet pitter patters down the hall, and he flops onto his dad, on arm draped under his head while the other hangs lazily over the couches edge. mr whistler decides, if chip is getting so comfortable, he may as well too. he tucks a throw pillow under his arm and shifts onto it, with chip still contently laying on him. he runs a hand through his sons hair. as much of a menace as he had been, mr whistler always knew he was nothing more than a big, coddled baby. maybe a little too coddled for a long time, but he'd become much more independent as of recent.
...mr whistler really didn't realize how heavy of a change it would be for him.