...I’ve Just Had A Bit Of An Idea Running Around My Head Ever Since We Found Out About Clouse’s Sleeping

...I’ve just had a bit of an idea running around my head ever since we found out about Clouse’s sleeping issues

If one of the kiddos got up due to a nightmare or sleeping issues and Clouse found them since he was still up would he talk to them at all

Like have a bit of a heart to heart

(I just want Uncle Clouse okay TmT)

Oh my god absolutely yes. I need to write a drabble  about this when skylor was younger it’s 2 am and this is going to be unedited so please excuse any spelling or grammatical errors I’m so filled with love for this idea.

The ticking of the clock was something Clouse had grown accustomed to in the otherwise still silence of the night. The creaking of the walls as the monastery shifted, wind whispering just outside the window, the nearly silent beating of bats’ wings in the nearby trees.

Clouse stood in one of the halls with a warm cup of tea in his hands, keeping his otherwise frigidly cold hands warm. He was staring out the window, occasionally glancing down both sides of the hallway when taking sips from his cup. The tea was poorly seeped, having sat in the overheated water for longer than intended, but it was enough to keep himself grounded after yet another two hours of relatively restless sleep.

He stayed in silence for what felt like eternity, boredom encompassing him despite his best efforts to think of things that were even remotely interesting. He thought about returning to the kitchen, or what Master Chen called a kitchen— being more a shottily built brick oven, questionably plumbed sink, cabinets and a pantry— and cleaning up the mess from Garmadon’s attempt at making dinner. After deciding that was better than standing around and not being productive, Clouse pushed himself off the wall and began to quietly walk the halls toward the kitchen.

While walking, Clouse heard something that was not of the usual nightly ambiance. He heard... Whimpering, what maybe even pass as quiet sobs, coming from his Master’s daughter’s room. He halted just after passing the door, slowly turning his head and pausing for a moment to register the sound.  He had to admit, it pulled at his heart, if only the smallest amount. He stood still for another moment before hearing another series of sniffling from the room, shaking his head and quietly stepping toward the door, knocking as quietly as he could in hopes Skylor may hear.

There was a pause, before a quiet voice spoke up from within, “... Fafa?” The name usually reserved for Chen, who had insisted his young daughter call him ‘father’, and of course, at the time of Skylor just beginning to speak, she could not pronounce that many syllables.

“... No. Clouse.” He answered after a moment, clenching his jaw for a moment when silence crept back up on him. Maybe he should have woken Master Chen to deal with this, maybe she didn’t want someone who wasn’t even her family to come to her aid, maybe—

The door creaked open, making Clouse take a step back and look down toward the young girl. She held a strong face, but it was obvious she had been crying. Her room was a mess, obvious her power had gotten out of hand on account of the only element she had absorbed being Garmadon’s. Her blanket was in tatters, many of her hand sewn dolls halfway turned to ash, and her lamp broken on the ground. Clouse looked visibly panicked for a moment after seeing the sharp glass all over her floor, but quickly attempted to regain his composure. He swallowed and moved to put his cup down on the dresser just inside Skylor’s room, then kneeling down to get eye-level with her.

“What happened here?” He managed to ask after a moment, Skylor curling in on herself ever so slightly as if she were in trouble. Clouse paused before shaking his head, cautiously moving to put a hand on her shoulder. “You aren’t in trouble,” He carefully chose his words, “I just... Want to know what happened. I won’t tell your father if you don’t want me to.”

Skylor seemed to think for a moment, clenching and unclenching her tiny fists as she looked toward the floor. After a beat, she began to speak, almost like she was admitting to something she’d done wrong. “I had... A dream. That these mean... Monsters, in all black with these... These big white eyes, tried to hurt Fafa— and, and Lloyd, and— Uncle Gar, Aunt Ako, and— And you, and— I couldn’t stop them, I couldn’t—” She began to work herself up again, her face becoming flushed with fear and anger, tears brimming in her eyes, “I couldn’t do anything about it! I was—I couldn’t,” She sobbed, immediately reaching forward in an attempt to hug Clouse for comfort— Something he allowed, but was taken aback by.

It took him a moment to reciprocate the hug, looking dazed as if he was having trouble processing this information. He stayed silent for a moment as he pat the girl’s back, like he had seen Garmadon or Misako do with Lloyd whenever the toddler got upset about something. “... Well, those ‘mean monsters’, you called them,” Clouse said after a moment, tentatively picking up Skylor in his arms as he stood, “They can’t hurt you, or us. Your father would never let that happen. Your... Uncle, Garmadon, would see them turned to ash where they stood!” Clouse said matter-of-factly, then grimacing a bit to himself as he saw Skylor shrink back into herself again.

“But— But... That doesn’t mean it isn’t okay to be fearful about it happening. Nothing will ever come to harm us, nor you. You know that little slime ball you’ve acquainted yourself with would never let that happen.” Clouse offered a nod and the most reassuring look he could, Skylor sniffing and rubbing her nose on her sleeve as she nodded in understanding, despite his name-calling of The Overlord. “... Promise? You won’t let any monsters take you all away?” She looked up at him with questioning eyes, Clouse looking back at her before he tried to offer a reassuring smile. “I promise. Now, let’s try and get this room cleaned up before your father wakes up. Do you want to play ‘magic’?” Clouse hummed, resituating Skylor in his arms. Her eyes widened before she grinned and nodded, Clouse raising his free hand as a dark purple aura began to form within his palm. The broken lamp slowly began to piece itself back together on her bedside table, the pieces dancing in a line as they did so. They twirled and flipped back into place, Skylor giggling and singing an incomprehensible tune to herself quietly, Clouse tapping his foot along to the strange and random beat best he could.

Soon, the room was relatively back to normal— the ash being cleaned and Skylor being supplied with a new blanket. Clouse sat next to her bed as Skylor got resituated under the sheets, then giving him a bright smile as she got comfortable again— him giving her a small and polite smile back.

After tucking her in properly and turning out the candles, Clouse began to leave the room, stopped briefly by Skylor’s goodbye;

“Goodnight, Uncle Clouse!” She whisper-yelled to him, nearly stopping him in his tracks completely.

After a pause, Clouse replied, “Goodnight, Skylor.”

He shut the door behind him with a smile on his face.