this is like, halfway to being a fic but I'm too lazy. enjoy anyway ♡
Selina and Bruce are on a fancy date. They've both been busy with work, so this is the first time they've seen each other in a while. Despite himself, Bruce is a little nervous about seeing Selina - she just gives him butterflies.
They're on-again-off-again, currently on-ish. They're at a swanky party, maybe even a gala, when Bruce starts to feel sick. He doesn't realize it, but he hasn't eaten today or yesterday. Alfred tried to remind him on multiple occasions, but his mind was so focused on bat business and the date that he did not heed the warning. His stomach is paining him and he doesn't know why, and he's already nervous about the date: an unfortunate recipe for regression.
He tries so hard to stay big, to pull his headspace back to where he wants it, but to no avail. Selina starts to notice he's acting off. He's clumsy, which is deeply unlike him. He's fidgeting, frazzled. She pulls him aside and asks him what's wrong. He doesn't want to say he's feeling small, she wouldn't understand - he tries to play it off. All these late nights. Selina doesn't fall for it.
She gets the feeling tough love isn't the move. If something's really wrong, Bruce needs some tenderness. She takes Bruce's hand ever so gently, drawing small circles with her long manicured nails. Talk to me, she whispers.
Selina sees Bruce shrink. Physically, he's making himself smaller, curling inward in an attempt to hide the tears welling up in his eyes. He finally responds. I don't feel good.
Selina has always liked Bruce's voice when he's not batman, even if it was a bit of an act. This voice was similar, but something was stripped back. There was an aching gentleness, it almost felt bashful. She felt it tug at her heart strings. She was suddenly aware of the crowded room, the throngs of socialites around every corner. It felt wrong for them to see this. Bruce was so particular about how he was perceived. For him to crack open like that, something must have broken. Her hand migrates to his back, guiding him away. Let's get you home, kitten.
Selina drives him home. He doesn't protest when she get's behind the wheel of his car - he trusts her, but he doesn't trust himself at the moment. The gates of Wayne Manor are a welcome sight.
She leads him to the door, and she only needs to knock once before Alfred is there. Ms Kyle, he greets, before turning to his ward with worry in his eyes. Master Bruce? he asks, kneeling to meet Bruce's downturned eyes. The tears are flowing now.
Selina has never seen Bruce cry. It's disturbing, in a way, but also ... intimate. She wants to leave but she's frozen in place. I'm sorry about your date, Ms.Kyle, Alfred explains, But I'm afraid the boy is in no state to be out and about.
May I stay? The words leave Selina's mouth before she catches them. Alfred looks to the crying man on his arm, Bruce nods. Please come in.
There's some hushed conversation between Alfred and Bruce that Selina pretends not to hear. Are you sure, dear?If you're certain... The trio sit on the couch, Bruce's head falls to Alfred's chest. Alfred presses a kiss to his temple. What's happened to him? Selina asks.
He's regressing, Alfred replies, He's in a younger state of mind. Alfred gently rocks his boy as he pieces together what happened. Oh dear, he sighs, someone didn't eat like I told him to. Bruce whines, Alfred hushes him. It's alright love, let's get you something to eat. Then off to bed.
Alfred looks to Selina. I could use some help in the kitchen. She nods.
Selina does most of the cooking, she can manage a grilled cheese. She chuckles to herself at the sight of her big bad bat clinging to his papa like a baby koala. They sit at the table while Bruce eats. Selina and Alfred chat about the predicament, Alfred answers Selina's questions. He's a papa's boy, Selina jokes, enticing a chuckle out of Alfred. That he is.
Soon it's time to put him to bed, and not a moment too soon. Bruce is dozing off at the table. After tucking Bruce in, Alfred gives Selina a moment alone with him. I'm sorry, Bruce mumbles, Don't be, Selina replies sweetly.
She gives him a kiss on the forehead, careful to wipe away her lipstick after. Sweet dreams, kitten. Catwoman will keep you safe all night.
"come stop your crying, it will be alright." 🦌🩺༘˚⋆𐙚｡⋆𖦹.✧˚
Samira drops from pneumonia at work and freaks out. She's had horrible experiences at hospitals and was expecting the worse. Plus barely masking her regression made it harder to keep it together. But Emery is right there by her side to calm her down.
more mowalsh connected to the little! trinity au
another request from @rosewoodlibrary !! i love your requests they're so good !! im not an age regressor either but i love writing this au its like the perfect outlet for me 😭
Breathe.
Breathe Samira.
She splashes her face with water and looks up in the mirror. Now was not the time to fall apart. Only 3 hours left in the shift, she could do this.
I can do this, right?
The truth was she woke up with an ear-splitting headache. Painkillers were able to almost get rid of it but then she started sniffling. And coughing. Realistically you can only cough 1-3 times before people start getting annoyed. And her chest was getting tight every time she breathed.
She could get it checked out, this was a hospital for fuck's sake but she'll be fine. Didn't want to take a bed from someone who needed it more.
She grabs a paper towel from the dispenser and wipes her face before heading out. She runs into Cassie immediately who gives her the signature 'you're hiding something' look.
"Hey Samira are you-?"
"I'm fine, Cassie just tired." Cassie squints a her but sighs and pats her shoulder. "3 more hours, you got this alright?" Samira just groans and heads back to the nurse's station to put her head down.
She gets about 20 seconds of peace before Robby's voice rings out from the ambulance bay. "Mohan! King! Incoming patient!"
Someone taps her shoulder, probably Mel and she grumbles and gets up. Her vision was starting to get blurry and unfocused as she drags her body to Trauma 1.
She opens the door at the same time Emery walks in through the other side. It had been like 3 weeks since she slept over and they haven't exactly talked about it. Only brief hellos and 'how's your day going' mumbles when they walk past each other.
Emery gives her a brief nod before they start assesing the patient. "On my count." Robby says. On three they lift him up onto the bed and start getting him stable. Samira starts quietly wheezing. Lifting him up took more energy than she thought.
The wheezing gets slightly worse until it's actually audible in the trauma room. "Samira do you need a break? You're breathing kinda loud." Mel asks quietly as she wraps a cast around the patient's arm." Robby looks over and squints as Emery glances up at her through her surgery goggles with a slightly worried look.
"I'm fine." Samira mumbles. But Emery could see the slight tremor in her face, her weak breaths, the sweat, the unfocused eyes,
She could spot a case of pneumonia from a mile away. She pulls off her goggles and hands the tools to Robby before tearing off her gloves and gown. "Mohan, with me."
Samira rolls her eyes and takes off her gloves before hand sanitizing and stepping out with Walsh.
"How high is your fever." Emery asks once they're out.
"What fever I'm-"
"Samira, you're shaking."
"I'm not I-" Her vision gets even blurrier as she fights not to pass out. She takes a step towards Emery trying to explain before she falls forward. Emery catches her and slowly lowers her to the ground.
"Shit- I need a gurney!" Samira was quietly wheezing and tears started falling down her face as Emery feels her forehead and moves her into her lap. "You're burning Mir," she murmurs, caressing her scalp with her nails.
Cassie and Baran bring one over worriedly and help lift her up. Samira starts coughing hard and trying to sit up. "No, no I-" She hated getting poked and prodded, what if-
"You're okay," mumbles Emery. " They start wheeling her towards an open room. "Is it pneumonia?" Cassie asks, feeling Samira's forehead. Emery nods.
"Need an oxygen mask on her, a blood test, and a chest x-ray scheduled to see how much is in her lungs." They get her to North 2.
"Mira can you slide over for me?" Samira winces and carefully moves off the gurney onto the hospital bed. "Good, that was good Mir, okay?" Baran takes notice of the tone change in Emery's voice but decides not to focus on it.
Cassie puts an oxygen mask over Samira as she whines. "I know it hurts hun but we're gonna get you better alright?" She loads up some meds in the iv. Samira's breathing improves after a few and they get some painkillers in her to bring down the fever. "Be back in a bit, try and rest, okay?" Baran rubs Samira's shoulder before her and Cassie step out.
Emery takes a seat by her bed. Samira looks confused. "Aren't yo-you gonna leave?" The older woman puts a hand behind Samira's head to take her hair out of the failing ponytail. "I'm staying right here, Yolanda can cover for me, she'll get it."
"Get what? I-" Emery caresses her cheek with so much care that Samira could cry. "You should rest, I'll make sure everyone knows what's up." Samira was exhausted but she wanted to keep her eyes open to talk to her.
"But-But I wanna- I- want you to stay Emmy." She smacks her mouth shut and blushes. Emery hated nicknames she definitely would-
But Emery just smiles softly.
When Emery smiled it was like a sunset, rare and visible for only a bit. Samira blushes and looks down at her lap, fiddling with the thread of the sheets.
"Shhhh, rest. You need it." Emery murmurs. The nickname definetly rewired something in her mind.
"I'm going nowhere except here Mira." She guides Samira to lean back before standing up to turn off the lights. The last time Samira sees as she falls asleep is Emery pushing her hair back and humming a lullaby.
✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩
She hears voices when she wakes back up. Had to have been like an hour, right? Until she blinks her eyes open still feeling Emery's hand on her head and Abbot along with Ellis by the door.
They both brighten up when she wakes back up. "Feeling better Dr. Mohan?" Ellis asks fondly. "I'm in charge of you for the night." Samira smiles and looks over at Emery who's already staring at her.
"Chest is still heavy, and-um." Emery pats her hand for encouragement. "Head still hurts."
"I'll get you some water, alright?" Emery says, getting up. She high fives Ellis on the way out and her and Abbot step closer to her bedside. "Did handoffs happen already?"
Abbot smiles. "Yeah, but there's some day shift sticking around, it's only," He glances down at his watch. "8:30."
Samira's eyes go wide. "I slept for 4 HOURS?" She starts counting on her fingers in shock. "I have so much charting to catch up on-"
"None of that." Abbot interjects. "You have to stay overnight to rest and stay on the iv. Luckily you can stay down here for longer because there's not a lot of beds upstairs." He pats her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll be checking up all night but I'm sure Emery's got that part covered.
The door opens back up and Emery along with Trinity come back in. "You freaked us out, you know that?" Trinity huffs, skipping over to Samira. The second she heard Samira was in a bed for pneumonia she couldn't stop walking past, 'checking on her patients.'
"Shouldn't you be home?" Ellis ruffles Trinity's hair.
"Yeah, but Yoyo's stuck in surgery and we carpool so we gotta wait. And I'm hiding so i don't get dragged into another trauma." Samira snorts before coughing and Emery is right there with water and helping her drink.
Ellis, Abbot, and Trinity all look at each other holding back smiles. "We'll leave you two alone, rest up Mira!" Trinity's out the room first while the other two file out afterwards.
Samira looks up at Emery. She looked tired, bags already under her eyes and were those- tear stains? Emery takes a breath and sits down. "So vitals are good, you'll likely be discharged in the morning with prescribed antibiotics and rest." She sighs before choosing her next words.
"You have to take better care of yourself Samira, I know how long you stay after work still doing traumas, you have to take breaks and prioriti-"
"But I can't, I don't even have anyone to-" She doesn't want to say it. But Emery Walsh could read her mind, mouthing an 'oh.'
She puts the chart to the side and slides next to Samira in bed. "Wait- what are you-"
"I'm sick, Emery you'll catch it."
"Nah, I won't."
"Now, I'm listening."
"What?"
"You said before you've been feeling like this since you watched over Trin, right?"
"Yeah but-"
"Do you want me to come over more often?" Samira looks at her in shock. "That night was...fun. Playing games, forgetting our shitty jobs, watching Sailor Moon,"
"I know I'm not like 'caregiver material' Baran's better at that but I want to at least try to-"
Samira pulls her in for a hug, nuzzling into her shoulder.
"Yes."
Emery tries to ignore the tears in her eyes as she hugs her back.
"O-Okay."
The rest of the evening is full of movies and cuddles. Shen and Vivi even swing by dropping off 'feel-better presents' from the night shift, including a shit ton of stuffed animals from the gift shop. Samira giggles and starts individually naming them while Emery stares at her fondly.
"And this one's Olive, this one's Dawn, this one's Felipe, this one's-"
Emery kisses her cheek, surprising both of them. Samira's face turns red as a tomato but she keeps naming them.
yeahh send in more mowalsh requests they're cute. i wrote this one so fast omfg. the song for this was almost gonna orbiter but like i cry every time i hear that song so. Then i rewatched tarzan and i was like fuck yes
anyways emery's the astronaut samira's the moon type shit.
and oh, what a wave you have made. 🧸 . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁ ⟡ ݁ . ⊹ ₊ ݁.
Another little and her caregiver are brought into PTMC, but luckily Baran and the rest of the staff know exactly what to do.
another request from the lovely @rosewoodlibrary !!
Baran clicks her locker open and shoves her lunch in with an audible groan. Another day at the hospital. Likely to leave her fatigued by the end of it. Cassie smirks and kneels down to open her own. "Rough night?"
"I'll say, Yolanda has this presentation with Walsh about a technique, they made us stay up to help them practice." Cassie just laughs and shakes her head. "You all never surprise me anymore." After they pack their things they head towards Ellis for hand offs with Mel, Dennis, and Samira.
Trinity had already gotten looped into a trauma with Shen, Baran had seen them wheel the gurney right into Trauma 1. Ellis walks them through the patient load, until she stops on a room.
"Rose Lockhart and her," she glances down at her tablet. "Caregiver, came in at around 4am with stomach pain. It's not appendix related, but we're waiting on the CT to see what it is."
Rose had a short pixie cut, looked about 19, nervously fiddling with a plush in her lap. "How long do you think it'll take? We've been here a while." Her caregiver asks nervously, putting a hand on Rose's arm.
Baran tilts her head. The nervousness in the girl's eyes, the way her caregiver's eyes darted around the room in fear like she was paranoid something was going to-
Kinda reminded her of...
She barely sees Ellis address her before looking back at the doctors. "Who's taking the case?"
"I am." Baran says with no hesitation. "Cassie can you.."
"On it." Cassie approaches them. "Hi, my name is Dr. McKay, this here is Dr. Al-Hashimi, we'll make sure you're out of here soon, alright?"
The girl looks up at the two shyly. "U-um. Okay." The pair nods and waits for the rest of the hand offs to finish before going back.
"Okay what seems to be the problem?" Baran takes a seat on the swivel chair while Cassie types on the computer. Rose looks up nervously and fiddles with the duck plush in her arms. "Um. I-in the middle of the night I- woke up with-"
She looks shyly at her caregiver for help. "My name is Florence." The older woman says. "She woke up in the middle of the night with a really bad stomach ache that didn't go away after tylenol, so I brought her in."
Baran nods and listens to her breathing using her stethoscope. "Good breath sounds." She wheels back her chair. "You said caregiver, are you-?"
Florence tenses up. "I-" She takes a breath. "Rose is an age regressor. We haven't exactly had great experiences at other hospitals, either not being taken seriously by doctors, or just people flat out being mean."
Cassie looks at Baran whose taking all this in. "Well, you're in good hands here you two. A lot of our doctors have experience caring for littles." She smiles at Baran. "Especially Dr. Al-Hashimi." She didn't want to air out Trinity's business, but she wanted them to know that there was no reason to be scared.
Florence lets out a sigh of relief. "That-that means a lot. Thank you." Baran smiles. "Now how about we get you in for a CT, rule you out of any nasty stuff and I can get you a toy from the gift shop."
Rose perks up at this, excitedly grabbing Florence's hand. "Can I? Can I really?" Florence just smiles. "Whatever you want love."
Baran helps wheel them over to the CT. After that, she runs into Trinity who's coming out of a patient room. "Oh, hey Trin, can I get your help on a patient?" Trinity grumbles and grabs some hand sanitizer. "B I already have like 3 patients, I don't want another-"
"The girl's a little." Baran interrupts. "Her and her caregiver are really stressed, maybe you could boost their morale?"
Trinity's eyes go slightly wide. She had never actually met another little before. Some small part of her thought she was alone.
"Uh, yeah, I'll uh swing by, what room?"
"Central 9, they'll get back from the CT soon."
Baran has to tell them that the girl needs surgery, and that's the exact time Trinity pops in while she's panicking. "But I don't wanna get surgery! Won't it just go away?"
"Unfortunately it will only get worse if we leave it alone, but don't worry, we have some of the best surgeons on-"
"NO! I- I DON'T-" Trinity stands by the curtain watching this nervously. Huh. Guess I know what my tantrums look like now. Florence tries to soothe her with no avail. Trinity sighs and puts a hand on her face. "Can you give us a minute?" She asks Baran and Florence. "I'll calm her down."
Baran nods and guides Florence out. "Don't worry, Dr. Santos knows what she's doing."
Trinity takes a seat to the side of the bed. "Rose, right?" The girl nods shyly. "Who-who are-" Trinity smiles and picks up the patient passport that fell over in her anger. "Dr. Santos, but you can call me Trinity."
She grabs a pair of scissors and starts cutting the paper up. "You know I'm like you."
"A little."
Rose looks up in shock. "Wha-? But- but you're-"
"A doctor? Yeah, busy schedule means I can't stretch myself too thin but, Dr. Al-Hashimi and a surgeon named Dr. Garcia are my caregivers." Rose's eyes go wide in amazement, and she holds her plushie tighter. "Mommy says people are mean outside the house, but here.. it's nice."
Trinity giggles and folds the cut paper into a crown. "Yeah that's mostly Baran and I. Kinda changed the shape of the world in here." She puts it on Rose's head. "There you are, perfect fit for a princess." Rose giggles and looks at it before looking at Trinity nervously.
"Will the surgery be scary?"
Trinity smiles. "It'll certainly feel scary, all those doctors with those big machines, running around with scary tools, but they're there to help." At that moment Yolanda comes in, pulling the curtain back. "Rose Lockhart? I'm Dr. Garcia and I-"
"You're Garcia!? You look so cool!" Yolanda looks over at Trinity in slight confusion before she mouths, Little and the surgeon's whole demeanor changes. "Oh, uh, yeah," She's already mentally bumping this girl up to the next available OR.
"I assume my troublemaker here's been keeping you busy?" Trinity snorts as Yolanda ruffles her hair. "Quiet you." Yolanda sits down and patiently explains the surgery, how it'll start, how it'll go, and the recovery time.
They wheel her up to surgery. It goes pretty fast, only a blockage they had to clear up until she's rested in a bed with Florence. Trinity holds a pokemon plush as she heads into her room. "Hey, brought you something." Rose giggles and reaches out to snuggle it. Florence looks up at Trinity.
"Thank you. She wasn't worried at all. Even made a friend named Dr. Walsh I think."
Trinity smiles. "I had an appendectomy a while ago. I was so scared. But then I had someone tell me that it was all gonna be alright. And I wasn't that scared anymore."
Trinity smiles and pats Rose's shoulder. "I'll come up and visit, alright? Rest up." She heads downstairs to the ED and sees Baran at the nurse's desk and walks over to pull her into a hug.
Baran is caught off guard but melts into it. "What's this for, my love? You're not one for affection at work."
Trinity buries her head in Baran's shoulder and mumbles. "Just- thanks. For being there, for dealing with me, for everything."
"So I can help others."
Baran tries not to let the tears fall as she pulls her closer. "You don't need to thank me love. I'm always gonna be here, alright?"
What would the morning routine for trinity in baby headspace look like on a quiet weekend with caregivers baran and yolanda?
ty for the askk!!
When Trinity wakes up that little everyone knows it. She’ll start quietly whining from hunger and tapping Baran who wakes up to her cries. ‘Aww are you hungry princess? Mama’ll make you a bottle.’
Then Yolanda the heavily sleeper would wake up to cuddle Trinity while she waits. Baran would go downstairs, grab a bottle, get some milk, pop in a bottle warmer and head back up.
By then Trinity was somehow falling back asleep and she has to gently rouse her. She complains until Baran pops the bottle into her mouth with a smile.
After she’s done it’s everyone’s favorite-
Bath time.
Trinity gets the full bubble bath experience. Rubber duckies, pink bubbles, whale toys, they want it to be perfect for her. She giggles and splashes as Baran scrubs down her hair. ‘You smell like the sun, Trini.”
After the bath it’s comfy lounge clothes and time on the couch watching Bear in the big blue house. Baran makes blueberry waffle with fruit and whipped cream. Yolanda makes the best breakfast smoothies for her and Baran while Trinity gets orange juice.
Complains until Baran goes on some ‘You don’t want to be like Captain Scurvy right?’ and Trinity chugs that shit down.
The rest of the day is filled with snacks, cuddles, tv, and a whole lot of love.
little! Victoria Javadi who looooves 2000s Barbie movies, especially Barbie and the Magic of Pegasus. she’d make her own wand of light and have a pink stuffed pegasus to snuggle with
Victoria Javadi was a child prodigy. She went to college at 13 and had her childhood stripped away.
AND...
She obviously loves her work, is passionate about knowledge, and seeks out experiences that enrich her mind. Both can exist at the same time!
How does this show up in her regressed headspace?
★ Victoria is a meticulous colorer. She stays firmly within the lines and becomes very teary when she makes a mistake. She toddles over to Cassie, expecting ridicule and punishment, and is taken by surprise when she's taken in Cassie's arms instead:
"Oh baby, this is beautiful! Why is my sweet girl upset?"
"...made mistake mama, I sorry, I did it bad..."
"Nonsense. You know what, honey? Even if you did make a mistake, you're allowed to make as many as you need when you're with mama. My sweet baby could never make a mistake that makes her mama stop loving her."
"...really? 'm not bad?"
"Not at all, sweet pea. Let's go put this on the fridge with your special magnets!"
★ Victoria has alphabet magnets on Cassie's refrigerator. When she's feeling especially small, she loves to sit on the kitchen tiles on a pillow while Cassie makes dinner, rearranging them into lots of big medical words. Cassie never misses an opportunity to tell her how smart she is. Victoria beams with pride, the same smile present as when she successfully completes a complex procedure at work.
"Baby, good job! Look at you go! How smart is my Vic?"
Victoria sometimes makes "silly words", spelling an "easy" word incorrectly and looking up at her with mischevious eyes and a giggle. Cassie loves to tickle her baby's sides and croon,
"Silly baby! That's not where the B goes! I know you're playin' a trick on me!"
★ Victoria has a large collection of children's chapter books, but this was a hard-won battle by Cassie. When she first learned of Vic's regression, Cassie would come home to Victoria pouring over medical textbooks, visibly confused and upset by the material. Cassie tried to gently remove the books, but Victoria resisted, urging that she was smart and "could do it, promise!".
Cassie tried to sit down and read some picture books instead, but Victoria's mind was somewhere else and eyes glassy.
"Baby...what's going on? Is something in the story making you sad?"
"No...don' want you to think I'm stupid."
It was then that Cassie quickly maneuvered out of their bed and made her way to Harrison's bookshelf, dusting off his worn copy of The Magic Treehouse: Dinosaurs Before Dark.
"Let's try this one, it's a little better for big, smart kiddos, just like you and Harrison." It's only got a few pictures and lots of words."
"I can read it, mama, I can try..."
Victoria's words begin to slur and she quietly asks for her mama to read instead somewhere around Chapter 2. She settles into Cassie's side at Chapter 3, and dozes off right before Chapter 5.
Shoutout to @littlepittie for their recent focus on mcvadi and for feeding my mind with inspiration!
little!victoria that gets tummy aches from anxiety :( but cassie always makes her better. picks up on it the second victoria gets a little whinier, a little hunched, protecting her stomach. cassie'll get her some ginger ale to soothe her tummy, tug her little one to her lap and help her sip it slow.
her hand splays over vic's stomach, rubs soft, slow circles, firm but not too hard. just right. she rocks her girl gently til the anxiety subsides and her stomach settles, murmuring you're okay, you're safe. mama's got you. so, so safe with mama. nothing could change that, okay? shhh, you're alright.
Dana has an old rocking chair on her porch and a little Emma that can't get to sleep.
Emma's fussy tonight and embarrassed of it, pressing her lips together to hide hiccuping little sobs, mortified that she woke mama up. Dana had to hold her close and coo shh, little one, shh, it's okay, you're okay, mama's not upset.... you're not bad, you're not in trouble... always allowed to wake me whenever you need me, until Emma had settled enough to stop her wounded wails into Dana's neck, babbles of broken, desperate sorry, mama, I didn' mean to, m'sorry sorry—'s.
the night air is cool and so Dana urges Emma out of bed, tender, a steadying arm wrapped around her little lamb's shoulders as she guides her to the porch. Dana sits back in her rocking chair with a groan, tugs still-sniffling Emma into her lap, a warm, soft bundle.
her heart aches at her girl's distress, but she starts by just rocking them back and forth, back and forth, a comforting rhythm. cicadas chirp, the night hums with gentle life. the kind of quiet that's not unbearable, that's quiet but not silent. just what an overwhelmed little girl needs.
don' mean t'need it, Emma whispers, after a while of quiet whimpers against Dana's neck, crocodile tears that won't stop dripping, wet and warm. Dana sighs soft, rubs over her back, knows what she means. doesn't mean to need all this. this kind of comfort and care, this kind of "extra" that Dana "shouldn't have to give." she's heard it all from a bigger Emma, when she's more articulate in her shame.
her poor, sweet girl. it's never been a bother to Dana, never too tall an ask. she loves taking care of her little one, loves the softness and safety it can bring to Emma. even loves all the broken, messy bits of a scared little inner child coming out, loves being able to take those parts and heal them, even if it's just the beginning. she certainly doesn't mind tears.
oh, my precious girl. you don't understand just how much I love you, huh? Dana murmurs, soft, adjusts Emma more comfortably in the cradle of her arms. you could add up all the stars in that sky up there and it wouldn't even come close to how much I love you. no matter how you feel, no matter if it gets hard, if you need a good cry or a good scream. okay? mama's baby, always. you're so sweet, and so good, and no part of you is ever, ever a bother. mama loves you very much.
Emma dissolves into tears again, broken and aching in the crook of Dana's neck, the scent of her fading perfume— gardenias and tuberose— a comfort in all this sadness that feels Too Big for her body, for how utterly small she feels. it's hard. it's just so, so hard. the desperately lonely little girl inside her just never went away. but it's soothed, soothed now, with the gentle rocking of the chair, Dana's soft voice, telling her she's loved. Dana's soft hands, petting and lulling her.
...s'okay?
oh, angel-girl, of course it's okay. shh, shh, shh... it's okay, it's okay now. you can cry, baby, just cry it all out, huh? you'll feel so much lighter, so much better... we can go back to bed whenever you're done even if it takes all night. there you go, shh, shh... it's okay... it's okay now..
soooo obsessed with little Trinity’s love for skin to skin!! I would love to see you write more about it :3
yess! i've gotten so many requests for this you have no idea
Trinity literally will seek it out at any point while they're lounging on the couch or bed. She likes it better with Baran, Yolanda tends to run cold but she'll indulge in cuddles with a hoodie on.
Mostly when she's in her baby headspace and non verbal, she'll tug on Baran's shirt. 'Ok my love, but only for a bit, the ac is blasting.' Baran would take off her skirt, take Trinity's off, along with her shorts, and lean back and relax.
Trinity will practically melt into Baran's chest, cooing while she rubs circles around the scars on her thigh. It’s the only thing that can make her thoughts quiet.
She'll doze off after 5, 10 minutes and Baran would grab a book to read until she gets back up.
bonus!: Baran learned a lullaby in Tagalog to sing to her, even practicing with Yolanda for pronunciation along with one she taught to Yolanda in Farsi.
little!Vic needs constant reassurance when she's small. she feels annoying, sensitive, tries to hide it— won't ask for it, just hesitantly hovers near Cassie, big brown eyes shining with silent tears. she doesn't mean to be sensitive. she doesn't mean to get overwhelmed. she just can't help it.
Cassie is murmuring I know, I know, sweetie, without Victoria needing to say anything. pulling her girl into a warm hug and kissing her hair, rubbing her back. it's okay, it's okay. you're safe. mama loves you no matter what, okay? no matter what. it's okay... shh, it's alright. oh, sweet girl, mama's here.
thinking about Robby taking Dennis to build-a-bear for his birthday since he never got to go as a kid....
He grew up in rural Nebraska, there wasn't a mall around for miles. His parents didn't have that kind of money, anyways.
He didn't have much of a childhood. Between farmwork and housework and religious studies, he had no time for play, and definitely no time for things as childish as stuffed animals. He wasn't supposed to be childish, he was supposed to be a man.
But sometimes, he admits to himself, when they'd gone to the store, he'd lingered near the soft toys— something quiet and longing in his chest. He had just wanted something to hold.
He never asked for one. His family was poor, that he knew, and his father was already so disdainful of Dennis's own softness. The sensitive child, the runt of the litter. Much of Dennis's childhood was spent trying to make up for the way he was.
Now here he is, years later. At a colorful children's store.
Dennis is embarrassed as he picks out a bear, one of the plainer ones, brown and classic. His shoulders are curled in and his cheeks are tinted pink, but Robby's hand remains warm and comforting on his back. Guiding him gently, a stable presence.
He's shy throughout the heart ceremony— though something childlike and giddy blooms in his chest as he follows the employee through the steps. Robby orders Dennis to go pick out some clothes as he finishes up the bear for him, sends him off with a reassuring pat on the head.
Dennis feels coddled. He doesn't hate it.
He ends up picking out a sleeper for his bear, blue and white. He doesn't care much about accessories, and he already feels guilty enough that Robby's paying.
There's a part of him that berates himself for letting this happen. That screams Robby is spending is money on you, useless you, for a useless gift. He thinks you're weak. You are weak. He has a feeling that's why Robby kept this a secret. He hadn't known this was their destination— Robby claimed birthday surprise, Den. You'll have to wait and see.
Dennis would've protested a lot harder. Stopped this from ever happening. But now that he's here.. he can't bring himself to.
There's just something about Robby that makes him unfurl, showing his underbelly, all the weak, soft parts of him that he tried to hide for so long. He trusts Robby. He can't help it. Robby has only ever praised that side of Dennis.
The older man rejoins him at the register, paying for the bear and the sleeper, ruffling his hair when they exit the store. He does feel like a kid— but for the first time, it's not in a bad way. He doesn't feel scared or unstable, it's not in a rocky home where he has to tiptoe around angry parents and tormenting brothers- it's with a man who's been nothing but gentle with him, shown him nothing but kindness. Who's never laid a finger on him to hurt him.
It's nice. It feels safe. Dennis is relaxing into it slowly, getting used to it.
Robby holds his hand, intertwining fingers, the build-a-bear bag in the other hand. Dennis squeezes. Robby squeezes back. For some reason, that makes Dennis a little emotional. He blinks it away, quiet as he follows Robby back out to the car.
"Thank you," he murmurs, sliding into the passenger seat. Robby places the bag on the car floor between his legs, and buckles his seatbelt for him. The tips of Dennis's ears burn.
"Y'know, you really-" Dennis swallows, eyes down, feeling impossibly small. "You don't have to treat me like I'm fragile. I'm not fragile. I don't need kid gloves."
Robby pinches his chin gently, tilts his face up to meet his eyes. Robby's eyes are always so warm and endearing, molten brown and vulnerable. "I don't think you're fragile," Robby assures, head cocking. "I just like taking care of you, Den. Is that okay? Do you want me to stop?"
Dennis really, really doesn't want him to stop. He's almost surprised at how vehemently he rejects that idea. He should feel humiliated at all this babying, and part of him does- but the other part doesn't care. It feels so fucking nice, after a life of no one else caring this much.
"No," he whispers, blinking rapidly, eyes burning. "No, you don't have to stop. I don't want you to stop."
Robby leans down, pressing a slow, soft kiss to the younger man's cheek. "Attaboy." Something in Dennis's chest crunches.
They ride home in relative quiet. Robby has some 70s station playing, the older man quietly humming along. It lulls Dennis, his head resting on the passenger window, the glass cool against his temple.
He didn't realize he had fallen asleep until he feels strong arms lift him out of the car, cradling him against a warm chest. He mumbles something sleepy and unintelligible against Robby's shoulder, fading in and out of reality.
He sighs as he's laid down on their bed, pouting a little when Robby doesn't immediately lay down with him and snuggle up— as is their usual routine.
A consolation prize is tucked into his arms, and his eyes flutter open to look down at his new bear. Robby must've dressed it in the sleeper at some point, and Dennis has to admit he's already too damned fond of the thing. He shouldn't care, it's just a stuffed animal. But it's cute. And soft. And he likes it.
"Why don't you give that bear a squeeze for me, honey?" Robby says, brushing a thumb over Dennis's temple.
Dennis scoffs and grins up at Robby, feeling ridiculous as he gives the bear a hug. But then his eyes well, mouth slightly agape as he looks up at his lover.
While he had sent Dennis to go pick out the bear's outfit, Robby had recorded a little message for the bear to play every time Dennis gives it a hug.
I love you, sweet boy. My Den.
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