Parents!America x Reader: Watching You

The rear-view mirror gave Alfred a perfect view of the back seat of his truck. His four year old son sat in his booster seat, contentedly eating his happy meal. Today he chose to wear exactly what Alfred wore: a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt with the Superman logo on the chest. Even his shoes matched Alfred’s. The boy took turns eating his chicken nuggets and fries, sipping his Sunkist soda between bites. His little legs swung back and forth while he ate. Alfred smiled at the sight.

“Are you all most done with your nuggets, Austin?” Alfred asked the boy.

“I’ve got two more Dad,” the miniature him said proudly. “Then I can have the car, right?”

“That’s right, bud!”

“Woo hoo!” Austin held the second to last nugget and took a bite.

The iphone nestled in one of the cup holders rang. Alfred quickly grabbed it, recognizing the ringtone. He grinned as he answered. “Hey, honey!”

“I thought you’d be back by now,” his wife answered. Her voice hinted of worry. “It doesn’t take that long to pick up Austin from pre-school.”

“He was hungry, so we stopped by McDonald’s,” Alfred explained. “We should be home in five minutes.”

“Okay. Please be safe, Alfred,” the woman urged, still concerned for her family.

“I will, (y/n). See you soon.”

Alfred ended the call and placed the phone back in the cup holder. He fished in his bag for his cheeseburger, carefully unwrapping it while driving. He took a bite, using his other hand to steer the truck.

“I ate them all!” Austin declared with a grin.

“Alright! Hang on a sec, buddy.” Alfred wrapped up the burger and dropped it in the bag. His hand searched for the small, wrapped toy. “Where did it go?” he muttered. His eyes left the road to actually look in the bag.

Austin peeked around the passenger seat. He saw the traffic light ahead of them go from green to red. Two cars ahead of them managed to clear the intersection in time. His dad still had his head in the bag.

“Dad, look out!” Austin shouted.

“What?” Alfred glanced up and panicked. “Woah!!!” he yelled, slamming on the brakes.

The truck stopped over the crosswalk, barely missing the traffic. Alfred’s hands had the steering wheel in a death grip. His eyes darted from the traffic light to the reflection of Austin. His heart thumped in his chest from the near-death experience. Once the light turned back to green, Alfred drove through the intersection, pulled off to the side of the road and parked the truck. He huffed loudly as he assessed the damage. His burger and fries flew out of the bag and scattered themselves throughout the cab. Alfred was glad he passed on the drink. He swore as he unbuckled himself.

“Austin, are you okay?” Alfred asked as he turned in his seat.

“I’m fine, Dad,” the boy chimed. He looked down at his clothes. The soda had spilled all over his jeans and shirt. Some of the liquid splashed onto his face and got in his blond hair, too. His uneaten fries covered the floor.

Alfred groaned at the sight, running a hand through his blond hair. He cursed again. “Your mom’s gonna kill me.”

“Yeah. She’ll be pretty mad.” Austin raised his arms, pulling a grossed-out face as the soda started getting sticky.

As Alfred pulled his seat belt across his chest, he clearly heard his son say a very familiar word. He froze, unable to believe that word came from his son’s mouth. “Austin, where’d you learn that?” Alfred asked.

“From you, Dad,” Austin replied innocently. “You like to say it a lot.”

Alfred’s heart dropped. He made a personal vow never to swear when his son was around. Actually, never swearing again would be better. The buckle clicked, securing the safety belt. “It’s not a good word, Austin,” Alfred said seriously. “Just because I say it doesn’t mean you should. I don’t want you saying it again. Okay?”

Austin saw Alfred’s sad face in the mirror. He felt bad for saying the word. “Okay, Dad. I promise.”

“Thanks, bud.” On that note, Alfred put the truck in gear and headed home.

(y/n) was doing laundry when she heard Alfred’s truck pull into the garage. She quickly hung up the last two shirts before going to meet them. Her smile disappeared at the sight of her son.

“Alfred!” she said, shooting him a glare. “What did you do?”

Her husband grimaced as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, I kind of wasn’t paying attention and had to slam the brakes.” Alfred’s eyes followed (y/n) as she knelt at their son’s side, checking every inch of him.

“Are you hurt, sweetie?” (y/n) asked as she fingered through his hair, looking for cuts.

“No, Mom. I’m just sticky,” Austin said with a grin. “Dad said I could have a bath.”

“You do need one.” (y/n) stood and planted her hands on her hips. Her (e/c) eyes chastised Alfred for his recklessness. “How’s the truck?”

“The outside’s fine,” Alfred assured her. “It’s the inside you’d need to worry about.”

“It looks like we had a food fight!” Austin added.

(y/n) shook her head as she pinched the bridge of her nose. A soft chuckle sneaked through her stern facade. 'Oh, Austin,~' she thought. When she composed herself, (y/n) took hold of Austin’s hand. “Let’s get you in the tub.”

“Okay!”

Alfred placed a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “I can bathe him if--”

“You--Alfred Jones--” (y/n) interrupted sternly, “are cleaning out the truck. It better be done by the time Austin’s out of the tub.”

Alfred pouted. “Yes, Dear.” He obediently went back to the garage while (y/n) took Austin to the bathroom.

It didn’t take Alfred long to clean up the truck. Instead of going to the living room to watch TV, he went upstairs. The sounds of splashing and happy laughter from the bathroom made him smile sadly. He knocked on the door before sneaking his head around the corner.

“Hi Dad!” Austin waved as he stood up in the tub.

(y/n) rolled her eyes and coaxed him back into the water.

“Hey bud.” Alfred watched as (y/n) rinsed out Austin’s hair. He rested his hand on her shoulder. “Honey, can I talk to you for a second?”

(y/n) glanced up, noticing the worry in Alfred’s eyes. “Sure, babe.” She stood, drying her hands on her skinny jeans. “Looks like you get to play for a little longer,” she told her son.

“Yay!” Austin cheered as he snatched his super hero action figures. He flew Superman around the air, making swooshing sounds with his mouth.

Alfred laughed as he wrapped an arm around (y/n)’s waist, leading her to the bedroom.

“What’s wrong, Alfred?” (y/n) asked once they were in the room.

Alfred shared with her his and Austin’s experience in the truck. (y/n) listened patiently, noting how serious Alfred was. He was rarely this serious. She sat with him on the bed, taking his hand in hers. Her husband voiced his feelings about how bad of an example he was to Austin, and that he didn’t deserve a dad like him. (y/n) quickly changed his mind about that, giving him examples to back herself up. She promised Alfred she’d help him however she could. It lifted his spirits significantly. Now back to his normal self, Alfred tackled (y/n) to the bed with a kiss. They were unaware that someone had sneaked out of the bathroom and overheard their conversation.

At dinner, Austin claimed his seat next to Alfred. He mimed his every move comically, which made (y/n) and Alfred laugh. Alfred tousled his son’s hair lovingly. To (y/n)’s surprise, Austin ate all of his food.

“Wow, Austin,” (y/n) said with a smile. “You deserve some ice cream for eating all your dinner.”

Austin’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

“Of course.”

Alfred looked down at his son as he danced in his chair. “I thought you hated salad.”

Austin stared at his plate. “I do, but if I don’t eat it, I can’t grow big and strong just like you!” He gave his dad a toothy grin.

“Ready for ice cream?” (y/n) asked as she gathered her and Austin’s plates and silverwear.

“Yeah! I wanna pick it.” Austin slid off his chair and ran up to his mom. His little fingers wrapped around her hand as she placed the dishes in the sink. He continued holding it as they went to the freezer for the ice cream.

Alfred watched both of them with a warm gaze, noting that Austin was doing everything he did. He had to admit, it was precious.

By Austin’s request, Alfred dressed him in his pjs. He crawled across the Superman comforter to the head of the bed, only to be caught by his dad. He squealed as Alfred turned him onto his back, lifted up his shirt and blew onto his belly. (y/n) watched from the doorway, laughing at the sight. Eventually he was tucked in bed.

Alfred turned on the night light beside the bed. The Batman logo glowed in the warm light of the bulb. He bent over to kiss Austin’s forehead. “Goodnight, bud.”

“Night, dad!” Austin said mid-yawn. He was about to lay his head on the pillow but shot upright instead. “Wait! I need to talk to mom first.”

The couple looked to each other, sharing confused expressions. Alfred shrugged his shoulders. (y/n) walked up to the bed and sat next to her son. “What do you want to talk about, honey?”

Austin hung his head, hesitant to look his mom in the eyes. “I said a bad word today,” he muttered sadly.

“You did?” (y/n) looked to Alfred, knowing exactly where this was going. Her husband grimaced slightly, biting his bottom lip.

“Yeah,” Austin continued. “I promised Dad I’d never say it again.”

“That’s so grown up of you.” (y/n) stroked her son’s forehead. “I’m proud of you, Austin.”

“Thanks, Mom.” Austin smiled up at her. “I hope to be a good boy for you and Dad from now on. I’ll do whatever you say.”

Their hunch was right. He had listened to their talk earlier that afternoon. (y/n) sighed as she pulled her little man into her lap.

“Austin, it’s okay for you to make mistakes,” (y/n) reminded him. “Your daddy and I mess up, too. All we ask is for you to do your best. Okay?”

Austin grinned as he nodded. “Okay.” He glomped (y/n), wrapping his little arms around her neck. His lips planted a kiss on her cheek. “I love you, Mommy.”

(y/n) hugged Austin back, rubbing his back affectionately. “I love you too, son.”

Alfred claimed the spot behind (y/n) and Austin. He snatched the boy away from his wife and into his arms, hugging him tightly. “Stop growing up so fast, buddy,” he said softly. His eyes stung slightly as tears formed in them.

“No!” Austin said as he pulled away from Alfred. His blue eyes were serious. “I can’t stop. I want to be just like you, Dad.”

“Really? Just like me?” Alfred said as he raised an eyebrow.

Austin nodded. “Yes! You are so cool a-and strong! Like Superman!”

Alfred and (y/n) laughed at their son’s comparison. His dad had taught him well. “You will be someday, just not today,” Alfred said with a grin. “You’re still my little sidekick. You have a lot of learning to do.”

“I better work hard then!” Austin grinned back.

Alfred chuckled. “I know you will, bud, but right now, it's time for you to sleep.”

“But I’m not--” Austin yawned. “Tired.” He started rubbing his eyes.

“Yes you are,” (y/n) said as she took him from Alfred. She lay him back under the covers and tucked them up to his chin. “You can start tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Austin’s eyes drooped as he yawned again. He snuggled into the blankets just as sleep lulled him to dreamland.

Alfred took (y/n)’s hand in his, helping her to her feet. While leaving Austin’s room, his eyes fell on one of the pictures on the corkboard on the wall. It was Austin’s favorite picture. At pre-school, he had drawn a picture of him and Alfred mowing the lawn. Alfred chuckled silently. Each time he mowed the lawn, Austin followed close behind with his Fisher-Price lawn mower. Another picture had both of them fixing the truck. In reality, Alfred worked on the actual truck while Austin tried fixing his much smaller version with his toy tools. (y/n) had photo evidence that these moments and many others really happened. She saved them for Austin's scrapbook.

“He really does everything I do,” Alfred realized as he started leading (y/n) to their room.

“Mm hmm,” (y/n) agreed as she hugged her husband from the side. “It’s very fun to watch, to be honest." She stopped him at the bedroom door and pecked his cheek. "I meant what I said earlier. You have nothing to worry about.”

“Yeah?” Alfred asked hopefully.

(y/n) giggled. “Yes, honey. Only you can teach this young Padawan the ways of The Force.”

Alfred burst into laughter and immediately tried to tone it down. (y/n) laughed just as hard as he did. He pulled his sweetheart into a hug. How did he get so lucky to find a girl just as nerdy as he was? He wouldn't trade his little family of nerds for anything. “Thanks, babe.” Alfred gave (y/n) a tender kiss, which quickly lead to more kisses as they got ready for "bed".