Barrett hated airports. 

No matter how large the station was, it always seemed too small for the number of people milling about from one destination to another. In a crowd of what felt like millions, tempers could flare at the faintest slight whether it be shoulders bumping in passing or suitcases catching on the track of an escalator. Not to mention the procession of huffs and impatient foot tapping when the bag-check lines took too long because someone was trying to explain why they needed a full bottle of toothpaste with them on a six-hour flight. 

Although, Barrett knew he wouldn’t trade this moment for anything as he adjusted the shoulder strap of his duffel bag to accommodate for the lack of manual support. His hands were a little busy soothing his whimpering nephew Niko. Niko curled up against his chest like a roly-poly, weeping as though all the world was lost. Tears pricked at the back of Barrett’s own eyes with each whine shaking his nephew’s small shoulders, but he blinked them away and focused on rubbing circles against the boy’s back while humming a lullaby 

His head rocked back against the wall behind him as he stared up at the scant rays of sunlight managing to find them in the small, shady corner he’d tucked himself into. The tall gray pillars stretching up to the ceilings blocked his view of most of the waiting area. The section nearest to where he stood being markedly vacant, aside from the newscaster on the television talking soundlessly aside the itinerary for Gate S7. 

Barrett bit the inside of his cheek to keep his face from curdling into a resentful look. The gate attendants’ weary expressions when Niko squalled at the sight of the sign was fresh in the back of his mind, as well as the annoyance from those seated around the waiting area. While he could understand their lack of patience from the dour and stale atmosphere being punctuated by a child’s ceaseless wails, it didn’t matter.

Niko was upset, and the whole world could go to hell until a smile was on his nephew’s face again.

“Hey Nini,” Barrett whispered as the sobbing eased into tiny trembles and sniffles. “Remember your daddy said he’d bring you whatever you want if you’re not crying when he gets back.”

He rubbed his cheek against Niko’s fluffy, dark hair until the boy peeled himself off the sticky, snot-drenched collar of Barrett’s t-shirt. The promise of a present for being good returned some of the joy to his nephew’s brownish-green eyes and Barrett smiled gently at the sight. 

“Here, Unkie Bear is gonna help you out a little,” he said as he shifted his hold on Niko to rummage in his pocket for the travel pack of wet wipes stuffed beneath candy wrappers and old receipts. When he managed to tug one free, albeit ripping it at the end, he carefully wiped off the drying silver tear tracks beneath Niko’s eyes. The boy scrunched up his nose but held on bravely, waiting as Barrett crumpled one wet wipe in his fist then scrounged for another to let him blow his nose. 

Once the reddish-flush to his olive skin was the only indication that aught was amiss, Barrett shoved the soiled wet wipes in one of the in-tact candy wrappers to throw away later. Niko sniffled, his red button nose twitching like a rabbit’s as he looked everywhere but at Barrett with unease. 

“Nini, you remember that hole that opened up in the ground when we went to the park on your birthday?” Barrett asked, situating his arms around Niko again as he leant back against the pillar. “The one you promised me and your daddy that you wouldn’t play around?”

“Uh-uh,” Niko protested, his pouting bottom lip jutting out as the grip he had on Barrett’s shoulders tightened with his fists twisting in the squares of his flannel.

Barrett smiled indulgently, leaning forward to tap his forehead against Niko’s. The boy startled and blinked up at him with the barest hint of a smile before he remembered himself, forcing another pout as he looked away. “Well I remember,” hedged Barrett, unsurprised when Niko didn’t immediately take the bait. He nuzzled against his nephew’s cheek then pressed a kiss to the top of his head as he added, “cause Unkie Bear sees those holes a lot and there’s people who don’t know they could get in trouble if they go in one.”

When he drew away, Niko followed him with his eyes and an arched eyebrow.

“Really, Unkie?” Niko asked, skepticism underlining the question but the curiosity outweighed it more as he turned his face toward Barrett entirely once a nod was given.

Barrett let his shoulders roll back against the pillar, lolling his head as well to give Niko enough room to situate himself. Once his squirming stopped, Barrett started to explain in a low, gravelly voice that sounded much louder in their little nook away from the hustle and bustle. 

“That hole leads to a strange place, and there’s lots and lots of monsters in there,” said Barrett, hesitating as he tried to find a way to properly explain the next piece while glancing off into the passing crowds beyond the waiting area. While he started this line of conversation, he’d hoped his brother would have magically appeared to cut him off at any point.  The impending lecture should Niko repeat any of this played out in a reel in the back of Barrett’s mind, chiding him for filling Niko’s head with  creepy crawlers in the dark. 

While people in costumes and CGI were one thing, neither of them were sure how well a child would take to those things actually existing. 

Looking down at Niko though, the desire to bare as much of his heart as possible returned. If this was his last time seeing his nephew, he wanted him to know his uncle as much as he could. The rest he would leave his brother to tell — if the memory of him wasn’t too hurtful to recall, that is. 

Barrett gathered his breath, letting the lingering affection in his heart for Niko water the blossoming smile on his face.  “Unkie… Unkie fights those monsters and makes sure the holes close up so you don’t have to worry about falling ever again,” he sucked in a hissing breath, letting it out through his nose with a sigh. “But there’s holes opening up in other places, and Unkie has to go and make sure they’re closed up tight so nothing bad comes out. Understand?

Niko’s face pinched somewhat, his eyes scouring Barrett’s as though he were looking for something in particular. Then a small hand brushed against the underside of Barrett’s eyes, tracing in a low arc and his breath hitched when he realized. It was the same movement his brother and Niko’s father, Bennett, did when he’d shown up at their doorstep months ago. Even Niko’s features were hewn from his father, rounder and softer with a color like his mother’s but Barrett would know Bennett’s worried look anywhere.

“Ion want you t’go…” Niko mumbled pitifully, harrumphing as he threw his arms around Barrett’s neck and hugged him like a koala bear. 

Stunned stiff, Barrett stared down at his nephew the best he could and slowly tightened his hold on him. “I’ll miss you too, cub…” He swept his thumb up and down the base of Niko’s skull, burying his nose against his hair as he whispered against his crown, “Everyday…” 

Barrett’s  heart ached when he heard his nephew sniffle, and the tears he’d been swallowing for the last hour might as well have been the tide rising and ebbing with each breath. The tide rushed up onto the dry shores of his eyelashes, sticking them together like wet sand. Niko’s warmth reminded him of sunlight, and salty winds. Days he didn’t feel the aches in his bones as much, or the weight of the world on his shoulders as heavy. 

For a split second, he considered turning around and going home wouldn’t be too bad. Niko wouldn’t start school until the following year which meant he had plenty of time to find a job and spend time with his nephew. The treacherous inkling slipped into his heart and held on tightly, dousing his reasons and explanations with the temptation of staying.

“Are you two alright?"

Barrett jerked his head up, smacking the back of it against the pillar with a hissing wince. When he glanced over, his heart softened at the sight of his brother Bennett. An assortment of colorful chips and snacks were piled in a tote bag dangling from his hand. The rough, disheveled appearance with his thick locs haphazardly pulled back into a top bun and stubble growing on his chin reminded Barrett in a strange way of how old his brother was now. But it was his eyes, slightly drooping at the corners like a tear-drop as if he was perpetually on the verge of constantly yawning that linked the three of them together. 

It was easier to think of it like that, but once the thought permeated his brain, the temptation corroded and faded away. Niko was the spitting image of his father in some ways, and thus had a resemblance to Barrett as well, but he knew where their image came from. Fighting back the scowl threatening to poison his smile, Barrett nodded and set a squirming Niko on the ground so he could inspect the bag in his father’s hands.