Archive of Our Own ^beta

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He was not fretting.

...okay, fine. He was.

But – he thinks that is a completely reasonable course of action to take in this situation.

This situation being that he is about to foster a little for the very first time.

He's.. excited, behind all the anxiety. Of course he had tried to find a little the “normal” way, but – it had just never worked out. He was very high-need, and, well, none of the little's he'd tried with were the same.

Which was fine! Honestly, it was. That's why he signed up for this! Fostering a little. Maybe even adopting, if things worked out? He wasn’t sure yet. What he was sure of was that he needed this – needed to care for someone. Specifically, a high-needs little who truly needed a caregiver.  He wasn’t prepared to care for a little from an abusive home, and you had to do a lot more training for that, but taking in a little who just needed a cg? He could do that.

And, sure, it was more or less uncommon for just one person to foster, usually it's couples or families or polycules – but he did get a hefty amount of money from his inheritance, and he has his part-time work-from-home job because not working at all felt.. lazy. 

Anyways, he has.. a few friends, yeah, but he’s 24, and he needs.. something. And he really, really needs to spend some time with a little. So, he applied to be a foster caregiver, went through the psychological exams, took the training, and started to work less so he would have plenty of time to spend with his new little.

And after two months of waiting and cleaning and tentatively buying neutral furniture and worrying if he would do okay, he finally got a match. An email from the agency, for a little who had just turned 18. Cosmo. The email didn’t have a picture, but it did have a description; 5’4, 184 lbs, brown eyes, brown curly hair, mixed African American and Caucasian, transgender male.

He was almost a foot shorter than Sprout, but that was to be expected; most littles weren't very tall, the same way that most caregivers were naturally stronger. 

He tapped his fingers nervously on his desk as he scrolled through the rest of the information about him. Age range of 1-3, high-needs; almost always in his little space. Likes: space, warm clothes, baked goods and baking (with the help of a caregiver), soft toys, fruit, physical affection.

He seemed.. perfect. No major trauma or health issues, just some mild anxiety. Generally shy but sweet after he gets to know someone. He reads through everything twice, just to make sure, before he types up an acceptance reply.

He’s about to send it when he pauses. Is he sure he can do this? He reads through Cosmo’s information again. He’s perfect. And -- and the agency did email him, so they must think he’s a good match. He can at least try, right? If not for himself, for this little who needs someone to take care of him.

He presses send.

Who would’ve thought how expensive everything you needed to buy for littles was? He had gone to a few stores, trying to buy more specific items for Cosmo. His little. Hopefully, at least! Unless Cosmo didn’t like him. Which would be fine. Of course.

He just.. hopes it doesn’t happen.

Anyway! He’s trying to decide on pacifiers. There's some with little glow-in-the-dark stars on them, and just a set with a bunny one and a strawberry one. Holding both packages in his hands, he really can’t decide. What if he gets only one pack and Cosmo hates them?

…he ends up getting both. He can always donate what Cosmo doesn’t like.

He pulls up the list on his phone of what other gear the agency had recommended for him. He had pacis, bottles, a sippy-cup for his older headspace -- oh, and paci clips! He already had a bed and dresser and nightstand in Cosmo’s room; if he wanted a crib, they could discuss that later. Cosmo should have clothes with him, but he buys a few anyway just in case.

The list says he's an XL, but that doesn't mean everything will fit.. or even that he'll like it all! Gosh, he is overthinking everything. Taking a deep breath, he picks out an adorable bear onesie, a matching set of fluffy pants and a sweater (it is winter), socks, and a few different kinds of underwear. That way he has some back-up clothes, just in case he needs them.

He stares at the toy section for a bit too long. The bottles and pacifiers were easy enough, there weren't an insane amount of options, but there were so many toys. He picks them off of the shelf and feels their texture, squeezing them, debating if they’re good enough quality. It isn’t that big of a deal, but he wants Cosmo to be happy.

He stands there so long that an employee gives him a look, so he decides to just pick out some loveys, soft blocks, and soft books. Finally, all that's left on the list is diapers (he gets normal and reusable ones, just in case) and some suggested snacks, so he grabs those before paying. He felt.. good. Happy, even? As he carried the bags to his car. He might have a little soon, like he's always wanted.

The nice lady had come to his house again, bringing another little treat -- chocolate-chip cookies, this time. She’d talked to his parents for a while, showing them something on her tablet, before bringing it to him. “Are you big, Cosmo?” She had asked, and he had nodded, because his parents had said he needed to be for these next few days. He wasn't.. fully big, he rarely was, but he was big enough to listen.

Like how he had listened when his parent's told him that they love him very much, but they just weren’t able to take care of him so much. He wasn’t bad, they had said, just different from them. And that, if he was okay with it, they were going to look for a permanent caregiver for him.

He had been very scared, he didn’t want to never see them again – but they’d said he still could sometimes. So, maybe this would all be okay. He didn’t get many toys or anything here, and he’d been feeling little more and more the older he got. Maybe he needed this..?

“You remember how we were looking for a caregiver for you? Well, we think we’ve found one. His information is all on here,” The nice lady says, handing him the tablet – “Can you look through it for me and tell me what you think?” He takes it, and the glass is cold on his fingers. He looks at the picture first. It says the caregiver’s name is Sprout, and he looked very kind. His hair was dyed red and green, and that was sort of silly. 

“So, here is his information – his physical description, and then his preferences for a little.” He nods again, mostly skipping over the physical stuff 'cause his preferences seemed more important. It said that he prefers a high-needs little, one who regresses to a younger age. He says he is a gentle and affectionate caregiver, and that he lives in an apartment about an hour away from where Cosmo lives now. 

He would read more, but he's pretty sure he's feeling even smaller than before, so he tries to focus. He hands the nice lady the tablet, but -- he stops. He looks back up to the picture. He does look kind. And older than Cosmo, but that's probably okay. And if the nice lady is showing him this person, then he's probably good.

“And.. he’s good?” He asks, just to make sure, and she smiles, saying “Yes, he is. He went through all of our testing and training, and based on what I’ve learned from getting to know you, I think he’d be perfect for you, Cosmo.” That’s good. He doesn’t know him, and any stranger is kinda scary, but.. he knows he needs this. “I can change my mind?” He asks, even though they’ve told him before. “Of course. Any time you’d like, and I will be visiting to make sure everything is going well. I’ll make sure you’re happy and safe, and if you’re not, I’ll help you.”

Knowing that the nice lady will be checking on him makes him feel a lot better. She is very nice. He thinks he should try. Sprout seems very nice too. And he wants him. Not – not that his parents don't want him. He knows they love him. But love wasn’t always enough, was it? They couldn’t give him what he needed, no matter how much they tried. That’s what they had told him. And Sprout supposedly could.

Then… he can try. He might miss his parents. He might be scared. But if Sprout is as kind as he looks – maybe, just maybe – it’ll be okay. “Okay. I’ll, I'll try with him.”

Okay. He can do this! Meeting Cosmo for the first time, at the Littles Protective Services center. He takes a deep breath, looking over to the lovey in his passenger seat. It’s a little star with a cute face and soft fabric to hold on to. He hopes he likes it. Astro said he was worrying too much, and that he’d do fine and that he would love to meet his little once he’s settled in. So, maybe he will do okay.

He pulls into the parking lot, putting the lovey in its paper bag and getting out of the car. He wipes his shirt off, making sure he looks alright. His hair still feels messy, but honestly he never knows what to do with it, so it's just in a ponytail.

When he gets inside, he talks to a woman at the front desk who leads him to another room, with a table and chairs and some toys scattered around. And there, sitting at the table with his hands in his lap, chewing on his hoodie string, was Cosmo – small, in clothes too big for him, with wide brown eyes flickering nervously up at him.

Chapter Text

This morning, the nice lady was at his house again, and she helped him pick out an outfit while she explained that they were going to meet Sprout at the building she works at. She said Sprout was very excited to meet him. He wondered why – he didn’t even know him yet.

He had breakfast, then, and gave his mom and dad a big hug before leaving in the nice lady's car. She said he could bring a toy, if he wanted, so he brought Bunny. Bunny was his bestest friend, a grey stuffed animal that he’d gotten back in middle school. She was nice to touch and hold and talk to, even if she didn’t talk back. He didn’t mind.

He tried to stay mostly big on the car ride, but cars always made him really sleepy, and Bunny was so soft, that he didn’t realize he had drifted off until the nice lady was unbuckling him and saying they were there. He held her hand, using the other to hold Bunny, and followed her all the way to a room where she said they were gonna meet Sprout. She talked to him a bit while they waited, telling him more about the caregiver. He worked from home, so Cosmo wouldn’t be left alone ever. That sounded nice. Being alone was.. he didn’t like it much at all.

She also said he hadn't had many littles but was very kind and patient and wanted to have one. That was probably okay, though, because he had never really had a caregiver. He stopped paying attention after a bit, chewing on his hoodie string and looking at Bunny on the table. He was just about to ask when Sprout would get here, but the words felt stuck in his throat. What if Sprout didn’t like him? What if he wasn’t a good little? He squeezed Bunny a little tighter, trying to steady himself. But then – before he could even ask – the door opened.

Sprout looked mostly like the picture Cosmo had seen, except that his hair was up and he was a bit less tan. He let his hoodie string drop from his mouth, trying not to be rude. When they made eye contact, Sprout smiled at him, and that made him chest feel kinda warm, but he quickly looked away. Strangers could be very scary.

He needed to be brave, though. His fingers clenched around Bunny’s worn fabric, the way they always did when he was nervous. He knew he needed a caregiver, so that meant Sprout had to like him. If he messed up – if Sprout didn’t want him – what would happen then? While Sprout shook hands with the nice lady, Cosmo took a deep breath and managed to say “H, hi,”

The caregiver smiled again, sitting down in the chair across from him and waving. “Hi there, Cosmo. It’s nice to meet you!” Cosmo nodded back, looking at Sprout’s clothes (jeans and a button-up tee - isn't he cold?) and face (slightly stubbly) and the bag he was holding (brown paper). He wondered what was in it. Was it for him? It probably wasn’t, ‘cause he hadn’t asked for anything.

Sprout must have noticed him staring, because he set the bag down in front of Cosmo on the table. “You can open it, if you want. It’s for you.” Really? A gift for him, already? He doesn’t even know Sprout, but – he’s already being nice? That didn’t happen a lot. His parents cared about him, sure, but they didn’t always understand his little stuff. No one had ever just… given him something, just because, since he was a kid.

He hesitates, though, looking over to the nice lady for reassurance. She smiles at him, so he takes that for permission and opens it, pulling out.. a star? A stuffed toy, with a little blanket attached. He rubs the material with his thumb, making sure it was real. It was.. and it was very soft. With a cute blushing face. It seemed friendly, kinda like Bunny.

“Thank you,” He says, still looking at the toy. “Does– has name?” he asks, feeling embarrassed about how bad he is with words, but he’s starting to slip and he isn’t very good at all with words when he's small. “No, he doesn’t yet. You get to name him.” Sprout says, and his voice just.. feels comforting. He bites his lip, thinking about what to name him. “Hm.. S’ardust?” He looks over to Sprout, still clutching the stuffie, to see if he likes the name. He’s scared if he doesn’t, if he didn’t pick out a good name. He isn’t very good at being creative. 

“That’s a very pretty name! I’m sure Stardust loves it.” He likes it! That's good. And his face seems genuine, too, so Cosmo must be doing a good job. He doesn’t know what to say, so he looks at the nice lady, and she says, “Do you have any questions for Sprout, Cosmo?” Questions? Hm..

“Why ‘s want little?” He asks, glancing up at Sprout, still petting Stardust with one hand. He was curious. “Well.. I haven’t been able to meet a little I’ve just clicked with, you know? And I’ve wanted one for a while. I love taking care of people, it makes me very happy.” That makes sense. That’s probably why a lot of caregivers do this stuff. He’s still doubtful about Sprout wanting specifically him, though. He doesn’t.. know how to be a little. He’s sure there are littles who are better at it, who knew what to do. It feels like he doesn’t know anything.

He realizes he needs to respond, so he asks, “Kinda like me?” he asks, “I haven’ met anyone, so..” Sprout nods, his expression softening. “Yeah, kinda like you! We have that in common.” That’s nice – having things in common is good, he thinks. And Sprout seems to like him so far, which is what he wanted, so it must be going pretty well.

They talk for a bit more, and Sprout asks the nice lady a few things, before apparently their time is up. “It’s about time for Sprout to go, Cosmo,” the nice lady said, “But we can schedule a home visit in a few days, if you’d want.” He nods, but his chest feels funny – like something warm is curling up inside, something he doesn’t know what to do with yet. He thinks he really likes Sprout. And Sprout seems to like him too. Maybe this could work. Maybe, just maybe, he’d found someone who could take care of him the way he needed.

Cosmo will be here in ten minutes.

In his house, in ten minutes.

Ten. Minutes.

He's swept and mopped twice, and organized everything he bought for Cosmo into his room. The furniture was still pretty generic, but they could always change that later.

He had made sure everything else was clean but still looked cozy, so hopefully Cosmo would feel safe. And he had baby proofed everything – all the sockets and sharp corners blocked, any knives or dangerous objects locked away. It was standard practice for any little, but especially one so young.

He.. he's really going to have a baby, isn't he? A baby. He's always wanted one, if he's being honest with himself. He's been able to babysit his friends a bit, sometimes, sure, but Goob is an older kid, and while Astro may be a little younger, he's also a flip. So...

His point is, it'll be nice. If it happens. He thinks he made a good impression and that Cosmo likes him. At least, he seemed to like the lovey. Stardust is an adorable name. 

He's adjusting the pillows one last time when there's a knock on the door. Phew, okay, that must be Cosmo and the woman with LPS. He's got this.

He lets them in, smiling gently and holding the door. Cosmo is wearing basically the same thing he was last time – the same white hoodie, shorts peeking out from under it, long striped socks and chunky sneakers. Adorable.

“Good morning, Cosmo! Would you like to come in?” He asks, because he knows choices are important to littles. Cosmo's eyes widened, flickering up at him and then inside his apartment. He hesitated, for a moment, and Sprout realized he was holding the same stuffed bunny from yesterday and the star lovey he had given him. He must really like it, then. His chest feels warm at the thought.

Cosmo looks over to the LPS worker, and when she nods at him, he takes a small, small step inside. But Sprout doesn't mind; he can be patient. As patient as Cosmo needs. He watches as he looks around the living area, thumb rubbing on the fabric of his bunny. Such a sweet kid.

Sprout walks inside more, to invite Cosmo in further, and he follows. This.. might actually work out. Cosmo is shy, sure, but he's.. amazing. Sweet and just a baby, isn't he? He just needs someone to love him. Sprout- he hopes he can be that person.

They all make it inside eventually, Sprout making small talk with the woman from LPS. Her clipboard made him a bit nervous, but he reassured himself that he had done everything on the checklist.

He notices that Cosmo is chewing on his hoodie string again. “Would you like a pacifier?” He asks, and he hopes that's okay. But Cosmo quickly shakes his head, face flushing and the string falling from his mouth. He.. doesn't seem upset, just anxious and embarrassed, so Sprout tries not to stress himself out about it.

“That's okay! Say, do you want a tour?” Cosmo thinks for a minute, biting his lip, before nodding. Sprout beams at him, before trying to control his excitement. He can stay calm and be gentle and soft. He wants to be. He's just… excited.

He shows them to the kitchen first, how the oven is child-proofed, and he shows Cosmo the pantry – he made sure to get some snacks and baking supplies, just in case. “I heard you like baking, Cosmo.. maybe we could make some cupcakes sometime?” He asks gently, trying not to pressure the little.

Cosmo seems really surprised, bringing his stuffed animals to his chest, but he nods. “‘m like baking,” He says, so soft and quiet that Sprout's heart melts. “I'd love to do it with you.” He says, trying not to start crying in his kitchen.

He leads them through the living room, the soft-cozy-fluffy couches with plenty of blankets, and shows him how the dining room is now his office. “When I need to work, I'll be right here, so I can always check on you!” He says, smiling down at the boy, who blinks a few times before nodding. The string is back in his mouth, but Sprout doesn't comment on it. It's okay.

Showing them his bedroom goes about as he expected; he tells Cosmo this is where he sleeps, and that if he ever needs him, he can always come in. The master bathroom is attached, the one with the bigger tub, which he made sure had a soft mat in it. “You can take baths here, if you'd like.” Cosmo is too little to bathe himself, he's pretty sure of that, but he makes sure to be open and frame it as a question.

The last thing he wants is Cosmo staying with him because he feels like he has to. But Cosmo, while generally quiet, seems to like it here. Finally, he shows them the guest bathroom and then it's time for Cosmo's room. “In here is your room,” He says, facing the little, “We can change it around later if you want.” He wants to say more, but – he shouldn't overwhelm him.

Cosmo looks like he's taking it all in, the small room with a twin-size bed, cream-colored dresser and matching nightstand. He had put the toys he bought around the room, as well as some blankets – the sheets and curtains had stars on them! – to make sure Cosmo felt comfortable.

“Is.. for me?” The little asked, looking shyly up at Sprout. “Yeah, Cosmo. It's all for you.” He was dying to give the boy a hug and call him honey and baby and every other sweet name that exists, but he forced himself to stay still, to be patient. Cosmo needed to make the first move, here. To come to Sprout.

“‘eally?” He asked, voice slurring, and Sprout nodded, crouching on the floor next to him. “Yeah. It's all yours, if you want it.” He watched as a tear fell from Cosmo's eye, and then – then, he was being very aggressively hugged.

It knocked the breath out of him, in surprise but also joy, because Cosmo was hugging him. He gently stroked his back, and the position was starting to make his legs ache, but honestly? He couldn't care less. “Th, ‘hank you, ‘prout.” Cosmo said into his shoulder, and now Sprout was about to cry too.

“Of course.” He says, and he let that be enough for now, simply hugging Cosmo back until the little let go. “I, I wan,” He said, tugging at the LPS woman's sleeve. “You want to come stay with him?” She asked, and when Cosmo nodded, Sprout did start crying. 

He can't believe he's going to have a little of his own. And such a sweet boy, too. He feels like the luckiest man alive.

Chapter Text

He's going to spend the night at Sprout's place tonight to see if he likes it. The nice lady had made sure he knew how to call her from his phone in case he needed her or wanted to go home, which she said was perfectly okay.

He has his school backpack with a change of clothes, snacks, Bunny and Stardust and– some diapers. He tries not to wear them, and sometimes he doesn't have to, but.. it's been getting harder. He wasn't wearing one now, that would have been– been too much.

He almost falls asleep in the car ride there, but he stays awake thinking. What are they gonna do? He hasn't really spent time with a caregiver- caregiver before. He doesn't know what they like or what to expect.

His parents are both neutrals with slight caregiver leanings, and they had tried – really, they had – but they just couldn't give him the 24/7 care he needed. He bites his lip – he doesn’t like to think about this. About how he needed too much for them.

But.. Sprout won't think he’s too much. Right? He has similar needs to Cosmo, at least that's what the tablet had said about him. He hopes he does. Maybe he should try to stay sorta big, but still small enough for Sprout to like him? It's all making his head hurt. He presses his cheek against the cool car window, watching the trees go by.

It felt like it took forever for them to get here, but that might just be because last time he had slept through it. The nice lady made sure he didn't forget anything in the car, and then held his hand as they took the elevator to the second story. This building seemed really fancy – it had a doorman and columns and was very sleek, but he remembers the inside of Sprout’s apartment being very cozy.

He takes a deep breath, like he learned to when he was about to do something scary, and then knocked on the door. Twice, really quiet, but he hoped loud enough that Sprout heard. He could've let the nice lady do it, but.. he felt like he should've.

The door is pulled open, and there's Sprout, in jeans and a t-shirt with a band Cosmo doesn't recognize on it. He smiles at Cosmo, like he always does when he sees him, and he feels his face heating up. “Cosmo! It's good to see you.” Sprout says, shaking hands with the nice lady again (is there a reason he always does that?) before turning his attention back to Cosmo. “Would you like to come in?” He asks, and he always does that too – asking. Like he really cares what Cosmo thinks and wants.

He nods, taking one, two, three steps inside. It smells nice, like Sprout lit a vanilla candle. It makes him feel all.. fuzzy and soft at the edges. He sits down on the couch, setting his bag next to him, while Sprout talks with the nice lady a bit more. He’d be here until.. noon tomorrow, that's what she had said. He had already eaten breakfast, so it was probably after breakfast but before lunch. Ten-ish?

He hears the door close and he realizes that must mean the nice lady is leaving. His breath feels caught in his throat for a second, and he squeezes his hand into a pillow from the couch. What if Sprout doesn’t like him? What if he does a bad job?

“Cosmo? Are you alright?” That comforting-soft voice says, and that’s Sprout. There's a hand on his shoulder. He leans into it without thinking, pushing his face down into it. “I– s, sorry,” He manages to get out, trying to slow his breathing. “Woah, Cosmo, you’re alright. I’m not mad. You haven’t done anything wrong.”

He doesn’t know how it happened, but all of a sudden he’s pulling Sprout down onto the couch and sobbing into his chest. Now there’s two hands on him; one patting his back and the other holding his hand. He squeezes, to make sure this is real, because he didn’t know a hug could be so nice. Sprout squeezes back. He lets out a giggle, without even thinking about it, like he can’t control it. “ There you are,” He hears, and his voice sounds happy . He takes a deep, deep breath into Sprout’s shirt, ‘cause he smells nice.  “‘m here,” he repeats, ‘cause talking is hard but it’s easier when he can repeat after someone.

He peeks his head out from Sprout’s chest, and the man is looking down at him, eyes all crinkled and soft-looking, red-and-green hair fluffy and messy. “‘prout,” He says, but– he doesn’t really know what else he wanted to say. Maybe he just wanted to say his name. “Yeah, baby?”

Baby? Baby?

“B– baby?” He asks, squeezing Sprout’s hand again. It feels calloused, textured but in the most comforting way. He likes textures. “Oh– I’m sorry, Cosmo. I didn’t mean to call you that without asking.” He sits up at that– he didn’t mean that– “No, no, please? Liked?” He rubs roughly at his eyes, trying to stop any incoming tears, but Sprout must understand, because he gently grabs his wrists. “Hey, shh, shh. It’s alright, baby. I’ll call you whatever you like.”

Cosmo lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, diving back into Sprout’s arms. “Baby,” He says, again, because he likes it. He likes it a lot. “Baby.” Sprout confirms, ruffling his hair. He likes that a lot too. Sprout is nice, and being called baby is even nicer.

They lay like that for a while, just snuggling. He lets himself relax, just a bit, lets himself close his eyes and he’s feeling all floaty within a few minutes. “Hey, Cosmo? It’s about lunch time, baby. Why don’t we eat and then we can take our nap, hm?” Cosmo blinks a few times, trying to wake himself up. He just wants to fall asleep.. but he is sorta hungry. And if Sprout wants him to, he probably should. “‘kay,” he says, stretching his arms above his head, “Wha's eat?”

Sprout smiles, squeezing Cosmo's hand one more time before he stands up. “There's a few things we could do.. I could make grilled cheese, pizza, I have some chicken nuggets.. I normally don't cook lunch, just dinner. You can look in the fridge if you want!” That's a lot of options. He nods, standing up and wobbling a bit before grasping at Sprout's hand. The caregiver helps him walk to the fridge, where he opens it.

He sees the fruit and immediately points at it, before pulling his hand back. He didn't mean to do that, oops. Was that bad? “You want some fruit, sweetheart? We can do that! I have grapes, apples, strawberries, blueberries…” He didn't mess up? Sprout called him – sweetheart , so he must not have done bad. It warms his face and chest and tummy to hear it.

He really likes fruit, it's very nice and good tasting, but he doesn’t think that's enough for lunch. “Bit of all? An.. grill cheese?” He says, picking up the container of strawberries. He wants to help.

“That sounds great! Why don't you set the fruit you want on the counter while I get the grilled cheese started?” He nods, and then focuses on not dropping any of the fruit. He sets the strawberries down, then gets the blueberries, grapes, apples, and he finds some raspberries! Plus, he didn't drop any of them. He’s very proud of himself for that.

“Woah! You did such a good job, sweetheart. Hm.. why don't you pick out how much you want and put it on–” He reaches up and takes a plastic plate down, just a plain grey one, “–here, and then I'll cut them up for you?” That sounds good, so he starts with the strawberries, grabbing a few and setting them on the plate. They say organic and local on the box, and he thinks that means that they're good strawberries.

He watches Sprout for a second as he cuts the strawberries into four pieces, and puts them back onto the plate. The man smiles at him and he realizes he's smiling back without even trying to. Oh! The rest of the fruit, he had forgotten. Blueberries and raspberries don't need to be cut, so they're left on the plate. He gets one apple and picks some grapes off of the vine to set down. Then he starts to put the containers back, because being good means cleaning up after himself.

“Aw, Cosmo, you didn't have to do that. Thank you honey, that was very sweet of you.” He flushes, his hands clenching into fists, but he makes sure to finish putting everything back. When he turns around, there's grilled cheese on the plate now, cut into two triangles.

And there's another plate – that must be Sprout's! Oh, no, he forgot to give him any fruit. That's, that's probably bad. He starts to move some from his plate to Sprout's, when the man laughs softly. “Baby, it's alright. I can always have some from your plate!” Oh– that's okay then! Wasn't bad, he thinks. “Mkay,” He says, and then Sprout is leading him back to the couches. That must be where they eat.

Cosmo focuses on carrying his own plate, and when he sets it down on the coffee table Sprout says he did a very good job helping. That makes him really happy. He also realizes that Sprout had set a sippy cup down on the table, next to his normal glass of water. “Is this okay?” He asks, “I can get you a regular cup if you'd like.” 

The cup has stars on it, and there's ice in the water, so he thinks its okay. He shakes his head, and Sprout smiles at him. He waits to eat until Sprout starts – that's polite, isn't it? He vaguely remembers his parents saying something like that. When takes a bite out of his sandwich, Cosmo does too. It tastes really, really good.

They eat quietly, but Cosmo is okay with that. He makes sure to hand Sprout some fruit, because he needs to eat too, and every time the caregiver laughs a bit, but he does eat it. Well, until he brings a strawberry to Cosmo's lips, and he– he whines , at that, ‘cause it's a lot and the fuzzy-feeling is all over and his chest is tight and it's like there's a wall there and he squeezes his eyes shut in overwhelming embarrassment and shame.

No, no– this must be bad, Sprout wasn't even being mean, why is he like this? He shouldn't be so, so sensitive , littles are supposed to like being taken care of, and he does but it's– it's so much . He's about to start crying when Sprout shushes him sofy, saying “Oh, honey, you don't have to. It's alright, I promise.” He breathes for a minute, trying to calm himself down. Opens his eyes slowly. Sprout had set the strawberry down.

He gets to eat the rest himself, so he's okay after that. It's, it's not that he didn't like it. Just, it was a lot, and he knows he's dramatic, but he gets really overwhelmed really really easily. Sprout didn't seem to mind, though, but.. he should still try not to do stuff like that much ‘cause he thinks Sprout would probably get tired of it after a while. 

When they finish, Sprout asks if he'd like a bottle with his nap, and that's a hard question but he.. he does , so he whispers, very quietly, because that's the only way he can, “With sugar an’ ‘nilla?” And Sprout says “Of course, baby, I’ll be right back.” Cosmo lets out a breath, and he feels kind of scared and shaky. He isn't good at asking.

His mom used to make him warm milk with sugar and vanilla in it, when he was actually very tiny. He isn't really tiny now.

While he's waiting, he gets Bunny and Stardust from his bag, because he doesn't wanna sleep without them. Then Sprout is back, holding a bottle with little trees on it, and he walks him to.. his room? It– it will be his room.

If he stays.

He's starting to feel sleepy as they walk to the room, watching Sprout's feet. He has on fluffy slippers. He must be sleepy enough that he lets Sprout untie his shoes and lay him down. But when he notices Sprout is about to sit on the chair next to the bed, not on the bed, he makes grabby-hands for Sprout to come too ‘cause he's good-soft.

Sprout lays Cosmos's head in his lap, brushing his hair out of the way, as he brings the bottle to his lips. It's kind of scary, he's never really used a bottle since he was really little, but he does it. He drinks the milk, warm and sweet, Sprout holding his head up with one hand and the bottle in the other.

Part of him is still nervous, still scared because this feels too good to be true. Could he really stay here? He looks over to Bunny and Stardust, and they seem very comfy and happy. As he finishes the bottle, he thinks that he.. he just might want to stay. He rests his head and lets himself fall asleep in this safe-gentle-warm place.