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Chapter Text

When Coriolanus wasn't at their usual table at lunch, Sejanus didn't think much of it. Coryo would often get caught up with an assignment or try to catch a teacher during their lunch period to have a meeting about his grades. Sejanus thought he cared more about his grades than anything in the whole world, even though Coryo was already the smartest person he'd ever met. Which is why he started growing concerned when Coriolanus wasn't in their class following lunch either.

Coriolanus had never missed a day of school since Sejanus had known him, even when he was sick as a dog. He'd say that feeling a bit under the weather was no excuse to slack off. And anyway, Coryo hadn't seemed sick this morning. A little preoccupied maybe. Did something happen to him? Maybe his grandmother had fallen ill. Sejanus hoped that wasn't the case. She was a mostly unpleasant lady but Coriolanus clearly loved her, about as much as he could love anyone.

Sejanus excused himself to go to the bathroom. As he walked down the long hallways he thought about Coryo. He wished that his friend would be more open with him about things he struggled with. His father had told him that there were rumors of the Snows being flat broke, could Coryo's sudden disappearance have to do with that? Sejanus felt a knot forming in his stomach at the idea of Coryo being kicked out of the Academy. If he was gone, Sejanus would have no one to talk to in the whole school. Not to mention how distraught Coriolanus would be that all of his hard work was for nothing.

Sejanus pushed open the bathroom door and was surprised to see Coriolanus standing at the sink.

“Coryo!” he said. When Coriolanus glanced up at him through the mirror, Sejanus could see that his eyes were red-rimmed and puffy as if he'd been crying. “Coryo?”

Coriolanus quickly scrubbed a hand over his face and turned around to face Sejanus. He looked a mess. His uniform shirt was crumpled, dotted with wet spots Sejanus could only assume were from tears; he'd clearly been crying as there were still tracks on his red cheeks even after his attempt at scrubbing them away. His hair was sticking up at odd angles, and he looked so little like his usual self Sejanus unconsciously took a step back.

“O-oh,” Coriolanus stuttered. He never stuttered. “H-hi.”

“Hey Coryo, what's going on, buddy?”

While his body betrayed him, Sejanus's Caregiver nature was screaming at him that this was wrong. That Coriolanus was distressed and he was the one that needed to fix it. He took a step towards his friend, while Coryo tried to take a step back, bumping into the sink.

“It's alright, it's just me,” Sejanus said softly, not moving any closer. “I want to help you. Can you tell me what's wrong?”

Coriolanus looked at him nervously, bringing his hand up to his mouth and biting his thumb nail. He looked so young like that, Sejanus was sure Coryo must be a Little. He'd never shown signs before though, and Sejanus wondered if this was his first drop. It would be a terrible place for it, but it's not like Coryo could help it.

“Buddy,” Sejanus started when it seemed like Coriolanus wouldn't be giving him an answer. “I know this is probably really scary for you, but I can help. How about you just nod yes or no, okay?”

Coriolanus nodded slowly, not moving his hand from his mouth. Sejanus was just fine with that, even though they were in a bathroom.

“Okay, great! Good job, bud. Now I have to ask. Are you Little?”

Coryo's face began to crumple as if he was going to cry. Sejanus did his best to soothe him and asked again. This time Coryo nodded.

“Yeah?” Sejanus smiled. He wanted Coriolanus to know that it was absolutely okay to be Little. It seemed like he wasn't too thrilled about it. “Okay. Good job Coryo. Is this your first time dropping? Being Little?”

Coriolanus shook his head.

“No? Oh! Great, then you have Little gear I can get for you?”

He shook his head again. Sejanus frowned. All classified Littles were supposed to have some supplies kept at the Academy for instances like this. He knew that Clemmie kept a change of clothes and a pacifier in her bag at all times, she liked to be prepared like that. Why wouldn't Coryo have anything there if he already knew he was a Little? Even if his family couldn't afford much, Sejanus knew the Academy offered branded gear to all of their Little students. Just the basics, but it would have been something.

“Okay,” he said, after thinking for a moment. “Why don't we go down to the office and let them know. Then we can get you a change of clothes and maybe- oh!”

Coriolanus had burst into tears at the suggestion. Sejanus quickly moved closer and wrapped his arms around the crying Little. Coryo cried into Sejanus's shoulder, shaking his head.

“You don't want to go to the office?” Coriolanus took a shaky breath and shook his head again, still buried against Sejanus's shoulder. “Why not? Once you get signed up as a Little you can get some really nice gear and then you'll be able to use the Little room. They have lots of toys and the teacher can help you with whatever you need.”

“Nuh uh,” Coriolanus said, sniffing as he leaned back away from Sejanus. “Can't.”

“Why can't you?” Sejanus wanted to help Coryo, really he did, but beyond both of them skipping the rest of their classes and taking him home, he didn't know what to do without involving the school.

“G-Grandma'am said. S-secret.”

“Your grandma said your classification should be a secret?” Coryo nodded. Sejanus couldn't believe it. Littles weren't meant to be kept secret. They were meant to be celebrated and taken care of. He knew that Coryo's grandma had a backwards way of thinking sometimes, but to hurt her grandson this way, her LITTLE grandson, it was too much.

“That's wrong, Coryo. It shouldn't be a secret.” Sejanus placed a hand on either side of Coriolanus's face, making him look him in the eye. “Please let me help you.”

Coryo nodded, just as the bell rang and the halls were filled with a sea of red uniforms.

Sejanus lifted his eyes to the ceiling and sighed. He decided it wasn't worth it to take Coryo into the crowd where he could get overwhelmed. And clearly, Coriolanus wasn't ready for the whole school to know of his classification, and even though Sejanus didn't agree with it, he should at least try to give his friend a chance to tell people as he saw fit.

He tugged a little on Coriolanus’s arm and took him into the large stall at the end of the row, hoping no one would come their way during the passing period. He took the time to straighten Coryo’s shirt and jacket; he'd clearly used his collar to wipe his nose and it was still askew. Once he was satisfied, he did his best fixing Coryo's hair. Coryo must be a magician to tame the unruly blond curls every day.

A few people made use of the other stalls, and Sejanus was counting down the minutes until the bell rang. Not that it mattered much. Coriolanus was being a very good boy, letting Sejanus fuss with him and staying quiet. Sejanus wanted nothing less than to try to explain why he and Coriolanus Snow were in a bathroom stall together.

Soon enough the bell did ring, Sejanus even gave it a few extra minutes before they ventured out. Most of the tardy stragglers would be out of the hallway by then. He took Coryo's hand and led him to the office.

“How old are you, buddy?” he asked. Coryo shrugged, his thumb fully in his mouth now. “Would your grandma know? Or Tigris? I think they need to put it on your paperwork.”

Sejanus didn't get a response. Coriolanus had stopped abruptly, staring into an open classroom. His eyes were wide and Sejanus couldn't help but smile.

“This is the Little room. See all the toys? Once we get your paperwork done I'll bring you back here and you can play with anything you want. Sound good?”

Coryo nodded, keeping his eyes on the room even as Sejanus gently pulled him away. He tried to ask him about being Little, what he liked to play with and if he had a Caregiver, trying to stay away from things that might make Coryo uncomfortable like diapers and pacifiers, but he didn't get an answer to anything. Just shrugs.

They arrived at the office and Sejanus asked to speak with the counselor. He took Coryo over to sit in an old chair to wait. After a few minutes, they were called back. Sejanus took Coryo's hand again and led him to the counselor's office. She gestured for them to sit with a smile.

“Good afternoon boys!” she said brightly. “What's going on, today?”

Sejanus glanced at Coryo before telling her exactly how he'd found him. She frowned in sympathy.

“Aw, I'm sorry Coriolanus. I'm sure this has been so stressful for you! Let me just put you in our system and give a call to our Classification Specialist and we'll get you all set to rights.”

She asked when he'd been classified which, of course, Sejanus didn't know. He didn't even know Coryo was a Little until 15 minutes ago. Some friend he was. Even if Coryo didn't want to tell him, surely he should have been able to tell. He was a Caregiver for crying out loud!

The counselor kept going, asking about his age range.

“I'm not really sure of that either. I'd say 2-4, maybe? Really young. He doesn't talk much and he sucks his thumb.”

Coryo seemed to blush at this. Sejanus put a hand on his shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze. While the counselor made her phone call, Sejanus leaned over to talk quietly to Coriolanus.

“It's alright, Coryo. Just part of being Little, yeah? No one thinks it's strange.”

Coryo shrugged, his hand twitching to move towards his mouth, but eventually staying put.

“Alright boys!” The counselor said, clapping once and startling Coriolanus. “They're expecting you down in the Little room. Mr. Plinth, feel free to go back to class, I can take Coriolanus down.”

Sejanus saw Coryo's eyes widen, his feet freeze where they had just been bouncing anxiously.

“Oh, that's alright,” Sejanus insisted. “I told him I would take him.”

She smiled and let them go. Sejanus took Coryo's hand again and helped him up. He thanked the counselor and led Coryo out, wondering how exactly he was going to get his friend to stay in the Little room without him.

Chapter Text

Sejanus guided Coriolanus back through the school hallway towards the Little room. Coryo followed along obediently, thumb in his mouth and eyes roaming. Sejanus kept up his end of the conversation, telling him how much fun he would have and making sure to point out the closest bathroom just in case Coryo needed it later.

The pair made it to their destination quickly. Sejanus was still trying to be as discreet as possible for Coriolanus's sake; class would likely let out soon enough. Sejanus entered the room with a knock on the doorframe, tugging Coryo by the hand behind him.

The Classification Specialist was a small middle aged woman wearing a colorful dress and matching earrings. She looked harried but pleased when she caught sight of them.

“Hello!” she called, waving them further into the room. She smiled at Sejanus, but moved around him to speak to Coriolanus. “You must be our newest Little. I'm Mrs. Levitt, honey. How are you feeling, Coriolanus? I know it's been a big day for you.”

Coryo glanced nervously at Sejanus, taking a step forward so he was pressed against his friend's back. Sejanus smiled sadly. He knew this was going to be hard.

“Hey Coryo, you're alright. I told you I'd bring you here so you could play with all the toys, remember?”

Coriolanus nodded, gripping the back of Sejanus's uniform jacket in his free hand. He didn't even try to take his thumb out of his mouth before he spoke.

“W-want to p-play.”

Mrs. Levitt smiled at him. She held up a finger, signaling for them to wait while she walked towards her desk. There, she began digging through a large but non-descript brown paper bag.

“You'll be able to play soon, sweetie,” she said, pulling something out of the bag. “I want to give these to you first.”

Mrs. Levitt held out her arms, carrying a neatly folded stack of clothes that made up the Academy's Little uniform. They were the same shade of red as their typical uniform, but rather than dress pants, a skirt, and jacket, they were made up of a simple pair of pants and a long sleeve shirt made from a soft and warm material. On top of the uniform was a pacifier, the same shade of red with the Academy's gold “A” logo in the center. Sejanus guessed that the brown bag contained the rest of Coryo's new Little gear.

Sejanus took the offered items from her with a nod.

“I can get him changed. Is there…?”

He trailed off, looking around the large room. There were plenty of toys just like he'd told Coryo, but there were also things he'd never thought of, not that he often thought about what went on in the Little room: a few thin mattresses, bean bags, crafting and coloring supplies, a table that looked as if it were meant for changing, and an open door that led to a private bathroom. Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about that.

Mrs. Levitt nodded towards the bathroom, so Sejanus began leading Coryo that way. He tugged his hand firmly, not wanting Coryo to be distracted by toys before they could put him in comfier clothes.

Sejanus closed the bathroom door behind them, before turning to Coriolanus. He smiled reassuringly, not knowing how any of this would go. Coryo clearly wasn't quite comfortable being Little and Sejanus wasn't his Caregiver yet. Yet. He took a deep breath to rid himself of that thought and get started helping Coryo.

First, he rinsed off the pacifier in the sink, shaking it out a little before quickly removing Coryo's thumb from his mouth and replacing it with the pacifier. Coryo whined, immediately reaching up to yank the pacifier out. Sejanus grabbed his hand before he could.

“Hey, it's alright. It's much better than your thumb, I promise.”

They stood there a moment while Coryo moved the pacifier in his mouth, feeling it out. Eventually he must have decided that it would do because when Sejanus let go of his hands he didn't even try to reach for it. Sejanus helped Coriolanus wash and dry his hands before moving on to the new uniform.

Coriolanus was actually very easy to maneuver out of his old clothes once he realized what Sejanus was doing, clearly their typical starchy uniform was uncomfortable to his heightened senses. He patiently allowed Sejanus to pull off his uniform jacket and unbutton the shirt underneath without complaint. Sejanus gave a small gasp at Coriolanus's much too thin frame, immediately deciding there must be some merit to the rumors of the Snows’ financial situation. Once again, Sejanus felt like a terrible friend for not noticing sooner.

He hurried to pull the thick, warm uniform shirt over Coryo's head. He seemed to thoroughly enjoy the soft texture of the Little uniform, wrapping his arms around himself, and sucking happily on the pacifier. Sejanus smiled to himself as he helped change Coryo into the matching pants. He was just so adorable like this, finally letting his guard down.

As they left the small bathroom, Mrs. Levitt was just finishing setting up a stack of blocks on a low table in the center of the room. She had also set out some coloring pages, along with crayons and markers, a couple stuffed animals, and a few toy cars. She smiled that same bright smile and hopped over to them, holding her hand out for Coryo.

“Alright, Coriolanus, it's finally playtime!” Coryo's eyes widened as he took in the sight of so many fun things on the table. He gave a slight smile around his pacifier as he reached out to take her hand. “Say bye-bye to Sejanus now and choose what you want to do first, okay?”

Coriolanus’s face immediately dropped. He shook his hand away from Mrs. Levitt’s and grabbed on to Sejanus's jacket sleeve. Sejanus patted his hand gently.

“Hey, it's alright Coryo. I just have to go to class, I'll be back to get you at the end of the day.” Coriolanus shook his head, his eyes beginning to water. It broke Sejanus's heart. “I don't have a choice buddy, I'd much rather stay here with you.”

“S-stay!”

Coriolanus gripped his sleeve even harder, practically bouncing in place as he begged. Sejanus knew that there would be no way he would get any work done in class if he left Coryo here like this. Just the thought of the Little boy waiting for him here, scared and alone, was enough to send his Caregiver instincts into a frenzy. Because as nice as Mrs. Levitt seemed to be, she was still a stranger to Coryo. Being left with an unknown Caregiver was not how drops were supposed to go, and Sejanus had already let his friend down enough.

Sejanus pulled Coryo into a hug, one arm around his shoulders and the other reaching up to pet his blond curls. Coryo sank into him, releasing his grip on Sejanus's sleeve to wrap around his midsection with both arms and squeeze. He let his head rest on Sejanus's shoulder and calmed down almost immediately.

“Mrs. Levitt, there are only a few more classes until the end of the day,” he said, swaying gently back and forth. “Why don't I just stay here with him?”

“Well,” Mrs. Levitt started slowly, frowning in sympathy at Coriolanus. “Student Caregivers are supposed to sign up for time in the Little room in advance and get it approved by their teachers.”

“But these are extenuating circumstances, aren't they?” Sejanus asked, well, pleaded. He didn't know what he'd do if she told him he had to leave Coryo here just to go to class. “I mean, this is his first time being Little at school. And he knows me. He trusts me. Can't you make an exception?”

Mrs. Levitt frowned, thinking through her options. Coriolanus must have sensed something because he whimpered slightly, leaning his head back to look first at Sejanus and then Mrs. Levitt with big, blue eyes.

“Alright,” she sighed. Sejanus couldn't help but let out a sigh as well, giving Coryo a light squeeze. “I'll call your teachers and tell them your absence is excused. Why don't you play with him at the table there?”

Sejanus nodded and led Coryo to the table Mrs. Levitt had filled with toys. It was low to the ground and there were no chairs, just cushions scattered around to use as seats. Sejanus sat on one, his legs stretched out under the table. Coriolanus seemed hesitant, but allowed Sejanus to pull him down to kneel next to him.

“What do you want to do first, Coryo?”

Coriolanus glanced around the table at the different toys and activities set out for him, but instead of the wide-eyed gaze from before, now he just seemed overwhelmed. Sejanus had to wonder if Coryo had any sort of toys to play with when he was Little at home. If his grandma was so against it that she told Coryo no one could know about his Classification, then maybe she wouldn't allow any reminders in the house. He took a deep breath before Coryo could notice he was upset and get the wrong idea.

“I'm going to color, I think. Want to try it with me?”

Sejanus grabbed them each a coloring sheet and set the bucket of years-old crayons between them. He started scribbling on a page with a butterfly, deciding to make it purple. Coryo watched him for a while before picking up an orange crayon and beginning to color in a picture of a cat. He did so slowly and carefully, and Sejanus could tell he was trying very hard to stay in the lines, something Sejanus himself never cared about. He glanced down at his streaky butterfly and chuckled to himself; Coryo had to be so good at everything, even when Little.

The bell rang, startling Coriolanus a bit. Sejanus rubbed his back gently, telling him it was okay. But just as Coryo was about to start coloring again, the classroom door was thrown open and in walked Clemensia Dovecote.

Chapter Text

Clemensia stopped short when she caught sight of them, her mouth dropping a little in surprise. Sejanus was frozen, unsure what to do. He could make something up; maybe they were tasked with bringing Mrs. Levitt something from another teacher. But then, why would they still be there? Coloring, no less. He couldn't exactly pretend like he was the Little, though he would have for Coryo. But everyone already knew Sejanus was a Caregiver, not to mention Coryo was the one wearing the school's Little uniform. There was no hiding this from Clemensia. Oh well, at least it wasn't Livia or Arachne.

The three stared at each other for a moment before Coriolanus let out a small whimper behind his pacifier.

“Hey,” Sejanus said calmly, taking Coryo's face in his hand to get his attention. “It's okay. Clemensia is nice; she doesn't care if you're Little. Do you, Clemensia?”

Clemensia startled slightly and shook her head, hurrying over to kneel on the opposite side of the table, throwing her bag on the floor as she walked over. Coryo leaned into Sejanus's side, but didn't protest when Clemensia leaned forward into their space.

“It's okay, Coryo!” she said, setting her chin down on her crossed arms and looking up at him. Sejanus figured she must have started slipping and come to the Little room to spend the rest of the day without having to be big. “I'm Little too! We can be friends!”

Sejanus rubbed Coriolanus's back and nodded at him encouragingly. Clemensia really was the best option for a Little friend. She and Coryo were already good friends when big and Sejanus knew he could count on her not to blab about his Classification before he was ready.

Clemensia was still looking up at Coriolanus expectantly, but Coryo was not forthcoming with any response. Sejanus smiled a little, patting his shoulder.

“He's a pretty quiet Little, Clemmie. I bet he'd love to be your friend though.” Clemensia sat upright with a big smile on her face. “Why don't you pick out something to play with, and we'll see if Coryo wants to join?”

“Okay!” Clemensia crawled over to where she'd previously dropped her bag and dug through it. She pulled out a small stuffed fish and brought it back to the table, holding it out to Coryo. “Here you go! This is Guppy, he helps me when I don't have words. You can hold him for today!”

Coryo reached out for the stuffed animal, letting out a small gasp when his fingers touched the soft fur. He held Guppy reverently to his chest, smiling up at Sejanus.

“That is so nice of her, isn't it Coryo?” Coriolanus nodded seriously at Clemensia. “Thank you, Clemmie.”

“Welcome!” she said, sweeping the set of blocks off of the table and pushing them to an open space on the floor. “I'm so excited to have another Little to play with! Can he play blocks with me?”

“Sure he can, if he wants.” Sejanus glanced down at Coryo who was already reaching for another crayon, setting Guppy up on the table to give him a front row seat. “I think he wants to finish his picture first, okay?”

Clemensia hummed and started building up blocks into a tower. Mrs. Levitt came around to check on them, admonished Clemmie for leaving her bag in the middle of the floor. The Little whined but stood to grab her bag and put it next to her spot at the table.

When Coryo was done with his picture, proudly showing his orange cat to Sejanus, the two walked over to sit with Clemensia. She passed Coriolanus a few extra blocks before continuing with her own tower.

“You can make the rest of the city, okay?” Coryo nodded, but seemed more interested in clacking the blocks together.

Two more bells rang, signaling they were now in the last class period of the day. Coriolanus climbed into Sejanus's lap, and Sejanus tried not to show how surprised he was. He put an arm around Coryo's waist to show him it was alright.

Coriolanus had just managed to stack a total of 4 blocks on top of each other, the most he'd accomplished without knocking them down, when Clemensia knelt beside them.

“Are you Coryo's Caregiver, Sej?”

“No,” Sejanus said carefully, not sure why she was asking. “I'm just helping him because he's my friend.”

“Oh. Does he not have a Caregiver?”

Sejanus looked down at Coryo, who was busy with another small stack of blocks. He wasn't sure how much he should share with Clemensia. Even though it didn't really matter, it clearly mattered to Coryo, and he didn't want to breach his trust so soon. Still, if Coryo was going to tell anyone, it would probably be Clemensia.

“I don't think he does. I don't think he's been Little very much.”

“Oh no,” Clemensia said seriously, frowning and shaking her head. “He's gotta be Little! You should be his Caregiver.”

Sejanus huffed a laugh at her bluntness. Clemensia was never rude, but straightforward she could be, especially when Little.

“I'll keep it in mind, alright?”

“Okay! Coryo deserves a nice Caregiver like you.”

Clemensia went back to playing with her blocks without another word, but Sejanus couldn't help but smile at the thought. Of course, he would love to be Coryo's Caregiver. He was his best friend. And Clemensia was right, he did need to be Little. Sejanus really hoped he was making this a positive experience for Coriolanus, so that maybe he'd want to do it again. Voluntarily. And preferably not at school, but if that's the only way Coryo felt comfortable dropping then Sejanus would figure something out. He just hated the idea of Coryo being big again and deciding his grandma was right. Would he try to suppress his Little side until he hurt himself? Would he hate Sejanus for enabling him?

Before he could think much more about it, the final bell of the day rang throughout the halls. Clemensia stood and grabbed her bag, just as Mrs. Levitt came over with the rest of Coryo's new Little gear.

“I usual escort any Littles here at the end of the day to their cars,” she said, setting the bag on the table next to Coriolanus and Sejanus's things. “But since you're here, Sejanus, would you mind escorting Coriolanus?”

“No ma'am,” Sejanus said, loosening Coryo's grip on Guppy and handing him back to Clemensia. Coryo only pouted behind his pacifier in response.

“Perfect!” Mrs. Levitt said, holding her hand out to Clemensia. “Come along dear.”

Clemensia took her hand and waved at the boys.

“Bye Sej! Bye Coryo!”

“Bye, Clemmie,” Sejanus said, waving back.

“Bye bye, Clemmie,” Coriolanus mumbled. Clemensia smiled brightly, skipping out of the room with Mrs. Levitt.

Sejanus let Coryo continue playing with the blocks while he gathered their things. He opened the brown bag with Little gear to check inside. In addition to the Little uniform and pacifier, the school also provided a bottle and sippy cup, another set of clothes that would take the place of their gym uniform if the Little wanted to participate while feeling small, and a little teddy bear wearing a shirt with the school's emblem.

Based on the small number of cubbies in the room available to the Littles, it seemed most of them kept these items at school to use, likely keeping the rest of their Little gear at home. Unfortunately, Coriolanus didn't have any other gear at home. Sejanus wasn't even sure he had any comfy clothes to wear. He'd only ever seen Coriolanus in his uniform, or his father's dress clothes on special occasions.

Sejanus decided to take the whole bag home with him, and let Coriolanus decide what to do with his new gear when he was big. He placed Coryo's regular, folded, uniform into the bag before rolling the top closed and putting the whole thing in his own bag. He slung both of their book bags over his shoulders before walking back over and taking Coryo's hand.

“Ready to go?” he asked. “Almost everyone should be gone by now.”

Coryo nodded and let Sejanus lead him outside where there was just one car left in the pick up line. Sejanus said hello to his driver before gesturing for Coryo to climb in. Sejanus climbed in after him, buckling him in.

He was about to tell the driver to make a stop along the Corso, before he realized that would be no place for Coryo to go. His grandma was home almost all the time, and what would she do if she found out Coriolanus had dropped at school? Then there was Coryo's cousin Tigris, she was a Caregiver too and would absolutely help Coryo, but Sejanus knew she often worked late.

That just left one option.

“Take us straight home, please.”