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In hindsight, Bard probably should have taken Mey-Rin up on her offer to babysit Ciel while he went to pick up Sebastian from the airport.
As if to further cement that line of thinking, there was a high-pitched cry from the backseat.
Bard glanced back into the rearview mirror with a wince. Just like the last few times he's done so, Ciel was wiggling against the straps of his carseat and kicking his legs out, brows furrowed and cheeks wet with tears.
Ciel had been fussy all morning and afternoon, for reasons that Bard for the life of him could not figure out. Food didn't help. Warm milk didn't help. Naptime didn't help. Not even his favorite doll plush or blankie were helpful–both of which that had long since been thrown to the floor of the car and across the seats respectively.
Bard had hoped that maybe the forty-minute drive would have a calming effect on Ciel like it would on car rides during nights the boy couldn't sleep. And at first it seemed to be working. At least for the first ten minutes.
One children's audiobook, three lullaby tracks, and another bottle of milk later, Ciel was still nowhere near calm.
Bard honestly didn't know what else to do at this point.
With a frustrated screech, Ciel's still full bottle of milk suddenly came flying into the front seat, hitting and bouncing off the dashboard with a loud 'thunk.'
Bard took a deep breath and slowly blew it out of his mouth, trying to make his voice sound stern and not tired when he spoke.
"Ciel, baby, my little tater tot, papa knows you're having a lot of big feelings right now, but you can't–"
Ciel threw his head back and screamed. "Naaaaaaaaaaaaah!" He took a few shuddery breaths afterwards, before his chin started to wobble and he promptly burst into full-body sobs.
Yeah, Bard was definitely regretting his decision not to take Mey-Rin's babysitting offer now.
"Jesus Christ, what have I gotten myself into," he muttered under his breath, trying not to freak out as he looked for a place to pull over at. There was no way he could keep driving with his little boy uncontrollably sobbing in the back.
He ended up pulling into the parking lot of a diner, where he practically jumped out of the driver's seat and ran around to the back passenger side door.
"Alright, alright, it's okay. You're okay, jellybean. Papa's got you now," Bard soothed as he unbuckled the boy and picked him up.
Ciel's arms instantly wound themselves around Bard's neck in a vice grip, legs encircling his waist in a similar fashion. Bard began to pace the pavement in front of the car, alternating between rubbing and patting the baby's back.
"Shh-shh, shh. You're okay, bun-bun, you're okay."
Ciel just continued to wail, tears and saliva and snot soaking into his shirt.
"What's goin' on with you t'day, huh, baby?"
Bard really didn't know what do at this point. He couldn't go back now; they were already twenty minutes out and Sebastian's plane would be landing any minute now. But it's not like he could continue the drive until he found a way to calm Ciel down, either.
Just when Bard thought that maybe he would have to turn around and text his husband and tell him he would need to get a taxi or Lyft back home, however, a minivan blaring Mariah Carey's All I Want for Christmas is You loud enough to be heard through the closed windows came driving into the parking lot and parked two cars away from them. While Bard looked over at the man in the driver's seat with an incredulous gaze (how anyone could listen to Christmas music in February was beyond him), Ciel on the other hand slowly lifted his head and–despite the tears that still flowed steadily down his ruddy face–tried peering in the same direction of the music, but with curiosity instead of upset.
Bard watched in astonishment as Ciel's wailing actually started to taper off as the music continued blasting from the other car.
At least until the driver turned off his car and the song cut off.
A fresh wave of tears almost instantly filled the boy's eyes again, breath hitching in his little chest with the threat of sobs.
"No, no, no–hey, it's okay, baby! We can put it on our car, yeah? Papa will put it on right now."
For a moment Bard was tempted to just go up to the guy and beg him to turn his car back on, but that moment was fleeting for a multitude of reasons.
Bard rounded the car again and hurried to get Ciel strapped back into his carseat before the baby could start crying again. Once Bard had Ciel properly strapped in, he hopped back into the driver's seat and started the car. He quickly opened Spotify on his phone and typed the song into the search bar, clicking on it as soon as it popped up.
I... don't want a lot for Christmas
Just like it had before outside, the effect that Mariah's angelic voice had on Ciel was instantaneous. The whines and whimpers and tears that managed to escape in the time it took for Bard to put the song on came to a stop, until all Ciel was left with were sniffles.
Bard sunk down into his seat with a deep, full-body sigh of relief.
"Thank God," he murmured to himself, closing his eyes for a brief moment before straightening his spine and turning in his seat to look back at Ciel.
The little boy now calmly sat in his seat, tears drying on his blotchy cheeks and body visibly lax. His middle and index finger had also found their way into his mouth, gaze having drifted to the window, staring out at nothing in particular.
Bard leaned over into the backseat and grabbed the diaper bag resting on the seat next to Ciel, pulling it into the front with him. He unzipped the small compartment on the side of the bag and took out a pink pacifier.
"Here, honeybun, take this," Bard said, holding the pacifier out to the boy.
Ciel looked at Bard then down at the soother in his hand, easily accepting it from the man and replacing his fingers with it.
After returning the diaper bag to the backseat, Bard leaned down and picked up Ciel's blanket from the floor and handed off the blue garment to the little boy, who immediately took it and pressed a corner of it to the side of his face.
The song finished just as Bard had turned back around, switching to Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree. Before Bard could put the car in drive, however, a sad whimper resounded from the backseat. Bard set into action immediately.
"Hey, no, it's okay, champ! Papa will put it back on right now."
Bard switched the song back on, this time making sure to set it on repeat. He was sure this song was going to be stuck in his head for the rest of the day (possibly for the rest of the week), but if it meant Ciel would stay calm for the remainder of the drive, then it was a sacrifice he was more than willing to make.
"See, sweet boy? All better!"
With another sigh that was a combination of both relief and resignation, Bard finally put the car back in drive and pulled out of the diner's parking lot.