ੈ✩‧₊˚ Nat isn’t quite sure how to deal with the cold, and when her favourite comfort isn’t available to her she feels younger than normal, Lottie has to figure out how to distract her from that fact and warm her up.
{ notes- this is my very first time writing a oneshot so i hope you enjoy it !! this is also a gift for @cryingatwindermerepeaks thank you for all your contributions towards the yellowjackets agere tag !! includes cg!lottie, regressor!nat, use of pacifiers, mentions of nats trauma relating to the cold.}
word count- 1.4k
“There you are.” Lottie’s voice manages to squeeze itself into the tiny space between the coatrack and the shelf where they keep the outdoor shoes. When Nat moves the arm of her fur coat, she can spot the light pink fabric of Lottie’s pyjama bottoms creasing as she kneels in front of her hiding spot.
The weather had been getting colder again, windows frosted over when they woke in the early mornings, and cardigans worn over their sleep shirts. Nat had never minded the winter before the crash- the cold was merely an inconvenience due to the trailer not being able to keep out the cold- but in Lottie’s house, the warmth from the heaters kept you feeling safe until you had to leave.
Things had been piling up over the past week, Nat had tripped on a walk- earning her a scraped knee and cold palms, Lottie had to leave and go out of town for three days which left her to return to her Mother’s trailer with her tail between her legs- even if she had been told she was welcomed in the Matthew’s home whilst Lottie was away, she had been too nervous to stay on her own in that big house.
Then the worst thing had happened: Nat had dropped Rusty the raccoon into the sink while trying to help by washing the dishes. Lottie wasn’t mad at her; she never was, but she had insisted that Rusty needed to get a wash before Nat could play with him again. That was fine, she had managed to convince herself, she could hold out on regressing until she got her stuffie back safe and sound- at least she thought so until one of the butlers had left the back door open and had chilled the entire house.
Lottie had known about Nat having to brace the cold every day during that first winter with Travis, and then when the second rolled around, she had been the one to climb the snowy mountain all on her own. She knew Nat struggled with the cold; usually on her bad days, she would stay curled up in her bed with Rusty in one arm and a hot water bottle in the other. But this time, Rusty wasn’t anywhere to be found.
“Can you scoot yourself out a little, please?” Nat couldn’t think of anything worse, her cheeks felt warm from the array of coats and jackets surrounding her, and she could smell Lottie’s perfume on the more furry coats. “Just so I can see your smiley face, bug.”
“S’ cold.” Lottie can hear the frown through her words, she’s quiet in a way that would tell Lottie that she had regressed if she hadn’t been able to tell by her hiding away in the mudroom. “Don’t want to go outside.”
“I know, baby.” Lottie tries to reason with her- it’s not the usual approach she would have to take, when Natalie regressed she never had to be bribed or bargained with, she always strived to please. “You don’t have to go outside, I promise, nobody’s going out there. It’s getting warmer now, but you’ve been hiding away for so long in there, I doubt you can feel it.”
Nat must shuffle, or adjust her arms, because Lottie now has a full view of her, sitting curled up with her knees to her chest, her thumb switching between getting chewed on and slipping into her mouth. Her heart breaks a little bit seeing just how small she looks- Nat rarely regresses this young, and it always strikes Lottie just how tiny she can look.
“‘M sorry.” Nat’s lip begins to wobble in a way that makes Lottie want to swaddle her up in countless layers of blankets and never let her go ever again. She sounds exhausted and scared more than anything else. “I’m just really cold.”
“You don’t have to be, everything’s alright, I promise you.” She sticks her arms into the midst of hanging clothes, letting Nat grab at her warm hand and rub it against her cheek like she does with the ear of her raccoon- though this only seems to refresh her memory.
“But-“ Nat shakes her head just before she begins to shuffle herself out, finally looking up at her caregiver with big, teary eyes. “But Rusty’s gone, can’t find him.”
“Oh baby, he’s in the dryer, remember?”
“All alone?” That thought alone seems to panic her, a whine escapes her pitifully as she releases Lottie’s hand to rub at the few tears that have fallen at the realisation she’s left her best friend all alone in the scary dryer.
“He won’t be in there for long.” She feels stuck; she needs Nat to come out from her hiding space without causing her more panic, but her stuffie’s only just been put into the dryer and will still be another fifteen minutes. “How about we go and check on Rusty? And if he isn’t quite dry enough, then Mama can do her magic trick to get him all warm and ready for you?”
Nat blinks at her for a moment, the mix of reassurances and Lottie referring to herself as ‘Mama’ clearly had thrown her into a deeper headspace than normal. But before Lottie can backtrack, Nat gives a nervous nod before beginning to shuffle towards her whilst taking her still extended hand.
“Good job, Sweetheart.” She sighs out, and once Nat manages to squeeze her way fully out, Lottie has no issues pulling Nat into her arms once she’s standing, holding the regressed girl against her front.
Nat lets out a small whine at the cold air inside the mud room, burying her face in the warm silk of Lottie’s shoulder until she feels the warm air from the rest of the house and is sure they aren’t going anywhere near the outdoors.
The rest of the house has all warmed up, the fireplaces all lit and flooding the house with both warmth and the comforting smell which takes her back to the first winter in the cabin- luckily, the smell has never triggered Natalie at all. The laundry room is warm enough to rid the goosebumps on Natalie’s skin, and she gives a contented sound into her Mama’s neck once the smell of cotton laundry powder fills her nose.
“Mama?”
Lottie hums back a reply, her hand rubbing her back in small circles as she sways on her feet. She huffs out a small laugh once she receives a small mumble into her neck. “Rusty?”
“Mama can do the trick if you like, but that means you have to get down so I can grab the hair dryer and get Rusty out.” She can hardly get her sentence out before Nat shakes her head, her hands coming up to grab at her shoulders. “Oh, I know, I know you wanna stay here, I've got you.”
It takes her a lot of effort, and a few close calls, but she manages to sit herself on the ground without dropping Nat, who hasn’t let her grip weaken since the idea of being put down escaped Lottie’s mouth. “Or we can just sit here and watch Rusty get all nice and warm from the dryer.”
Once she receives a small nod, and feels her baby's head turn to face the shaking machine which is holding her friend hostage. She leans back against a pile of towels before spotting Nat’s thumb tucked between her teeth.
“Hm, I think I see a thumb where it isn’t supposed to be.” She makes sure to keep her tone a playful one, poking a finger at Nat’s cheek until she gets a small smile. Lottie gently tugs on her hand until she releases her thumb, even if it earns her a pout. She reveals a pacifier from the pocket of her pyjama trousers, a dark blue one with glow-in-the-dark stars- a gift from Van, if she remembers correctly. She places a small kiss on Nat’s forehead as she timidly accepts the pacifier, so that she knows she isn’t looking at her whilst she gets used to it.
Lottie’s sure she’ll have a sore back later on, but she’ll take it if that means Natalie can settle until Rusty can be returned to her. She’s quick to fall into a dozy state, half awake as the soft thrumming of the dryer mixes with Lottie’s warm hand stroking her hair away from her face.
“You can sleep, cuddle-bug, Rusty will be all ready for you once you wake up again, I promise.” Nat falls asleep in her Mama's arms without fear.