[ instagram is down and it's pissing me off what's good // song is by alec benjamin

warnings: language, teen parents, mentions drugs

i chose the kids name bc it's different and plant themed oops

stay safe,
lew. ]

—————

It all started when Lewis met Logan.

He handed off his phone after talking to this guy for all of ten minutes, and once Logan put his contact info in, he accidentally hit the home button.

"Who's the kid on your homescreen?" He asked curiously, a smile on his lips. "He's a cutie."

"That's... uh- my baby brother. Yeah. His name is Sorrel," Lewis told him, quickly snatching the device back.

—

The first time Logan came over was with the intent of working on their music project.

Lewis answered the door with the kid on his hip, two pairs of wide amber eyes staring at the son of Apollo. And, just like that, it was so easy to see the resemblance between them.

"Sorry about having this little guy. My mom was supposed to take him to work with her, but she left him with me because I said I was gonna stay home."

"It's okay, man," Logan assured him, focusing on the kid immediately after. "You're so cute. Can I hold him?"

Lewis held Sorrel out towards his friend, but the small child made a fearful noise and hid his face in Lewis' shoulder. A startled sort of laugh escaped Lewis' lips as he hugged the kid closer. "Give him a lil bit to warm up to you. There's really not that many new people that come into his life."

"While we're waiting, we could get started on that project," he suggested softly.

He nodded. "Follow me, we can head up to my room. My guitars and lyrics are up there."

As they walked up the stairs, Sorrel peeked over Lewis' shoulder, staring at Logan before smiling and hiding his face again.

—

The night before the band left for their first tour, Lewis had texted Logan in a half-manic state.

dude i gotta tell you something i've been hiding from you pls come over

And of course, Logan went.

Lewis and his brother were sitting in the front yard when he got there, playing with some flowers from the garden. Logan joined them, unable to keep himself from smiling at the grin and giggles coming from Sorrel.

"What's going on, Lew?" Logan asked, tearing his focus from the little guy.

Lewis carefully pulled Sorrel into his lap, kissing the top of his head. "Tell Logan who I am, buddy," he murmured, voice shaking.

The baby shrieked happily, causing Lewis to flinch. But after a few more minutes of quiet prompting, Sorrel said: "Dadada."

"You're so close there, baby squirrel, good job," he cheered, giving the kid another kiss on the head. He cleared his throat and focused on the flowers spread out on the blanket. "He's not my baby brother. He's- he's my kid."

Logan was silent for a very long moment as he thought over this new turn of events. Right when Lewis opened his mouth to apologize for whatever reason, Logan asked him, "Did you expect me to be upset or something?"

"I... don't know. I didn't really think you'd be okay with it," he admitted. "People really don't take it seriously, they think I'm lying or something-"

"I'm glad you told me. I think it's a good thing you've got him, from what you've said about the people you used to hang out with," he said, reaching out to playfully grab Sorrel's foot.

The child just squealed and giggled, abandoning his father's lap in favor of toddling over to Logan.

Instead of responding to Logan, Lewis smiled slightly and told Sorrel, "Give him a kiss, buddy."

Sorrel grabbed Logan's cheeks, then pressed his face against the teen's. It was sweet, and honestly really cute wow kids aren't all demons.

"That's as far as we've gotten on the whole kisses thing." Lewis picked up a daisy from the blanket and twirled it between his fingertips. He paused for a long moment before saying, "Y'know... if the nurse at the hospital could've understood our slurring and stuff, this little guy would've been named Squirrel. I'm so glad they couldn't quite understand us."

Logan laughed, just letting Sorrel squirm his way into his lap. "Why 'squirrel'?"

"There was this hugeass squirrel that both of us hyper-fixated on. We were high as hell and it just seemed like a good idea, I guess."

"What does his name mean?"

"It's a plant that like, symbolically means joy, affection, and secret sweetness among other things. I think it fits well. And his middle name is Alexander, after his mom's brother. And like a total dickbag, I ended up leaving her for the brother before we even found out about the lil guy."

"I say this in the most loving way possible, but dude... you're a mess."

—

The following year, Lewis and Logan were on tour for Sorrel's birthday. It broke Lewis' heart, and he ended up hiding himself away in their hotel room, given it was a day off.

The last thing he wanted was Logan bugging him, but of course it happened. The younger man tore the blanket off his friend and cheerfully said, "I've got a surprise for you."

"I don't care, let me wallow in the fact I'm a shitty parent and missing my kid's birthday because management won't let me go see him," Lewis replied sullenly before closing his eyes and burying his face in his pillow.

He heard the door open, soft footsteps crossing the carpet, and then he felt someone's sticky fingers poking his arm.

When he opened his eyes, he felt tears began to pool in them as he sat up. "Oh my gods, I missed you so much!"

Standing there was his baby, and closer to the door stood his mom, who was already talking to Logan. Lewis held open his arms and waited, because Sorrel had a hard time climbing up on the bed.

Lewis mouthed a silent 'thank you' to his mother, who smiled, waved, and disappeared.

Then, he did hug his baby close and even kissed his forehead a few times. "Happy birthday, little squirrel. Did Grandma tell you how old you are?"

He nodded, focusing down on his hand. He held up four fingers and proudly told his dad, "I'm three!"

Gently, Lewis folded one finger down. "Now that says 'three'. Maybe... if you're really nice, we can get Logan to grab your present for me."

So, of course, Sorrel climbed out of Lewis' lap and walked over to Logan, tugging on his shirt. "Please, Logan?"

"Oh, I guess," he replied, reaching down to ruffle the kid's hair, which obviously made him giggle. "Lew, it's in here, right?"

"Yeah. I think I put it by the door. C'mere, squirrel." Lewis held out his hand, and Sorrel ran back to him.

"What is it?"

"It's a surprise!"

Lewis himself was surprised when Logan brought over more than one bag. He just grinned, though.

"One of these is from your dad, and the other ones are from me and the rest of our friends," he explained, setting the bags down, then sitting down beside Lewis.

Really, the kid was shaking from excitement as he pulled out one of the presents. It was a teddy bear with a guitar, wearing a green hoodie, black jeans, and green shoes.

Sorrel's eyes lit up when he made the connection. "It's you!" He said loudly, grinning up at his dad.

"Yep!" He glanced up at Logan, then softly asked, "What's with the other-?"

"Remember, I went to Build-A-Bear with you.  And your mom said that he kept watching our music videos and stuff? I had the guys help me with something. Shh." Logan nodded at the kid, telling him, "The one with the sun is from me!"

Sorrel grabbed that one next, and like the other, it contained a bear. This one held a microphone, wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a red jacket. Obviously the kid jumped up and gave Logan a hug, the bear still clutched in his hand. "This one's you!"

"You're right, buddy. It was your dad's idea, and Jon and Spencer helped us." Logan hugged him back, then set him down on the floor. "Open the other two, kiddo."

He did as he was told, and the other two were toy versions of the other band members.

Sorrel's eyes went wide as he hugged his dad tightly again. "Thank you! I love it!"

"Happy birthday, baby boy," Lewis told him, returning the embrace. "I love you."

"Love you too," he replied, curling up in Lewis' lap with the Logan bear, which seemed to be his favorite.

"Are you staying with me and Logan tonight?" He asked, combing his fingers through Sorrel's hair.

"Grandma said I can. I'm sleepy."

"We can take a nap. It was a long trip to get here, I bet you are tired." Lewis kissed his head, then softly asked Logan, "Will you turn out the lights?"