Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Mark and Tyler were sitting on the couch, fishing for random twitter questions for either Ethan or mark for their latest video.

"Here's one. Ethan, why are you always sticking things in your mouth? followed quickly by this art someone drew, adding hashtag little Ethan?" Tyler said, showing them the phone. Ethan blushed, it was him in a baby onesie, his thumb in his mouth and a blankie in his hands. His cheeks burned, but he forced a laugh.

"Oh God. It's just a stupid bad habit I have," Ethan fibbed. "Cute picture by the way. Tyler retweet that shit!" Mark looked over at the small blue-haired boy. Something was off, especially after he saw that picture.

"What the heck is a little Anyways?" Tyler questioned.

"Psh, hell if I know," Ethan said. But Mark saw it in his demeanor; he knew what it was.

* * * *

Ethan had been fighting headspace for little over three weeks. But then he crashed.

He hated crashing but since the move to LA he just couldn't be sure it was safe. Now he had no choice. He fished out the things he had buried in the bottom drawer of his dresser: his beloved stuffed doggy, Puppo (yes, very original name); his baby blanket, a sixty-four pack of crayons, a sippy cup, and, perhaps most importantly, a baby blue pacifier. He popped that into his mouth, Puppo under his arm as he laid onto the floor. He dumped the crayons out of the box, giggling as they rolled all over his floor. He was vaguely aware he should fill his sippy cup before he sank too far down. Plus he was kinda hungry. Oh!

He slowly snuck into the kitchen, grabbing the milk from the fridge. He very messily filled his cup, before climbing into the cabinet. The cabinet of off-limits-to-Ethan food. He went straight for the candy, grabbing the nutty chocolate. He whined as he finished. His tummy felt funny, and it was kind of hard to breathe.

Meanwhile Mark and Tyler were debating whether to watch Bob's Burgers or Spongebob when they heard it.

"What...?" Mark started to say, but he and Ethan shared a look before they bolted: one to the kitchen and the other upstairs to Ethan's office. That wheezing only meant one thing: Ethan had to be having an allergic reaction.

"Shit, Ethan you know that cabinet is off limits!" Mark said, quickly picking the teen up and placing him on the counter. His lips were swollen and red, and he looked absolutely pitiful. Tyler burst in then, Epipen in hand and pushed the medicine into Ethan's barren thigh. Why were.... Tyler looked up, finding the child had on nothing more than his underwear and a very childish Spiderman shirt on. His face was covered in chocolate and tears, and his thumb kept moving towards his mouth. Tyler rubbed Ethan's thigh to make sure the medicine got to his system. Meanwhile Mark grabbed a warm washcloth, cleaning off Ethan's face and hands.

"Hey, shh, just focus on breathing," Mark murmured. "We can talk later okay?" Ethan nodded slowly, miserably.

"Should we take him to the ER?" Tyler asked. Mark nodded, to which Ethan whined.

"Dude, I am not gonna have your parents come down here and kill me for letting you die," Mark said firmly.

"Blankie," Ethan wheezed out. Tyler raised an eyebrow, but Mark shrugged.

* * * *

Several hours later and one passed out blueberry later, the three males were on their way home, Ethan asleep against Tyler. They had been given another prescription for the epinephrine, and a lecture about keeping those things away from Ethan. The bigger question was why he had gone straight for them? Ethan knew better. He was always SO careful. He read his labels, didn't eat anything with even a trace of nuts. What caused him to binge on that chocolate? It was bugging Mark. Ethan had been edgy ever since they filmed that Q and A, and they found that picture. Mark was going to get to the bottom of it.

When they finally got themselves back inside the house, Tyler moved to try and put Ethan to bed, but the tiny male was not having it. He refused to let go of Tyler, whining everytime the taller of the two pulled away.

"No go," Ethan whined.

Tyler looked to Mark, who shrugged. "Let's all just sleep in my bed tonight. It can hold us all," he offered. Tyler nodded, following Mark down the hall. The brunettes quickly settled in, exhausted by the stress of the last several hours. All three were snuggled together, sleeping peacefully.

* * * *

"Mnf, Mark you spilled your drink you klutz," Tyler whined a few short hours later.

"Hmm? I'm opposite Ethan and you're the one who spilled something," Mark grumbled. They both sat up, shared a look, before turning to the tiny boy between them. Suddenly it all clicked for Mark. After they shot the video, Mark did some looking. Ethan showed a lot of signs of being a little. He stuck most everything in his mouth, he had such a childlike personality, but this... this was a dead giveaway. Ethan had to be in littlespace for everything that was happening to happen. Mark sighed, saying as much to Tyler.

"Damn," He mumbled. "Should we...?" Mark nodded, running his fingers through Ethan's hair. "Eeethaaan. Wakey wakey," He whispered.

"No," Ethan whined, trying to pull the blankets tighter. "Seepin'."

"Come on little guy, we need to take care of something," Mark added in. "Can you open your eyes?"

Ethan shook his head, sniffling. "Gonna hate me," He whimpered.

"We would never hate you little man," Tyler cooed. "We just wanna get you all comfy and clean."

Ethan whined, sitting up with tears in his eyes. "M'sorry," He whined, rubbing at his eyes. "D-didn' mean ta m-make a mess!"

"Shh, come here Ethan," Mark cooed, opening his arms. Ethan began sobbing, burying himself in Mark's shirt. "Shh. I know, it's hard to be a big boy sometimes hmm?" Ethan nodded against his chest. "How about you go with Tyler and get in a bath, and I'll clean up the bed, and then we can snuggle, hmm?"

"Y-you don't h-hate me?" He whimpered.

Mark shook his head. "I don't. Tyler?"

"How could I hate such a cutie?" Tyler cooed, patting Ethan's head. The small boy took Tyler's hand, his thumb going straight for his mouth. Mark smiled. a little Ethan was precious. A little bit emotional, but he hoped that could be fixed in time. Now for the bed...

* * * *

The next morning, Ethan woke up slowly. He had the vaguest memory of bathtime and some snuggles. And someone special washed his hair. And why was Puppo in his arms? And... and... oh no. oh no no NO! He whined, which got Mark up, which got Tyler up, which made Ethan shrink back. How had they found his stuff? How had they found Puppo? How had they found his... his protection?

"Hey, hey, calm down," Mark said softly, hands easily visible. "Before you freak out, you slipped last night, and Tyler and I were just trying to take care of you."

"h-how'd you find out?" Ethan asked nervously. "A-and where did Puppo come from? and... and anything else? And why's my thigh sore?"

"You got into the chocolate last night," Tyler explained. "So we had to give you a shot and then take you to the ER. When we got home we ended up snuggling and then... Um..."

"Oh no," Ethan whispered. Here he was, dressed like an infant in front of two of his closest friends (?) and they were... how did... Nothing made sense! "Wh-why'd you take care of me?"

"Why wouldn't we?" Tyler answered. "You needed us. And besides that you're kind of adorable when you're like that."

"Y-you mean you don't...?"

"Ethan we're friends. Friends help friends and friends don't shun other friends when they need something," Mark said calmly. "Just... what exactly is it?"

"Ageplay," Ethan whispered. "I-it helps when I'm really really stressed and- and I promise I won't let it get in the way but-"

"Hey, breathe little man," Tyler said, rubbing the small boy's shoulders. "Look, if it helps it helps. You're not hurting anyone, but... You can't eat the stuff in the off-limits cabinet."

"I-I won't. I didn't....did I?" Ethan asked. "It gets kinda fuzzy in my head sometimes, when I'm little. I don't always 'member things that I need to when I'm big."

"Oh. We'll just make sure we keep a childlock on there for next time then," Mark relented.

"Next time?" Ethan asked, completely befuddled.

"I mean we can't really leave you by yourself," Mark said.

"Well we could. But we would really like to help take care of you if you would let us," Tyler quickly rectified. "We just... Wanna help. however we can. You're pretty special Ethan."

"So uh... can we.. I mean... would you let us? Take care of you I mean," Mark babbled.

Ethan slipped his thumb into his mouth, sucking as he thought. "m'kays," He finally said. "But... but we gotta talk about it first. No going in blind like before."

"Totally fair," Mark relented.

"And if Puppo says no then that's the end," Ethan added firmly. Mark couldn't help but chuckle.

"Totally reasonable," Tyler agreed.

Ethan seemed to relax at that, before wiggling and blushing. "Can I...?"

"Yeah, go for it," Mark relented, getting out of Ethan's way. The blue haired male blushed at the way the pull-up sagged slightly between his legs, giving him just the tiniest little waddle as he made his way to his bedroom. Tyler and Mark shared a collective sigh of relief. This would be good for Ethan. and it was gonna be a lot of fun... right?

Chapter Text

“No Ty Ty! That piece goes over HERE,” Ethan insisted. Mark and Tyler had just gotten Ethan a floor puzzle of Mario, and the blue haired baby was all too eager to get started right away, with his Ty-Ty and and Unca’ Mar. For some reason the “k” in Mark’s name seemed to disappear the smaller Ethan felt. It was precious and “Mar” loved when he heard his name in Ethan’s little voice.

“Oh, how silly of me,” Tyler acquiesced, quickly putting the puzzle piece in the proper place. Mark smiled, about to place the last piece of the border when his phone rang.

Confused, he stood up, going into the hall to answer it. “Yello?”

“Ty? Where Mar’ go?” Ethan asked around his thumb.

“He had to answer the phone silly,” Tyler cooed. Ethan nodded, going back to work. However, even by the time they finished the puzzle, Mark still had yet to return. This upset the blue-haired baby, who became very fussy.

“Shh, calm down baby,” Tyler shushed, bouncing the boy in his arms.

“Maaaar!” Ethan whined, on the verge of a tantrum. Thankfully, Mark burst into the room, a smile from ear to ear on his face.

“Guys! Bob and Wade are coming to visit!” he declared gleefully. Tyler smiled, and Ethan whimpered. He didn’t want anyone new to come. He LIKED how things were.

“No,” the boy whined.

Mark’s face fell. “No? Why not little man?” He asked.

“Cuz, cuz my Mar’ and day no like me,” Ethan worried aloud.

Mark shared a look with Tyler, before continuing. “Baby, no one is gonna take you from me. And they would be crazy not to love you,” he explained. “I promise. You’re gonna love Bob and Wade, and they’re gonna absolutely love you.”

“Wha’ ‘bout wittwe me?” Ethan asked around his thumb. Mark didn’t have an answer for that one.

“We’ll figure it out. We always do little guy,” Tyler promised. “Now come on. I think it’s time for dinner. How about you Markimoo?”

“Yup. And I know a certain little boy who wanted some dino nuggets,” Mark added with a tickle. Ethan squealed, but somewhere deep inside him, his insecurities had yet to be displaced.

* * * *

Bob and Wade would be arriving in the morning, and Ethan had been very nervous, to say the least. He’d slipped into little space after he had finished editing all the videos for the day, and was a fussy brat the rest of the morning. Nothing would placate the boy, and he’d ended up in the time out corner twice.

He’d gone to bed exhausted, but his insecurities had yet to leave him. He’d dreamed of everyone laughing in his face, telling him to go back where he came from, and the more he tried to fight it the worse it got. Finally, unable to take it anymore, he’d made his way down the hall, to Tyler’s room.

“T-Ty?” Ethan whimpered. Tyler groaned, rolling over and flicking on the lamp. The tiny boy stood at the door, shaking and whimpering.

“Aw kiddo,” Tyler cooed, getting up to hug the boy.

“B-bad dream,” Ethan whimpered. “Scawy.”

“I know. Bad dreams are scary,” Tyler said, picking the boy up and taking him to bed. “Are you wet?” Ethan nodded, hiding behind Puppo. Tyler quickly changed him, tucking the boy in beside himself.

“Ty?” Ethan said softly.

“Yeah little guy?” Tyler answered.

“Is… is Bob and Wade nice?” Ethan asked, his thumb going into his mouth as he snuggled against Tyler.

The brunette smiled. “Yeah. They’re really really nice. They’re gonna love you,” Tyler promised. At that, Ethan quietly drifted back to sleep, content that maybe things would be okay. At the very least, he trusted Tyler to keep the bad dreams at bay.

* * * *

“Why not that dumb bottle flipping challenge?” Bob suggested.

“We could, it’s been basically demanded in the comments,” Tyler added in. Mark shrugged. Ethan fidgeted slightly. They had already gotten out the bows and arrows for the arrow dodging, and it worried him cuz he usually got the most hits. But….

“Why not?” Ethan added in. So they all funnelled themselves outside, setting up the camera. Well, Bob, Mark and Wade went out back. Tyler was gathering up supplies and Ethan was… well, he was being attacked by Chica in the most benign way. The dog was simply kissing him, and pawing at his shoulders.

“Chica stop,” Ethan squealed, but doing nothing to stop her.

“You ready?” Tyler asked. Ethan looked up, nodding. He followed Tyler outside, his heart breaking as they left Chica inside. He placed a hand on the door, before he was called over.

They worked for a while on their videos, and Mark and Tyler made sure everyone stayed hydrated, since it was so warm out. Unseasonably for that time of year, but still. But by the time they finished the bottle flipping, Ethan knew he should probably step inside. But he was just too shy to speak up. So he settled for bouncing, dancing, and doing everything possible to hold it until they actually could go inside. He could do that… right?

* * * *

Ethan whined. He really, really didn’t want to pipe up but he really, REALLY needed to pee. But this was supposed to be the final round, and then they would go inside. Plus it just looked like he was trying to dodge the arrows the more he bounced and jumped around.

And then Tyler shot him in the belly and it was all over.

Ethan squeaked, trying to contain the flood, burying his hands into his crotch, practically tying himself in knots, but it was hopeless. His face burned as he completely, utterly, wet his pants like a baby. A small whimper escaped his lips, and tears entered his eyes. Mark quickly shut off the camera, Tyler running to comfort Ethan.

“Shit Ethan I’m sorry I didn’t-”

“S’op!” Ethan cried. He wasn’t in big space anymore. He couldn’t help it. Little Ethan hated being wet and ick. Now he was wet and ick and felt all yucky inside too.

“Hey, look at me little man,” Tyler said gently, getting on eye level with the boy.

“M’sorry Ty,” Ethan hiccupped. “Didn’t mean ta h-have an accident!”

“Shh. Hey, accidents happen to everyone,” Tyler assured the boy. “Especially to little boys. Now how about we clean you up, and then we can cuddle and watch Dory, hmm?”

“No mad?” Ethan asked, thumb moving to his mouth.

Tyler quickly intercepted the icky digit before it could enter Ethan’s mouth. “Not mad. Pinkie promise.” Ethan took a shaky breath, before Taking Tyler’s hand. The older male lead him into the house, taking them down the hall towards the nice bathroom, the one where they usually did their challenge videos. It would be perfect for making Ethan smile again. He quickly got the water going, before turning to a still dripping, still blushing, still breath-hitching Ethan, who clearly needed a guiding hand.

“Arms up,” tyler instructed, to which Ethan responded immediately. Tyler quickly had the boy undressed, plunking him into the bubbly water.

“Why bubbles?” Ethan asked.

“I thought they might make you smile,” Tyler said gently. “Do you want some toys?” Ethan nodded slowly, putting his soapy thumb in his mouth. But he quickly yanked it out. Bubbles smelled nice but tasted ick. Tyler couldn’t help but giggle, kissing Ethan’s forehead. “You are too cute for your own good Ethan,” He cooed.

* * * *

Meanwhile Mark had the unfortunate task of trying to explain this to Bob and Wade.

“Is he hurt?” Bob asked.

“No, but-”

“Is he sick?” Wade chimed in.

“Guys shut up and listen,” Mark said firmly, and it was then he realized he had developed Tyler’s “Daddy” voice. “Look it’s… complicated. This wasn’t… I mean it’s kinda….”

“Different?” Bob tried.

“Yeah,” Mark sighed. “Look, a couple of weeks ago we did a Q and A, and we found this thing… this fan art. It was under Hashtag Little Ethan. And then… Then we stumbled in on a little Ethan.”

“Little?” Wade asked.

“It’s a thing called… ageplay,” Mark said, and now he understood why Ethan didn’t want to tell in the first place. It was hard and scary and felt really weird inside. But… he trusted his friends. They wouldn’t judge him and they definitely wouldn’t hurt him, or Ethan for that matter. So mark began explaining. Both Bob and Wade listened intently, asking the odd question here or there, until finally Wade piped up, “Can we help too?”

That caught Mark off guard. He was more than okay with it, but the choice wasn’t his to make. At least not alone. “If Ethan will let you,” He compromised. Because really, it was Ethan who needed to choose, not him. Bob and Wade nodded, understanding.

“He sounds precious,” Bob mused.

Mark beamed. “He really is. Oh shit wait…” Then Mark burst into the house, finding Tyler and Ethan curled together on the couch, Ethan’s hair still damp from the bath but at least clean and slightly less upset. There still seemed to be some nervousness in him as he curled against Tyler, pacifier in his mouth. “Hey,” Mark said.

“Hey. How’d it go?” Tyler asked.

“Really well,” Mark said, getting down so he could look at Ethan in the eyes. “Baby, you know Ty-Ty and I love you, right?” Ethan nodded, sucking on his paci a little harder. “And we wouldn’t do or ask anything of you that we didn’t think was good or safe, right?”

“Whewe you gowin’ wif dis?” Ethan garbled around the pacifier in his mouth.

“Would you let Uncle Bob and Uncle Wade get to know you?” Mark asked. Ethan whined loudly, to which Tyler pulled the boy ever closer. “Hey, I know it’s really scary, especially after… after what happened. But I promise, they’re gonna be super nice, okay?”

“Ty-Ty and Unca’ Maw’ be dewre?” Ethan asked. Mark nodded, and so did Tyler. Ethan nodded, resting his head on Tyler’s shoulder. Mark smiled, and Tyler nodded, so Mark brought his other friends inside.

“Guys, this is our little guy,” Mark said proudly. Ethan hid in Tyler’s shoulder, but the tall brunette just chuckled.

“Come on baby. Don’t be shy,” Tyler encouraged.

“Yeah, we don’t bite,” Bob promised. “In fact, we’re pretty silly, right Uncle Wade?”

“Oh yes, just the silliest,” Wade promised seriously. Ethan giggled, his head at least popping up.

“I’m Etan and I’s dis many,” He said, holding up two fingers. “I wike siwwy, and I wike Dowy and cowows!”

“Oh you do? That’s so cool!” Bob cooed. Mark beamed. Finally, finally, it felt like all the pieces in his life were together. He had his old friends and his new friends, and he had his Little Ethan and Ty-Ty. What more did he need?

Chapter Text

On the good days, everything was perfect. When he was big, he knew his place. He knew he was chasing his dreams, making insane videos and collabing with his hero. He and Tyler and Mark were awesome together. When he was little, he knew his Ty-Ty and Unca' Mar' would be there with kisses and cuddles, bubble baths and toys and all the fun he could handle. They had mac and cheese and dino nuggets and made pillow forts and watched Dory and had a blast.

But those were the good days.

On bad days, everything felt wrong. He wondered what he was even doing, he barely had any channel growth, and he was basically playing second fiddle to the second biggest youtuber there was.* When he was little, it felt like he was just so pathetic, and his paci felt too weird in his mouth. He hated being this way, needing such juvenile coping mechanisms, and especially his pull-ups. He hated being such a damn baby, that he needed them when he was awake or asleep in little space, and he wondered why Mark and Tyler even put up with him. He was almost twenty one for fucks sake! He was horrible and awful and just ick.

* * * *

It was a bad day.

Ethan couldn't explain it, but it felt like... like everything was just too much. that there was an inevitable amount of doom coming and he was gonna get made fun of and yelled at. And on top of it, he woke up in little space. His pull-up had leaked in the night, too. It happened sometimes, but for some reason it just felt like the worst thing. He began crying, which brought Tyler in. The taller male quickly scooped him up.

"Shh, it's okay baby," Tyler cooed, bouncing Ethan gently. "I know, being wet is so ick. How about we get a bath, hmm? Then we can make pancakes and then I bet Uncle Mark will play hide and seek. How does that sound?"

Ethan just nuzzled into Tyler, sticking his thumb into his mouth. Tyler just smiled, patting his back as they made their way down the hall. Chica came rushing up to them, barking. Ethan whined, covering his ears. Everything felt like too much. Tyler kept a tight grip on the boy, continuing down the hall.

* * * *

A bath normally helped. But for some reason it felt ick too. He'd splashed and tried to get out, and Tyler had barely gotten him clean before Ethan dragged himself out of the tub. Tyler sighed, wrapping him up into a towel. Maybe they'd have more luck with breakfast.

Mark was already downstairs, hard at work with the batter and the griddle when the two walked in. Tyler deposited Ethan into a chair where his Nemo-themed plate was, going to grab the butter and syrup. Ethan pouted. That wasn't gonna work. nope! He wanted his Ty-Ty. He slid off the chair, crawling over. The floor felt cold on his hands and knees, which felt ick. But not as ick as being alone. He quickly wrapped himself around Tyler's legs, startling the taller male.

"Hey little man, come on, you gotta let Tyler get the goods," Mark cooed, picking the baby up. Ethan whined, reaching for Tyler. "Shh, come on little man. He's right there. What's going on?"

"Mmph!" Ethan whined. Mark sighed. So it was going to be one of those days then. Mark simply sat the boy back in his chair, sitting beside him.

"So what do you wanna do after we eat, hmm? How about hide and seek?" Mark offered. Ethan shrugged. He really just wanted to cuddle. But he wasn't sure his words would work, so he just moped, thumb in mouth. Tyler quickly appeared with the finished pancakes, setting one on Ethan's plate, cutting it for him, knowing Mark would feed him. It's how they functioned on little mornings, good or bad.

* * * *

Breakfast didn't help. Ethan only seemed to get more cranky, and he absolutely refused to take his ADHD medicine. Mark had tried, Tyler had threatened to put him in timeout, but this only resulted in tears. Tyler didn't push after that.

"Maybe a movie would help," Mark suggested.

"Do you like that idea? Should we watch Dory?" Tyler asked the baby. Ethan shrugged. That wasn't ab outright no, so the two bigs ran with it. Tyler sat on the couch with the baby while Mark quickly started the movie. Ethan seemed to settle at the sight of the fishes on the screen, his eyes lighting up slightly. For some reason the ocean was fascinating for little Ethan, even if it made Mark squirm a little. If it kept the boy still and quiet-

"Mmph!" Ethan whined, tugging on Tyler's sleeve. The brunette looked down at his baby, trying to read him.

"What's wrong baby?" Tyler asked. Ethan began squirming, whining and jamming his hands in- ohh.

"Do you need to go potty Ethan?" Mark asked. The blue haired baby blushed, letting out a loud whine. Mark stood, taking his hand and leading him down the hall. Tyler watched in worry. Why wasn't Ethan talking?

* * * *

Regardless of Ethan's headspace, there was still work that had to get done, in order for them to keep a roof over their heads. Mark tried to deal with Ethan so that Tyler could get the videos for the day edited and uploaded. But Ethan didn't want his Mark, he wanted Ty-Ty. Only Ty-Ty was good enough. However words weren't really working today for Ethan, so instead all he could do was whine and fuss, causing Mark more than a little agony.

"Come on little man. Don't you wanna color?" Mark tried, setting a box of crayons on the table. Ethan glared at the cylindrical pieces of colored wax, before throwing them across the room. Mark frowned. "Ethan, I know you're upset but you cannot throw things," The older brunette said, picking the boy up and carrying him towards the time out corner. This was not good, not good at all. Ethan didn't want to be alone! Alone was scary and words were hard and all he wanted was Tyler! Why was that so hard to get! Mark set him down and that's when the waterworks really started. Ethan broke down, completely sobbing, and as hard as it was, Mark knew he had to walk away. Ethan began wailing, throwing a full on tantrum as he sat in the corner, trying to crawl towards Mark. But the older male still set him back in the corner, trying again to walk away. This lasted for a good ten minutes before Tyler came downstairs.

"Jesus Ethan," He said, picking the baby up. "What's gotten into you today?" Ethan's breath hitched, snuggling into Tyler. Mark frowned, explaining what had happened. "Baby, you know that was naughty." Ethan just shrugged. "Come on, talk to me baby. What's going on?"

"Are you sick?" Mark asked. a shake of the head.

"Does something hurt?" Tyler questioned. Again, a little shake of the head.

"Then what? We can't help you if you don't talk to us Ethan," Mark reminded him.

"Mmmm!" Ethan whined. He squirmed, trying to get out of Tyler's arms, but it just wasn't happening, so he settled for more tears. His caregivers sighed. What was wrong with their little baby?

* * * *

Naptime came early that day. Ethan simply cried himself out, after which he was put in Mark's room. said man was currently standing outside Ethan's recording room with Tyler.

"I'm telling you, this is an invasion of privacy," Tyler repeated for the third time. "I don't like it."

"Well we gotta figure out what's wrong with him," Mark also repeated. "We just do a quick look around, see if we find anything to help us, and if not, we leave. No harm no foul."

Tyler sighed heavily but nodded. He hated seeing his little boy so distraught. The two entered the office. It was pretty tidy, all things considered. There were some papers strewn about on the desk, some toys in the corner (cars, mostly, but there were some other small, baby-age toys there as well). There wasn't anything out of the ordinary, save for a random bracelet in front of the computer.

"I told you there wasn't anything helpful in here," Tyler scolded. "Now come on, before..." Tyler stopped. Ethan stood in the doorway, shaking. He was clearly upset, but Tyler couldn't tell if it was from the invasion of privacy or something else entirely.

"Ethan," Mark started, "Please don't be mad. We... this was all my idea and it was dumb and..."

Ethan was just done. He felt ick inside and all nervous and tiny and he just couldn't take it.. He threw himself onto the floor, sobbing and kicking and just let it OUT. Tyler sighed. Perhaps a tantrum was inevitable, but they still needed to sort this out. What they had done was wrong. But that could wait. Mark left, which only made Ethan scream louder, but then he quickly returned, a sippy cup of juice and a damp washcloth in hand. his mother had once taught him a few tricks on toddler care, and one of the most important was after a meltdown, it felt nice to have a cool cloth wipe your face. and to have a drink to replenish the fluid lost in tears. As Ethan's wails reduced to hiccups, Mark got on his level, handing over the sippy cup. Ethan took it, sucking slowly. Mark gently wiped up his face, then picked the kid up.

"Ethan," Tyler said firmly. "Are you ready to be good and use your words?"

That's just it, he couldn't get his words to WORK. It's like they melted away and he couldn't talk. But he couldn't express that right, not without words. He whined, pointing at the pens on the desk. confused, Tyler handed him that and a piece of paper. Ethan quickly drew a face, adding what looked like a lock over the mouth. He handed it over to Tyler, who raised an eyebrow.

"You feel like you can't talk?" Tyler asked. Ethan nodded. He had been feeling like this more and more and he hated when it happened. "Oh baby."

"We're sorry we didn't figure it out sooner," Mark apologized. "It's okay. we'll figure it out. Promise." Ethan nuzzled into his Unca Mar.

"Wuv you," He whispered. Mark smiled. That was a perfect start.

* * * *

The rest of the day was relatively quiet. Mark, Tyler and Ethan got a game of Chutes and Ladders going, and They even got to have homemade pizza's for dinner! As Mark and Tyler tucked in their little baby that night, Ethan nuzzled into both of them. "Story?" He asked quietly, his voice still not one hundred percent working. Tyler nodded, grabbing a book off the shelf. He and Mark alternated pages, adding in funny voices and sidenotes.

"And then they all lived happily ever after," Tyler said, closing the book. he placed a kiss on Ethan's forehead. "Love you little man."

"Mm. wuv you Daddy," Ethan said. Mark and Tyler did a double take, but... it was perfect. That was exactly what Tyler needed. He loved his little blue baby. and the baby loved his... daddy.

Chapter Text

1.

Ethan sat up in his bed with a sigh. He could tell he needed a good play session, but that could probably wait. Hopefully. Ever since Mark and Tyler found out, they had slowly been talking about it. They really did want to try, but they insisted it be on Ethan’s time, not theirs. He really already would have taken them up on it, if not for one small thing. The thing currently around his hips, saving him from having to manage one more secret. The thing that never really went away completely. He was a bedwetter. And that was true whether he was in little space or out of it. Luckily Mark and Tyler thought it was just a part of the age play, and that’s how Ethan intended to keep it.

So he got up, changing and dressing himself for the day, before waltzing into the kitchen. Mark smirked at him as he danced around, grabbing cereal.

“Someone’s in a good mood,” He commented, taking his own dish to the sink.

Ethan blushed, stopping dead in his tracks. “Sorry,” He mumbled, quickly retreating to the table with his cereal.

“No no, you just… looked happy,” Mark said, quickly backtracking. “Didn’t mean to-”

“It’s fine,” Ethan said, cutting him off before shovelling a huge spoonful of cereal into his mouth. Mark shrugged, going upstairs to finish getting ready for the day. Tyler appeared next, sitting beside the blue-haired boy. Ethan began chewing on his thumb. Yeah, they all needed to play soon.

* * * *

It wasn't that Ethan was nervous, per se, but the idea of the whole "nap time at the office" thing was more than a bit stressful. Still, Tyler and Mark were pretty insistent.

"Noooo! I don't need to," Ethan insisted. He couldn't, he wasn't little and either way it would end badly. The couch was really expensive and hard to clean. He just couldn't fall asleep!

"Yes Ethan, you need to," Tyler said firmly.

“No. I have too much to do,” Ethan said, and he tried to turn back to the computer. He forgot how big and strong Tyler was though. Said man picked him up, ignoring the squeak of indignity and the string of protests following.

“Let me down Tyler! I don’t need a nap! I’m not a baby!” Ethan screamed, fists banging against Tyler’s shoulder as he screamed. Tyler finally flopped him down on the couch. Mark appeared with a blanket and Puppo. Ethan blushed heavily at the sight of his lovey. “Why are you two doing this?”

“Because you really do look worn out Ethan,” Tyler said. “Just rest, okay? Whatever you’re doing will still be there when you get up, okay?”

“I’m not tired,” Ethan tried again, but he really did feel kind of sleepy. His thumb gravitated towards his mouth, but was quickly intercepted with a pacifier from Mark. Ethan blushed heavily.

“Sweet dreams baby,” Mark said, placing a kiss on the boy’s forehead. Ethan whined, but he couldn’t stop the heavy drooping of his eyelids, and Tyler kept running his fingers through his blue hair. Ethan didn’t stand a chance, and was out in ten minutes.

* * * *

Ethan woke with a gasp. He had fallen asleep! He quickly felt around himself, thankfully finding the couch dry but-

“Fuck!” He groaned, jumping up and making a mad dash to the bathroom.

*MEANWHILE, DOWNSTAIRS*

“Did you hear something?” Mark asked, looking at Tyler.

“No,” He mumbled, focusing instead on his phone.

“I’m pretty sure I did,” Mark said, getting up. “How long has Ethan been asleep for?”

Tyler looked at the top of his phone. “About an hour and a half. It’s probably him,” The tall man shrugged. He tucked his phone into his pocket and headed upstairs.

* * * *

Ethan panicked. He was, completely, utterly soaked. That’s what he got for falling asleep. How was he gonna get out of this one? He quickly began wracking his brain. He hated to, but he figured if he could sink into little space, maybe he’d get out of it? Only one way to find out. He whined, trying everything to at least get himself a little bit… littler. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, trying to focus on that special place in his head, the one he had only barely started to feel comfortable with sharing. He whined. His little side HATED being wet. Tears entered his eyes, and he opened the door, coming face to face with his Daddy and his Mar’.

“Aw baby,” Tyler said, picking the boy up. “Shh, it’s okay. Daddy’s got you.” Ethan wasn’t sure which was worse: being wet or the fact that he was basically lying.

2.

It’s kind of embarrassing to admit, but... Ethan paused, taking a deep breath before he continued typing, My bedwetting isn’t limited to headspace. My roommates have been super supportive of everything else, but… idk. I think it’s just really embarrassing me. Like i’m already the youngest around here, what if they think i’m even more of a baby? Should I even tell them? Any advice is welcome I guess... Ethan sighed, posting it and continuing browsing the ABDL forum, when he saw a little notification icon pop up by his profile picture. Curious, he clicked it.

A new reply has been posted to your topic!

crazybluebaby,

You’re not alone. Our roommate recently came out to us with his little side, and he has similar issues, but only in his little side. In addition, I had kidney problems at one point in my life and had a bedwetting issue because of them. But my friends were super understanding and supportive. Just know that you aren’t alone and if your roommates are already chill with little you? They’re probs gonna be super chill with your bedwetting too.

All the best,

Daddypocalypse_12

Ethan smiled. Okay, if that dude could handle bedwetting with a legit reason, maybe he could tell Tyler and Mark. later. Tomorrow probably. Yeah tomorrow sounded nice. It was still the weekend after all. There wasn’t any rush… right?

* * * *

It would have been nice to have help though. His pull-up managed to leak during the night (all the fucking sprite he’d had before bed). So of course he would be up at three in the morning, trying to clean his fucking mattress like he was back in high school. It fucking sucked, and it showed the next morning when he fell asleep in his bowl of froot loops.

“You okay there Eth?” Mark asked.

“Mnf,” Ethan grunted, wiping at the milk on his face. This sooo wasn’t gonna help his acne. “Didn’t sleep good Unca’ Mar. just tired.”

“I see. Maybe you should take a nap,” He suggested.

“Nooo!” Ethan whined. “Too much to do!”

“Do not talk back to your Uncle young man,” Tyler said, making both boys jump.

“Sorry Daddy,” Ethan mumbled, his thumb going into his mouth. Tyler and Mark shared a look. “What?”

“How about we have a lazy day, hmm? Let Daddy and Uncle Mark take care of youtube things and then we just play all day?” Ethan’s eyes widened. They rarely got those kinds of days. He nodded with enthusiasm, going up to get his most favorite toys!

“Glad he’s gone. Now there was something you wanted to ask me?” Mark said.

“Yeah, do you know why Ethan’s sheets are in the wash?”

3.

Ethan snuggled against Tyler, warm and cozy under the blankets.

“That’s it baby,” Daddy cooed. “You know we love you, right? Mark and I?”

“Mmhmm,” Ethan mumbled from around his pacifier. “You wuv me wots.”

“And you know that you can tell us anything, right? No matter what? We’ll always love you baby, always,” Tyler said. Ethan looked up at him in confusion. Where was this even going?

“All he means is that we trust you, and we want you to know you can come to us with anything, okay?” Mark said, quickly patting Ethan’s head, his hair still damp from the bubble bath he had been in earlier.

“Okay Papa,” He mumbled. Mark blinked in surprise, but Tyler just smirked.

“You should’ve seen that coming,” He chuckled.

“Oh, like you saw the D word coming,” Mark retorted.

“Shh! Tryin’ ta seep Daddies,” Ethan whined.

“Sorry angel. Just go to sleep,” Mark cooed. Ethan nuzzled deeper under the blankets.

* * * *

Ethan woke up at some point in the night, blushing as he examined the position he was in. He had been moved into Mark’s room, where he and Mark and Tyler all currently were. He’d also managed to crawl on top of Tyler, and the older male had both his arms around the tiny boy’s form. But when he tried to move and it got so much worse. He was big AND wet. At least this time the pull-up had held. He whined, trying to wiggle free, but Tyler’s grip tightened around him. That was when he squeaked, feeling Tyler pat his bum.

“Shh, sleep baby,” Tyler whispered. Ethan chewed his lip, but settled back down against Tyler. He could wait until the morning to change, and Tyler was just so WARM.

* * * *

“Ethan? Ethan wake up,” Tyler said, shaking the boy’s shoulder gently.

‘Hmm?” He mumbled, sitting up with a yawn. “Wha’s wrong?”

“Nothing baby. You just got Daddy all wet,” Tyler cooed. Ethan froze, tensing up. How… oh lord. He’d leaked again. Ethan whined. How was he gonna explain away this one?

“Aw baby don’t cry,” Tyler cooed. “Its okay. Accidents happen. We just clean up and move on, okay?” Ethan hiccupped, taking Daddy’s hand as he was lead to the bathroom. How many more lies was he going to have to tell?

4.

“He never sleeps this late,” Tyler worried.

“He’s sick Tyler,” Mark reasoned. “I was up with him in the middle of the night, remember?”

“Yeah but-”

“Breathe Tyler, your boyfriend’s a big boy,” Amy chuckled, snuggling up under the blankets. Tyler and Mark shared a look. “What? Oh, are you two really dating?”

“What?!” Tyler squeaked, cheeks going pink. Mark smirked.

“No, they’re both still having a love affair expressed through stares,” Mark answered. “Big Daddy Tyler is too chicken to dare come out.”

“Oh like you understood when I told you,” Tyler pouted.

“Hey once I understood you didn’t wanna fuck any cookware we were good to go!” Mark argued. “And it’s not like you understood me completely either when I told you I was ace!”

Meanwhile Ethan woke with a whine. His head hurt, his throat was sore, and he was cold. But how was he cold? He was under… fuck. He sniffled, feeling himself starting to slip. He hated this. He shook, wrapping a smaller blanket around his shoulders as he stripped the bed. But as he went to clean the mattress, he fell onto the floor, which got Chica barking and running to investigate.

“Shh! Chica no!” Amy said, chasing the dog up the stairs. When the two burst into Ethan’s room, there was complete silence. Amy was about to say something when Tyler and Mark burst in, eyes softening.

“Hey baby,” Tyler cooed. Ethan hiccuped. He wasn’t completely in little space, and he really didn’t want to be. But… Tyler. He reached his arms up, and Tyler easily scooped him up. And oh God Amy was there but… she gave him a knowing look. And that just made it all worse.

+1.

Ethan trudged up the stairs, flopping onto the couch with a yawn. Maybe he wasn’t little, but that didn’t mean he didn’t need a nap. He curled up into a ball, his thumb making it’s way into his mouth.

“Someone’s sleepy,” Tyler pointed out with a smirk. All Ethan did was flip him off, before snuggling into the pillow he was laying on. Mark smiled, throwing a blanket over the boy before going back to work. Tyler planted a kiss on Ethan’s forehead before going back to his own work. Ethan remained dead to the world, completely worn out.

* * * *

Ethan woke with a start. He hated bad dreams. They were so scary. But… oh no. He wiggled around and yep, he was wet. And so was the couch. Welp, this had been fun while it lasted. He whimpered, tears already in his eyes. How was he gonna explain this one? He wasn’t in little space at all. Now Mark and Tyler were gonna know and they were gonna laugh and-

“Ethan? You…” Mark stopped short, the smell hitting him before he looked over at the smaller boy. Ethan shook, tears flowing down his cheeks as he struggled to contain his emotions and come up with an excuse.

However Mark studied him. Ethan looked completely in big space, which meant…. This was a genuine accident? Hm. In any case, “Hey, take a deep-”

“M’sorry!” Ethan said, completely sobbing, hiding his face in his hands.

Poor kid, Mark thought. “Hey, it’s okay. Really it is,” Mark said, approaching the sofa.

“N-no,” Ethan hiccuped.  Mark gingerly approached running a hand through Ethan’s hair, before getting on eye level with the kid. “D-didn’t want you ta know,” He whimpered, his thumb going towards his mouth.

“Hey, accidents happen,” Mark reminded him.

“Not every night,” Ethan hiccupped. “A-an’ not when you’re twenty and in big space.”

“Yes, even then sometimes,” Mark rectified. Ethan shrugged, thumb in his mouth. “You should ask Tyler about that. Now how about we get you in the bath, and then we can snuggle and watch Disney movies?”

“I pick?” Ethan asked.

“Always,” Mark promised.

Ethan nodded, before slowly peeling back the blanket. He whined as he saw the rather sizeable wet patch covering the sofa and himself, but Mark quickly took his hand and lead him down the hall. “Does you gotta tell Daddy?” He asked in a small voice.

“Yeah, I need to,” Mark said. Ethan hung his head in shame, a small sniffle escaping.

“I bad?” He asked.

“No angel, it’s just so we can take good care of you, okay?” Ethan nodded, understanding.

“Okay, Papa. Bubbles?” He asked.

“Oh yes, Bubbles are definitely a must,” He promised. Ethan smiled, just a tiny bit at that. If that made the kid smile, Mark would gladly dump the whole bottle of bubble bath in. He doubted Tyler would be that ecstatic, but that’s why Tyler was the parental one, and Mark was the silly one. Ethan loved them both regardless, and that was all that mattered. Wasn’t it?

* * * *

“It never really stopped,” Ethan explained, sipping at his hot cocoa. “I just… learned to deal with it. Hide it as best as I could. I… I really didn’t want you two to know.”

“Why?” Tyler asked. “I mean I get it but… I at least don’t care. Hell Ethan, I REALLY don’t. I mean… I’m not in a place to judge you at all.” Ethan gave Tyler a questioning look. “I uh… look, it-”

“You don’t have to explain,” Ethan said. “Just… don’t treat me different cuz of this?”

“We would never,” Mark promised. Ethan nodded, sipping at his cocoa. “But… is that why your sheets were in the wash?”

Another nod. “Sometimes… sometimes what I wear regularly doesn’t work,” He admitted. “I always wanted to wear the stronger, fun printed diapers but… they were too expensive and I needed them when I was in little space anyways.”

“Well, we can take care of that,” Tyler offered. “I mean… it’s better than you losing sleep over it Ethan.”

“But that’s-”

“Something we, as your daddies, want to do,” Mark interrupted. “Just trust us, okay?” Ethan looked at the two of them. How had he come across such amazing, wonderful daddies? What had he possibly done to deserve them. Hesitantly, he nodded.

* * * *

The next afternoon, Ethan wasn’t so afraid when Tyler came to get him for naptime. He hesitantly followed the oldest into his bedroom. Everything they needed was on the bed. Ethan blushed, but followed Tyler’s instructions and laid down, taking off his jeans. He hid behind his hands, following Tyler’s odd instruction, and it wasn’t until he felt something soft brush against his arms that he uncovered his face. “Puppo!” He squeaked, hugging the lovey close. Tyler smiled, and he continued with naptime, tucking the boy in, and cuddling him close. Which was how Mark found them later, cuddled up like lovers, Tyler playing big spoon. Mark smirked, but let them sleep. After all, how else was their love affair going to go from stares to actual… action?

Chapter Text

Ethan was half in headspace when he began working on the video. But of fucking course it had to be a freaking horror game about toilets. He had been kinda jumpy already, cuz the girls were setting them up to film something (he had yet to be told what), and Tyler was gonna make him nap after. At this point it was pretty futile to fight with Tyler about it, but he was nervous about explaining it. But all of that aside, the game was super scary. What if there was a monster in their potty? What if it was just waiting to eat him, or drag him away to torture him?

“Ethan?” Mark called, making the boy yelp, followed quickly by hiding under his desk. Mark frowned, examining the situation before quickly turning off the program, kneeling down by Ethan. “Hey kiddo. It’s just me, see? It’s okay,” He cooed.

“No mons’er?” Ethan asked around his thumb.

“Nope,” Mark promised, opening his arms. Ethan quickly darted into them, hiding his face in his Papa’s shirt.

* * * *

Ethan sighed as they started the process of set up for these dumb ballista kits. They looked like a lot of fun, but he knew they weren’t gonna get to enjoy them since this was for a video. He looked to Amy, who gave him a reassuring smile.

“S’okay E,” she promised.

“Alright, places,” Mark instructed, and Ethan quickly joined Tyler behind the camera. Amy gave Mark a countdown, and they quickly started. They rolled through a few takes of the opening bit (which naturally ended with Ethan almost humping Mark), and then they started trying to actually build. It kind of culminated into an epic fail, in which Mark and Kathryn had to run to the store to get glue. Ethan wiggled a little, getting a questioning look from Amy.

“You okay Ethan?” She asked.

The boy shrugged. He needed to go potty. But… what if there was a monster in there? She was probably just waiting for Ethan to let his guard down and try to use the toilet and then BAM! She’d use her tentacles and tear him limb from limb! No way was he risking that!

Right as Amy was about to question it though, Mark and Kathryn returned with only one pack of crazy glue, Mark swearing under his breath. Apparently Ethan was going to use icing and it was decided that it was probably best they try this again tomorrow. Which lead to their next video; Cards Against Humanity. Ethan, at this point, had also downed another bottle of water and was very squirmy.

“You okay there Eth?” Tyler asked as Mark settled in between them.

“Duh, why wouldn’t I be?” The blue haired babe smarted off. Tyler gave him a warning look, but let the subject drop. Ethan lowered his head, and Kathryn started the camera. As Mark dealt, Ethan could feel himself beginning to get more desperate. It was times like these that he really wished he could wear pull-ups to the office.

“Ethan!” Tyler called. “You lost in space over there?”

“Uh maybe,” He giggled, squirming more as he picked two cards to put down, then pulling two for rando.

* * * *

He really should have seen it coming. He read the cards, and fell against the table laughing as the dam finally burst. He writhed, trying everything to stop it but it was no use, and Ethan was once again wetting himself, in front of Amy and Kathryn and Daddy and Papa and when was it ever gonna stop? His laughter quickly turned into tears, and Amy quickly turned off the camera. Tyler hurried over while Papa went to get towels.

“Hey, shh, look at me little man,” Tyler cooed and Ethan looked up, his face red and splotchy from tears and he hiccuped ever so slightly. Tyler quickly pulled him into a hug, ignoring the wetness that was getting all over him. Ethan hid his face in his daddy’s shirt, wanting it all to be over.

Meanwhile, as Tyler whisked the baby away to clean him up (They didn’t have a lot here, but they had enough to at least give Ethan a quick bath), Mark was faced, once again with the unfortunate task of trying to explain this to Amy and Kathryn. But… Kathryn seemed to know exactly what to do to clean up, and Amy was fidgeting in a way Mark had come to know very well. The “in between space” fidget. His eyes widened. How had he missed it?

“M-Mark?” Amy whispered. “I think we needa tell you something.” Kathryn smiled, coming over and taking Amy’s hand. Amy took a deep breath. She tried, really hard to get the words out. But when Mark failed to give her a smile, a nod, literally any reassurance, Amy couldn’t take it and burst into tears. He hated her! She knew he would.

“Hey, shh, don’t cry,” Mark said, quickly wrapping her in a hug as he came back to reality. “Shh. hey, I’m really glad you told me. I know that was really hard, wasn’t it?”

“Uh huh,” Amy hiccupped, wiping her face with her hands. “I-I didn’ wanna freak you out but… but-”

“Shh, it’s okay. Today has been kind of a lot,” Mark sympathized. “Look, I don’t think Ethan’s gonna be up for much after this. Why don’t we just finish cleaning up and call it quits for the day, hmm?” Amy took a shaky breath and nodded, watching Tyler emerge with Ethan, a pull-up on his hips and Tyler’s jacket over his slim body. Kathryn took Amy’s hand, leading her to the car. Mark and Tyler followed suit shortly thereafter.

* * * *

Mark lay in bed that night thinking. Ethan hadn’t made him go so deep. Ethan had just been… well, it had just been a matter of how to bring it up, and then the choice was taken out of his hands. Amy? Amy was different, and Mark wasn’t sure he had the right words for it.

If he was honest, he really did care about her, but not in the way a lot of people thought. He didn’t want to have hot, passionate sex with her. He wanted to cuddle her, kiss her even. He wanted to hold her, take care of her. And… and he wasn’t sure if that was amorously or otherwise.

“You up?” Tyler asked, knocking on the door. Mark nodded, scooting over to make room for his friend. “So… today was a day.”

“Every day is a day Tyler,” Mark pointed out.

“You know what I mean,” Tyler scoffed. “What’s got you so shaken?”

“...Amy,” He admitted.

“Not this again,” Tyler groaned, earning himself a pillow to the face.

“I’m serious man. When you were dealing with Ethan… She kinda told me things.”

“Like…?” Tyler urged.

“Like maybe she was a little,” Mark said. “And… and maybe I wanna take care of her. Or… I dunno.”

“Dude, you’re being dumb,” Tyler said. “Just tell her how you feel. She’s probably just as freaked out as you are. Besides, Ethan kept pestering me about Amy coming over for a sleepover.”

“Fine,” Mark huffed.

“Now,” Tyler said, handing Mark his phone from the nightstand. Mark sighed, quickly punching out a message before hitting send. Tyler smiled. “Good.” The phone dinged, and Mark opened the message:

*Amy is asleep. But I’ll make sure she reads it. Auntie K.*

*...Is she okay?* Mark answered.

*Just fine. We ended up having a little night. How’s E?*

*Much the same. Wants a sleepover with his cousin(?)*

*Dare I make the suggestion we just do it?*

*...why the hell not? We really don’t have much to do tomorrow anyways. We can make pizza here and have board game night*

*See you around six then?*

*Sounds great,* Mark answered, hesitating before pressing send. What if… no. He hit the button, throwing his phone on the nightstand and burying himself in the covers. He really hoped this wasn’t just a massive mistake. He’d tell Tyler and Ethan in the morning. Right now… he needed some sleep. Sometimes that’s all that could be done.

Chapter Text

Mark confessed the plans for that evening over toaster pastries the next morning. Ethan was so elated he knocked over his Daddy’s cup of milk. Mark spent the day locked in his recording room. He was fiddling around with a few games, but nothing stuck. He really was stuck on Amy. But… well. The obvious lingered. He wasn’t into her the same way she was probably into him. If she even was. It was killing him. He didn’t want to lose her. But he really did feel amorously for her.

“Mark?” It was Ethan who had poked his head in. “Tyler wants to know if you need anything from the store. We were going to get stuff to make pizzas tonight.”

“Uh, milk,” Mark declared.

“Okay what the hell? We just got milk two days ago and we still have half a gallon,” Ethan declared. “What’s really going on? Or is this still you thinking too hard about your crush on Amy?”

“What? Who said I had a crush on-”

“Dude, you’re not subtle in the least, and she has more than once dropped a hint,” Ethan said. “So spill. Why haven’t you made a move?”

“...She wouldn’t want me,” Mark said. “She’d want more than i could give her eventually.”

“Not if she really loved you,” Ethan pointed out. “Now seriously, what do you need from the store?”

“...carrots?”

“Got it. Now stop moping. We have company coming and the house is a mess,” Ethan ordered.

“Aren’t I the Papa in this equation?” Mark muttered, standing up and stretching.

“That’s not cleaning!” Ethan said before dashing down the stairs.

* * * *

The living room had been prepared, Ethan had been properly dressed (read: diapered), and Mark was putting the final touches on their living room set up when there was a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it!” Tyler called, running down the stairs.

“Wait for me!” Ethan added, toddling behind Tyler. Mark shook his head with a fond smile. The two girls entered the living room, Amy hiding shyly behind Kathryn. However once she saw Ethan the two quickly ran and hugged the other.

“Come on! I gots out all the games we can play tonight!” Ethan declared, and they were running up the stairs just like that.

“Well then,” Tyler said, Kathryn giggling behind him.

“Guess we know where the priority is,” Mark added.

“Eh, it’ll only last until we decide to make pizza,” Kathryn mused. “Then it will be utter chaos. Amy is a mess if you let her in the kitchen.”

“Ethan too,” Tyler said, shaking his head. “We should brace the kitchen.”

“Do you need help?” Kathryn said, following behind Tyler. Mark shuffled behind them, grabbing the bowls and spoons. They had done homemade pizzas with Ethan before, and even then it was a mess. Mark smiled at the idea of twice the mess.

“Daddy!” Ethan called down the stairs. “We need your help!”

“Coming!” Tyler said. He left Kathryn instructions on how to continue to prepare the kitchen before disappearing. Kathryn smiled at Mark.

“You know, I never told you thanks,” She said, grabbing the cheese from the fridge.

“For what?” Mark asked.

“Lots of things. Being so chill with all of this mostly. Amy ended up super little last night, cuz she was so scared that this would change your relationship with her. I told her wouldn’t, but…”

“Why would it?” Mark pointed out. “I love my little, how could I not love her too?”

Kathryn smirked. “That’s what I said. But really… you have no idea how much this means to both of us.”

“Happy to be of service,” Mark smiled, pouring the pizza sauce into a bowl. “By the way, what do you want on your pizza?”

“Whatever is fine, just NOT pineapple,” Kathryn said seriously. Mark couldn’t help but laugh at that, chopping mushrooms right as the littles (and Tyler) walked in.

“All my little helpers need to wash hands first,” Tyler instructed, herding them towards the sink. Mark finished and put the finished vegetables in a bowl, moving to preheat the oven and grabbed the pizza dough from the pantry. Pre-made dough was a blessing when it came to pizza night. You just rubbed a little olive oil on it and then it was ready for the topping.

Once everyone had full bellies and the dishes were cleared, Ethan and Amy ran to get the board games they had chosen; The SpongeBob version of Sorry, some obscure game called Mall Madness, and LIFE*.

“Why don’t we play life first?” Kathryn suggested. “That always takes a really long time.”

“I call banker!” Tyler said as he refilled Ethan’s cup with juice.

“I wanna put the pieces on the board!” Ethan declared.

“But I wanna!” Amy whined.

“How about you work together? There’s plenty of pieces,” Mark suggested. “But I have to fix the spinner. It’s messed up.”

“Okay,” Both littles chirped. Amy took control, dividing the pieces while Kathryn shuffled the cards, Tyler sorting out the money and bills. Finally, they had all started. It was going great, up until Ethan landed on the spot where it was obligated that he get married and Tyler tried to hand him a pink peg.

“No Daddy! I don’t want a pink peg!” Ethan declared as Tyler moved to put in the second peg in his vehicle. Tyler looked at him, raising an eyebrow. Ethan squirmed, but didn’t back down.

“My mistake baby,” Tyler said softly, quickly trading the peg in his hands for the proper color, placing a kiss on Ethan’s forehead, in hopes of reassuring the baby. “Your turn Amy.”

The girl squealed, spinning the spinner just a tad too hard, because it came undone. Again. For the fifth time. Ethan began sucking hard on his thumb while Mark fixed the spinner. Why had he said something? Now daddy was gonna ask questions and then he was gonna figure it out. But… Daddy was too busy. Or maybe he didn’t care? Daddy was ‘mazing like that. He seemed to not care about silly stuff that made other people mad or upset. It was nice. That’s why he loved Daddy.

* * * *

Mark ended up winning, by about 50,000 dollars. By the end though, Amy and Ethan were yawning more and more, so Tyler gently nudged Ethan up the stairs to brush his teeth and get his jammies on. Amy went to follow him while Mark cleaned up the game, but Kathryn pulled her aside.

“Don’t you think you need to do something else first?” She asked.

“Jammies?” Amy asked softly, hoping Kathryn wouldn’t push the issue.

“Something else?” Kathryn said, a bit more firmly. Amy blushed, shaking her head firmly.

“No,” She insisted.

“Amy,” Kathryn sighed, but Mark came around the corner, raising an eyebrow. Amy took this distraction and ran with it, taking her bag and slinking into the hall bathroom.

“Did I interrupt something?”

“No,” Kathryn said, shaking her head. “Just Amy being Amy.”

“Right. Well, once we get the kids settled, you wanna join me and Tyler for some poker?” Mark offered. Kathryn smiled.

“I would like that very much.”

* * * *

Tyler settled Ethan down onto the mattress, handing over his sippy cup. He quickly flipped the TV over to youtube, turning on his “sleepy time” playlist.

“Ni ni Daddy,” Ethan said, reaching up to give his Daddy a kiss. Which followed quickly with a hug from Papa.

“We’re just in the kitchen if you two need us,” Mark assured the two. Kathryn placed a quick kiss to Amy’s hair, handing over the girl’s beloved Teddy Bear, Roogers.

“Don’t need him,” She quietly insisted, still clutching the plushie close to her chest.

“Sure you don’t,” Kathryn said, rolling her eyes. “Sleep well angel. I love you.”

“Love you too,” Amy yawned, turning her attention towards the bright colors on the TV. Apparently this was a show about a clown girl? Amy wasn’t too sure, but it didn’t matter, because she was asleep before it was even over.

* * * *

Amy wasn’t sure what woke her up, but she was aware of two things at once; one, there were scary monsters on the TV, and two, she was all wet. Amy hiccupped. She was such a stupid little girl. She hadn’t listened to Auntie K and look where it got her! She was wet and ick and Ethan was gonna hate her and then Mark and Tyler were gonna find out and-

“Amy wa’s wrong?” Ethan mumbled, sitting up and rubbing his eyes.

“N-nothing,” Amy tried, but it was so pathetic and tiny.

“No, something’s wrong,” Ethan insisted and it was then he felt the side of his Wolvie jammies were wet. He looked over at Amy, and from the faint light from the TV he could tell what had happened.

“I-I’m sorry E,” Amy hiccupped.

“It happens Amy,” Ethan said, hugging the poor girl. “You want me to get Auntie K?” Amy nodded sadly against her friend. “Okay. You stay here and you can cuddle Puppo and I’ll be right back.” Ethan handed over his beloved stuffie before waddling into the kitchen, finding the grown-ups engrossed in a game of poker, only they were betting using… taki’s?

“Ethan?” Mark said, setting his hand down. “What are you doing up?”

“Amy had an oopsie,” Ethan declared, sucking on his thumb. All the grown ups shared a look before jumping into action. Mark and Kathryn went to deal with Amy, while Tyler scooped up his blue-haired baby.

“I’m so proud you came to get us baby,” He cooed. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up and into some dry jammies.” Ethan nodded, nuzzling into his Daddy. Yeah, Daddy was the bestest ever.

* * * *

“Hey kiddo,” Kathryn said, approaching the air mattress with caution. Amy whined, hiding under the blankets. “Hey, it’s okay.”

“No, not okay,” Amy whimpered.

“Shh. Accidents happen kiddo,” Kathryn said, pulling the covers off Amy’s head. “It’s no big deal. We just clean up and move on.”

“But- but the mattress,” Amy whined, tears rolling helplessly down her cheeks.

“It’ll clean,” Mark said, finally telling Amy he was here and oh God, the look on her face when she realized he was there.

“Shh, just breathe honey,” Kathryn murmured, pulling Amy into her lap and rocking the girl gently. Mark frowned, but came closer, sitting right in front of the two.

“I’m sorry,” She whispered.

“Don’t be,” Mark said. “Like Auntie said, accidents happen. You go get all clean and comfy, and I’ll clean up, and it’ll be like it never happened, okay?” Amy hiccuped, nodding. Kathryn lead her upstairs, and Mark set about cleaning. Really, he needed to get a sticker for all the times he had cleaned up pee since they found out about Ethan. Eh, then again it wasn’t like he minded much. The kids were too damn cute for their own good. Huh, when had he gone so soft? Maybe “big daddy Markiplier” wasn’t so far of a stretch. What really scared him was how he still wanted to care for Amy, even helpless and tiny like she just was. Tyler appeared then, an almost-asleep Ethan in his arms, his Blue’s Clues jammies on.

“You need help?” He asked.

“Nah, I got it,” Mark insisted. Tyler shrugged, settling Ethan down on the couch.

“I’m gonna make him a bottle. Should I make one for Amy too?”

The Korean hesitated. But nodded. That would… would work great.

* * * *

By the time Amy came back downstairs, the bed was remade, and Ethan was in Tyler’s lap, nursing a warm bottle that the older of the two was feeding to him.

“Hey kiddo,” Mark cooed. Amy blushed, hiding behind Kathryn. “Hey, don’t be shy. You look sleepy.”

“Uh uh,” Amy mumbled, sucking her thumb.

“Well, I guess you don’t want cuddles and a bottle then,” Mark said sadly. Amy perked up.

“Yes I do,” She answered. “But m’not a baby.”

“Never said you were,” Mark assured her. Amy hesitantly crawled into Mark’s lap, nuzzling close to him. Mark smiled, rocking her gently in his arms. “You sure you don’t want a bottle?”

“....maybe just a little,” Amy relented. Mark beamed like the sun, picking it up and sticking the nipple into Amy’s mouth. The girl suckled hesitantly, but slowly relaxed against Mark, drinking deeply. Mark smiled down at her. This… this he could do. This was home.

* * * *

The next morning, Mark was the last one awake, still curled up on the little blow-up mattress the little had shared the night before. He stretched, smiling as Chica eagerly ran to greet him, licking at his cheeks.

“Morning to you too pupper,” Mark cooed, standing up and padding into the kitchen. Turns out breakfast had been made (Kathryn made french toast) and everyone was finishing up as Mark walked in.

“Morning sleepyhead,” Ethan said with a smirk. “Sleep well?”

“Oh yeah, the best,” Mark said, pushing on his “Markiplier” persona. “Smells good in here by the way.”

“Thank Kathryn,” Tyler said. “She is an AMAZING cook.”

“Here, lemme get you some,” She said, quickly hopping up. Mark awkwardly shuffled over and took her abandoned seat. Amy smiled warmly at him, kissing his cheek as she cleared the table, following Ethan to work on the dishes.

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Mark gently placed the starbucks cup on Amy’s desk. The blonde looked up into warm brown eyes. “Thanks?” She said.

“No problem,” Mark said. “But uh… could we maybe… talk?”

“About…?” Amy asked, taking a sip.

“Feelings, you, me, the universe,” Mark babbled.

“So the usual then?” Amy said coyly.

“Hey now,” Mark laughed. “But uh… I think… I think I wanna get to know you. Like better. I mean like, not that I don’t already know you but-”

“Shoosh,” Amy said, placing a hand over Mark’s mouth. “If this is your way of asking me out, then the answer is yes.”

Mark smiled warmly at her. “”I’ll pick you up at seven?”

Chapter Text

Mark sat on the couch, Amy curled close to him. In between work and Ethan, they had also been getting closer. Closer than Mark had been to anyone in a long time. He smiled down at Amy, kissing her hair. “Have I told you how much I love you?” He whispered to her.

“You might have mentioned it,” She purred, sitting up and leaning her forehead against his. Mark smirked, stealing a quick kiss before trying to pull back. Amy pulled him closer, going for another kiss. And another. And yet another, trying to get Mark to make out with her. But the korean pulled back, his face flushed.

“Y-you want a drink? I think I want a drink. I-I’ll bring you a drink,” He stammered, hurrying up and out of the room. He took some shallow breaths. That was just… uncomfortable. Kisses were on the okay list, but to a point. Amy knew that… right?

“Mark?” Amy said, poking her head into the kitchen. Mark jumped, not expecting that. “Are you okay?”

“T-totally?” He squeaked. Amy crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow.

“Liar,” She argued.

“I… I don’t… I can’t…” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

“It’s okay,” Amy said, opening her arms. Mark hugged her. “You don’t have to tell me if you’re not ready.” Mark sighed, hugging her back. He had to find the words. But not right now.

* * * *

Mark lay in bed that night, unable to sleep. He was beginning to think maybe he and Amy needed to have THAT talk. But… no one except his family and his closest friends (read: Bob, Wade, and Tyler) knew that he was ace. But then again it really hadn’t been necessary to tell anyone else. It’s not like he needed to scream his sexuality. It was just kind of part of him. Like the fact that his favorite color was red. But… he also hadn’t been as close to anyone as he was with Amy in a long time. The last time he had, it ended badly. They had called him broken, and it all fell apart from there.

He didn’t want to lose what he had with Amy.

As crazy as it was, he did love her. But he didn’t want to go that far with her. It just… squicked him out. He was fine if others wanted that stuff. But it just wasn’t for him. Mark sighed, turning off the light and trying to sleep. Maybe things would be clearer in the morning.

* * * *

Amy lay awake in her bed too. She thought she had understood what Mark wanted. She thought he was okay with her advances. They had shared little kisses before. They had held hands and hugged and snuggled. When she was in headspace, he was the best caregiver she could ask for. Mark was… amazing. She wanted to be just as amazing to him. She wanted to be as physically wonderful as Mark was emotionally. But… why had he shot her down like that? Maybe… maybe she needed to be clearer? Or maybe he just wasn’t feeling it? She sighed, deciding to try again tomorrow.

* * * *

Amy made sure she looked extra nice before heading for the office that morning. She put extra effort into her hair, and maybe her shirt was a little tighter, so her chest was a bit more prominent. She smirked, getting in the car. One thing Mark could never resist in the morning was coffee, and they knew each other’s orders by heart. Her mother once told her the way to a man’s heart was through his stomach. She wasn’t quite sure how true that was, but it couldn’t hurt her cause.

As she approached the office, she saw his car already in front of the building. Good. She slipped easily inside, watching silently at the top of the stairs before walking over to her boyfriend, placing the cup of coffee beside his hand. Mark look at it, before looking up at Amy with a smile.

“Morning sunshine,” He purred. “Thanks for the coffee.”

“No problem,” Amy answered, placing a soft kiss on his lips. She tried to make it last, but once again Mark pulled away from her too soon. She sighed, going to her desk and starting up the computer, getting to work. Mark watched her longingly. God, she was beautiful, and everything he should want. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Mark?” Ethan said, causing the older of the two to practically jump out of his skin. “Uh, you okay there buddy?”

“Y-yeah, totally,” He mumbled. “What did you need?”

* * * *

Mark sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Tyler what am I gonna do?” Mark groaned, throwing himself dramatically across the couch and onto his friend.

“You’re going to get off of me for starters,” The curly-haired boy said. “And then you’re going to be honest with yourself and Amy. It’s not hard Mark. If she really loves you, then she’ll be chill. You’re overthinking this.”

“Really? Says the person who begged me to come with him when he came out to his parents,” Mark reminded his friends.

“That was different,” Tyler said, taking a bite of his sandwich. “ ‘sides, Amy loves you.”

“So did Kat, and you know how well that worked out for me,” Mark muttered darkly into his ramen.

“Kat was a bitch to begin with,” Tyler reminded him. “Just trust me on this, okay?” Mark sighed, playing with his noodles. Coming out was hard. It had gone well for the most part. The important people at least had accepted him. But… they were the exception really. Everyone else had called him broken, a freak. They had damned him, wished horrible things on him. One of them even… Well, he didn’t like to think about it, mostly because his brother and Bob had found him before it got any farther. God, why were people such assholes?

“Papa?” It was Ethan now, sitting next to him, making the older of the two jump. “You ‘kay?”

“Uhm, yeah, just thinking too hard again,” Mark said, managing a weak little laugh. “What do you need pipsqueak?”

“Story,” Ethan said, handing over the disney story treasury before climbing into his Papa’s lap. Mark took a deep breath, grounding himself and beginning to read.

* * * *

So the coffee hadn’t worked. Well, there were other, slightly more obvious measures that could be taken, Amy mused that night. She raided her closet. It was relatively warm out, so she could probably get away with her mini skirt. And a crop top. That was enough to get Mark going… wasn’t it? Or should she try more obvious flirting? Hmm. Maybe both?

* * * *

Mark sighed, tucking the baby in that night, going back to his room to think. When he had thought about sex before, even when it came to a significant other, it felt… ick. It was gross and not something worth engaging in. Even when he had tried to force himself, it felt so deeply wrong. But…. even remote intimacy had squicked him out. Amy had been the first person he had felt even remotely okay with anything. When she touched him, when she kissed him… it felt good. Maybe… maybe it was just wrong before? But… why had it been so ick when Amy had tried to make out with him? Maybe he just needed practice. Yeah, maybe that was it. That could totally work, yup.

* * * *

Mark tugged Amy onto the couch with him, pulling her close. She took it as a sign to keep going and began to make out with him, her tongue sliding into his mouth and ew, ew- no, he had to work through it. Had to. But Amy pulled away before he could.

“Am I doing something wrong?” She asked. “You’re all tense.”

“S-sorry, just uh, n-not used to it?” Mark squeaked. Amy gave him a disapproving look, but shrugged, laying her head on his chest. Mark wrapped his arms tightly around her. This, he could do. This felt like breathing. This worked.

“I love you,” Mark murmured. Amy smiled, sticking her thumb into her mouth. Mark smiled. Oh yes, this felt like flying. Platonic, non-sexual caregiver helped him live, gave him life.

* * * *

This back and forth went on for two more days, Ethan getting more grossed out as time went on. Tyler began to see an issue arising there, but that was minor right now; he could deal with Ethan’s sexuality and his awkwardness later. Right now Amy was basically begging Mark, her legs spread just enough that you could probably see straight up the mini-skirt she had on, her boobs nearly popping out of her shirt as Mark sat beside her, stiff as a board, trying to teach her how to play some random game.

“Isn’t she yours to dress?” Tyler whispered.

“Not when she isn’t little,” Kathryn answered. “And what the hell with Mark?”

“That’s for him to tell you, not me,” Tyler grumbled. “But what are we gonna do about that?”

“They are technically both grown ups,” Kathryn sighed. “They’re gonna have to figure it out on their own.”

“Would you two PLEASE get a room?” Ethan snapped, stomping downstairs. Tyler sighed. He was not paid enough to deal with this. He quickly followed behind Ethan, finding the boy on the floor in the kitchen, rocking back and forth and trying to take deep breaths. Had… had watching Amy and Mark really triggered him? What about it…?

“Eth,” Tyler said gently, getting teary eyes looking up at him. “Hey, it’s okay. Are Amy and Mark triggering you?”

“Y-yeah,” Ethan hiccuped. “W-when I… I tried to force myself to date girls. W-was almost painful Ty. Papa looks like he’s in pain too.” Tyler quickly scooped his blueberry into his arms.

“Don’t you worry about your Papa. He’s gonna be just fine, even if Daddy has to knock some sense into him. Now, are you a rainbow baby angel? If you don’t wanna tell me that’s okay, but it might help so that we don’t hit so many triggers, okay?”

Ethan wiped at his eyes, nodding slowly. “Yeah. I… I didn’t wanna tell you guys cuz… cuz it’s already weird enough I like you treating me like a kid. D-didn’t wanna add to it.”

“Baby,” Tyler cooed, hugging his boy close. “Nothing you can say will change how I feel about you, okay?” I love you just the way you are.” Ethan nodded, laying his head on Tyler’s shoulder.

*THE NEXT MORNING*

“Hey Mark,” Amy purred, causing everyone to look up. The girl stood there in barely anything, her breasts practically falling out of her shirt. Ethan bit his lip, turning back to his work. Girls were icky. Tyler tried really, REALLY hard to not stare, but… it was kind of hard not to. Mark waved silently, getting himself a glare. However, Amy quickly recovered, simply coming over, running her hands down Mark’s arms, placing her hands over his. “Whatchya doing?” She whispered in his ear. Mark closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

“Working,” He answered, turning around and smiling at her. Kathryn and Tyler shared a look. This was about as awkward and uncomfortable as it looked. Why the two of them were trying to force it was beyond either of the observers.

“Get a room,” Ethan muttered. Straight people were kinda icky, especially when they tried to force things.

“Hmm, there’s an idea,” Mark murmured, taking Amy’s hands. The girl’s eyes lit up at the idea. Was this really working?

“Are you fucking crazy dude?! Do you even KNOW how much we have to get done today?” Tyler snapped.

“I’m the boss of this operation, am I not?” Mark smirked, taking Amy’s hand. “We’ll be back when we-”

“NO,” Kathryn declared. “You two can galavant and do whatever the fuck you want AFTER we are done working, and not a minute before. If you two want to act like children, I’ll treat you like them.”

* * * *

Maybe it won’t be so bad, Mark thought as he lay in bed, forcing himself to make out with Amy. It felt gross, but… at least she wasn’t-

“What do you say we make this a little more interesting?” Amy whispered, playing with the edge of Mark’s shirt. He gulped, his tummy turning over and tying into knots. he tried. Honest to God he did, but when Amy’s shirt came off and she kept attacking his lips, he just couldn’t take it.

“Stop,” he mumbled, trying, desperately to push Amy away. She did so, looking at him, confusion and hurt in her eyes.

“Did I… am I doing something wrong?” She asked, and oh God the broken look on her face.

“No. it.. It isn’t you. God it could never be you Amy, you’re perfect,” Mark said, tears in his eyes. “I’m… I’m broken. I should be able to do this and I can’t and I’m.. I’m sorry and I’m…“ Amy tugged Mark close, holding him in her arms as the tears fell, his chest heaving as he tried to breathe, tried to make words happen but he’d almost fucked up and he probably still had fucked up the best damn thing to ever walk into his life and that hurt. God, why was he so broken?!

“Mark,” Amy whispered, running her hands through his hair. “You weren’t ready, were you?” He shook his head softly.

“I’m not… I’m… I’m asexual,” He whispered, closing his eyes and waiting. Waiting for the rejection to flow and for Amy to damn him and call him every name possible but instead she lifted his head, making him look her in the eyes.

“Why didn’t you tell me Mark?” She said. “God, I could’ve… This would’ve been… If I had known... And you’re not broken. Don’t ever say that, okay? You’re perfect just the way you are.”

“But you-”

“Mark, there is more to life than sex. There’s plenty of ways to be intimate, and to have a meaningful, wonderful relationship without sex and physical gratification,” Amy declared softly. “But a relationship only works if BOTH people communicate. Why did you even let me talk you into this?”

“I thought… I thought maybe if it was you, it would work. That maybe you were the one, and I just needed the right person to fix it all.”

“Mark, your sexuality isn’t something to be fixed,” Amy said firmly. “If it was, then we should be telling Tyler to get it together, that he can’t like everything, he has to pick one gender and stick to it. Sexuality isn’t like that Mark. You of all people should get that.”

“What did I ever do to deserve you?” Mark asked, wiping roughly at the tears still running down his cheeks. “I love you, Amy Nelson.”

“I love you too,” She murmured, placing a gentle kiss on her boyfriend’s lips. “But next time, tell me your limits. Is kissing even okay?”

“...I like some kisses,” Mark answered softly. “But not… not long, tongue-included kisses. Those are… they feel gross.”

Amy smiled. “That is honestly one of the cutest things you’ve ever said,” She declared, placing a gentle one on Mark’s nose. “...Does anyone else know?”

“Tyler,” Mark answered. “And Bob and Wade. And my family. But just like, my mom and my brother. I probably should tell Ethan, but other than them it really isn’t anyone else’s business.”

Amy nodded, finagling her way into Mark’s shirt. “You know, for the record, sexy clothes are uncomfortable. I felt like I could barely breathe.”

Mark laughed softly. “Yeah. I like it more when you dress like you, not some crazy exhibitionist that took over my Amy’s body. You’re perfect just like you are.” Amy smiled, hugging Mark.

“Are cuddles okay?” She asked.

“Cuddles are fucking awesome,” Mark declared, holding her close. Amy nuzzled into his chest, her thumb moving towards her mouth. Mark easily tucked them in. “Wait, shouldn’t I put you in a pull-up if you’re gonna sleep?”

“Maaark!” Amy whined.

* * * *

“Look, I… There’s something that maybe I should have told you sooner,” Mark sighed, and Amy gently placed her hand over his. “I’m ace.”

“Seriously? Dude I thought it was something serious,” Ethan said, getting sidelong glances. “What?”

“You’ve been squicked out all week, and you’re asking me what?” Tyler prodded.

“I’ll share with the class when I’m good and ready damnit!” Ethan pouted.

“Language,” Tyler muttered.

“To be honest it was kinda obvious,” Kathryn admitted. “But I’m glad you feel comfortable enough to share it with us.” Mark let out a sigh of relief, his head landing on Amy’s shoulder. These were good people. Good, accepting, slightly queer people. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Chapter Text

I hate to be that author but i wanted to at least post something this week.

Hi guys. So, as some of you may or may not be aware, finals are right around the corner! For me, they're in like, two weeks. Like I have this week and next of regular class and then it's finals and holy shit guys I am not prepared. Like, to give you an idea of how unprepared I am I was up until 4 in the morning reading last night (April 24/25). Yeah, it's that bad. I have a group project due this Thursday and next Thursday, a math module and test due next week... Oh yeah, and MARK IS GOING ON TOUR AND THE FIRST STOP IS REALLY NEAR ME!!!

So why am I even unloading all of this on you guys? Cuz A: I wanted to explain myself and B: Let you know that while I have been working on updates for all three works in the Blueberry 'verse, I literally am at a point where if I don't stop writing and focus on school, my grades could very easily go south. I WANT to finish the next update. It's the Dan and Phil playdate everyone is dying for. And the Disney chapter in Little Leprechaun. And I got the craziest idea for little Jack and Mommy Wiishu too! but I want it to be good and worth writing. and if I try to do that in the next two and a half weeks, I'm not gonna be happy with the work.

So, as much as it kills me, life is going on pause until after finals. After all of the craziness of end-of-semester shit is done, we can resume life as normal during my Maycation (the three weeks I have between spring and summer semester). I swear, if y'all will just be patient in the meantime, I will make it worth the wait. Can't get enough of me in the meantime? I do have a <a href="http://littlewidowlovesu.tumblr.com/">Tumblr</a> , and I very eagerly take requests/<a href="http://littlewidowlovesu.tumblr.com/commissions">commissions</a> . Requests can be just about anything (within reason!), but commissions are a bit more specific. Again, details are on my tumblr. Also fun fact: every dollar I make on commissions currently goes into my savings so I can take a trip to visit my girlfriend for my birthday in September. Just think of it as an investment in true love if you want. :)

That's about it I think. I know this isn't what most people probably want to hear, but it's all I got. Oh! And about Black and Blue; thank you guys so much for the overwhelming and amazing support on that. You have no idea how much that means to me. I was scared to death to even post it, and to know I'm not alone? It both saddens and relieves me. But... if I were to continue, would anyone even read it? What would I even continue with? idk, just thoughts I have. In case you haven't heard it today, you're amazing and worth so much. I love you guys, and I'll see you next time. <3

PS: I've put in links to my tumblr!

PPS: They're not working and I'm too tired right now to try and figure shit out. I'll fix it later.

Chapter Text

Ethan sighed, sitting on the play blanket Daddy had set out. He had come into work little, which was normally fine, cuz Amy usually played with him. However, she was back home in Ohio because of a family emergency. Mark had offered to go, and so had Auntie K, but Amy insisted she would be fine.

This left a very lonely little boy behind.

Vidcon was even coming up, but the way things were shaping up, Jack(ie) was going to be too busy to even sneak away to hang out with. Ethan poked one of his cars, before just flopping down dramatically.

“Daddy m’bored,” He whined.

“I know baby,” Tyler said sadly. “Just let me finish up, then we can play, okay?” Tyler had noticed how lonely his little boy had become, and was trolling the forum, like he usually did when he came across a situation he had no idea how to handle. This time, he was perusing the “meet and greet” section, hoping to find anyone willing to have a playdate. So far he hadn’t found anything, and he was on page six. Admitting defeat (for now), Tyler stood up with a stretch.

“Daddy?” Ethan asked hopefully.

“Come on angel, let’s go get a snack, hmm?” Tyler offered. Ethan nodded with a slight smile, taking his daddy’s hand.

*MEANWHILE, ON ANOTHER CONTINENT…*

“Daddy?” Dan Howell mumbled. He and Phil were in a rather… unconventional relationship as well. He and Phil were BOTH littles. But they were also both Caregivers as well. They were switches, something that was rather rare to stumble across.

“Just a second baby,” Phil murmured.

“Daddyyyy! You’ve been saying dat for AGES!” Dan whined. Phil took a deep breath, swinging around in his work chair, opening his arms for his little boy.

“Come here angel,” Phil cooed. Dan didn’t need to be told twice, toddling over and eagerly hopping up into his daddy’s lap. “You know how you told Daddy you were lonely? How you wanted a playmate?”

“Yes,” Dan answered nervously. What was Daddy doing?

“Well, Daddy was going to post a little advert on the site we love so much to see if we could find anyone,” Phil explained. “When Daddy is small, he wishes he had a playmate too. But I wanted to make sure it was just right, so we didn’t get into any trouble. That’s what is taking Daddy so long, okay?”

“Okay Daddy,” Dan sighed. “But I’m hungry.”

“We’ll have a snack in just a few minutes. I’m almost done. Can you give me about five more minutes? I just need to tag it properly,” Phil requested.

“...Can we have ‘nanacream?” Dan asked hopefully, knowing they still had some of their banana “ice cream” in the freezer.

“Why not?” Phil mused, tickling his baby. Dan squealed and wiggled out of his Daddy’s lap before toddling off happily. Phil sighed. His only hope was that this worked out; he couldn’t bear the thought of anyone hurting his little Danny.

*BACK IN THE US*

Tyler had put the baby down for the night and was back browsing the forum when he came across a post titled: Switches seeking playmate!

Hello! Lionbaby here! Me and my baby/daddy (we’re switches!) are seeking a playmate!

A bit about us: as I said above, we are both switches, so one or both of us could be little. It depends on the mood. That said, I tend to regress to about four or five. My little self is very loud and outgoing, quite energetic and messy (fair warning!). My baby/daddy usually regresses to around a one or two-year-old. He’s very shy and quiet, but a big sweetheart when he opens up. We both are rather gender neutral in what we enjoy; will do anything as long as its fun.

Don’t feel I should give out TOO much personal information here, as our situation is rather private (don’t need the neighbors to find out!). However we ARE looking for someone to have a playdate with. If you do feel interested about this offer and want to play with us, please PM me.

Lots of love! -Lionbaby

It seemed too good to be true. TWO playmates for Ethan! But… there were still a lot of if’s involved. They could be way older than Ethan (in actual years, not headspace), or it might not be a good fit. Still… it seemed worth a try. Tyler clicked on the OP’s profile, starting a new private message.

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Phil was going through his emails, checking the news, facebook… then he flipped over to the forum. He had a few notifications, but perhaps the biggest thing that caught his eye was the private messages. He had three.

The first two were stupid, not even worth his time (plus the spelling was awful!). However, the last one caught his attention very quickly…

From: Daddypocalypse_12

Lionbaby,

Hiya! I saw your post seeking a playmate for you and your baby/daddy. I myself have a very mopey little who would adore a playmate. My baby is currently twenty (in actual years), but ages down to around 2-ish (He hasn’t ever really said an age). He is kinda shy at first, but warms right up to most people. He is enamored with Dory and all things to do with Finding Nemo. He has me and my best friend as his papa. Would you be willing to meet and talk about a possible playdate?

-Daddypocalypse_12

Phil quickly typed back;

Would love to chat! Whereabouts do you live? -LB

Within a few minutes he got another response: Los Angeles. You?

Uh oh… We live in London. In the UK. -LB

You’re kidding.

Well… there is one thing we could try. Have you ever heard of a thing called Vidcon? -LB

Hells yeah! You going?

Oh yes. Me and the baby/daddy both. It might be a bit crazy to try and meet up during the convention… -LB

Why not try and meet up after. Unless you two need to head straight back home?

Nah. We usually spend an extra few days, just to recover before we go home and deal with jetlag. :P

Why not meet up on that Sunday? Unless you two plan on Disney day.

Nah. I’ll send you the details later? -LB

Sounds good. But uh… am I just supposed to call you Lionbaby? :P

...My name is Phil. My baby/daddy is Dan. You?

...Tyler. :)

* * * *

Things were always crazy leading up to convention, but this time things were extra crazy. There were videos to film, bags to pack… and now the house had to be prepared for two more littles. In the UK Dan and Phil were also feeling the stress. They had the gaming channel videos to prep for, and they were also having to pack twice as much stuff because they were, for certain, going to have this playdate. Or at least attempt to anyways.

Then came vidcon.

It was always crazy and seemed to go too fast but there was still the in between for all parties that involved meeting fans, seeing friends, lots of food and friendship… And then it was Sunday.

“Ty? Are Phil and Dan nice?” Ethan asked as Tyler dressed him for the day. He wasn’t entirely in headspace, but at this point it could go either way.

“I’m sure they are baby,” Tyler cooed. “Besides, they’re both babies sometimes. Remember how we talked about switches?”

“Yeah,” Ethan mumbled, sticking his paci into his mouth. Tyler smiled and placed a kiss on his forehead.

* * * *

A few floors up, Dan and Phil were having a similar conversation, but this time Dan was the older of the two.

“But I don’t WANT to wear pants!” Phil moaned. “Pants are stupid and so are socks!”

“Philly you know you have to wear both so stop arguing! We’re going to be late and that would leave a very bad impression on our new friends!” Dan argued. Inside of him he had his own fears, ones he had voiced to Phil in the throes of headspace the previous night (meaning about four hours ago). He just hoped Tyler and Ethan and their friend Mark were nice. He’d met too many kink-shamers in his lifetime, thank you very much. One word of things going south and they were heading straight back upstairs. Mmhmm. It was around this time that Philly also decided it would be fun to unravel a whole roll of toilet paper, and Dan was forced to put the boy in timeout and let Tyler know they would be a bit late.

* * * *

Finally, finally, Dan had Philly dressed, clean and in the elevator. He was bouncing excitedly in place, babbling on about all the cool things he and his new friend would do and this and that and then the doors opened, and they were faced with…

“M-Mark?” Dan squeaked. Ethan’s eyes widened, and he quickly hid behind Tyler, realizing that oh God, it was THE Dan and Phil, not two random dudes from the internet but THE random dudes on the internet. Mark cleared his throat, and motioned for everyone to follow him. Introvertedness aside, he could lead a crowd if need be. And since no one was capable of anything intelligent to say, he needed to. They found themselves inside the little cafe of the hotel, coffee making its way around the table.

“What I wanna know is how so many people in Youtube are actually into this stuff,” Mark mused. “I mean seriously. You two, Jack, Ethan, Felix… How’d we all end up here?”

“I’ve wondered that since we met Fee and Mar,” Dan sighed. “But… It was weird for me. I had spent my time in my youth on forums, trying to sort myself out. But… it wasn’t until Phil and I met that we figured it all out for the better. He felt like a Daddy at first, but then, with time we… we found a dynamic that worked.”

“How’d you manage it with the radio stuff?” Tyler asked.

“It sounds bad but we made a schedule,” Dan admitted. “Sunday through Wednesday, either of us could drop if we needed. Thursday was a mandatory big day, just to make sure things got done around the flat. And weekends, one of us was designated to be big. We alternated turns. It wasn’t perfect by any means but it got us what we needed most of the time. But lately… we’ve just felt something was missing. That we both wanted to play, but someone to play with besides each other.”

“Well, I think you’d make a nice addition to our little circle, no pun intended,” Mark said. “Ethan seems enamored with Phil.” The three bigs looked down at the end of the table, observing the two boys coloring together quietly, something Dan rarely saw in Philly. “Why don’t you two come by the house tomorrow? We have enough videos prepped we can afford an extra day off. If you still want to?”

Dan smiled softly. “That would be lovely.”

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Phil quickly shoved their things into the baby bag they usually carried. It was inconspicuous enough; a Winnie the Pooh tsum tsum backpack.* Inside were their lovies, Dan’s paci’s and diapers, Philly’s cars and an extra outfit. The only thing missing was-

“Phillyyyy! Can’t forget baba!” Dan insisted, carrying over his favorite pink bottle. Phil smiled, placing them in the bag, along with his own sippy cup. Dan had been very clear yesterday when they all sat and talked. Limits were set, rules established… and routine was divulged. Dan discovered he wasn’t the only one who had a hard time staying clean when he ate in headspace, and that he also wasn’t the only one who needed diapers in headspace either. It was something of a relief to discover that, even if Ethan practically crawled inside of Tyler in the process.

Across town, Ethan was already up, bouncing in excitement and squirming in his seat, barely able to contain himself.

“Ethan, I know you’re excited but you have to sit still,” Tyler remided him. “And you have syrup in your hair. I just gave you a bath.”

“But Daddieeeeeeeee! Philly and Daniel are coming! I gotsta get all my toys and we gots ta get out all the BEST movies and, and COLORS Daddy! Lotsa colors!”

“You can do all of that AFTER we wash your hair and you eat,” Tyler insisted, managing to shove a few more bites into Ethan before just giving up and taking him upstairs. Mark was finishing up getting ready and went downstairs with an arm load of assorted things.

* * * *

“Phiw?” Dan asked as they pulled the rental car up to the house. “Newbous.”

“Can you take your thumb out so I can hear you baby?” Phil asked. Dan looked up at him shyly. “Now I know you’re nervous. But remember how much we talked yesterday? And Phil will be right here with you. And if we don’t like how this goes, we don’t have to keep doing it, alright?” Dan nodded shyly, sticking his thumb back into his mouth. Phil took a deep breath and slung the baby bag over his shoulder, before getting out and getting Dan out of the car as well. The baby laid his head happily on Philly’s shoulder, sucking happily on his fingers. Phil smiled at the baby before making his way to the front door, which Ethan (and Tyler) had open before the british boy had a chance to knock.

“Hi Dan hi Philly!” He eagerly greeted them. Tyler had a look of fond exasperation on his face, and Mark could be heard giggling in the other room.

“Hi Ethan,” Phil said happily, and Dan waved shyly from Phil’s shoulder.

“Come in! Daddy and Papa and I’s been getting ready all morning! An’ don’ worry ‘bout Chica, she’s out back until Dan’s ready and lookie lookie!” Ethan said gesturing to the mess that was the living room. Toys were literally in a giant pile in the corner, there was a mess of art supplies and a rather telling pile of glitter on an end table, and on the coffee table was a board game, all set up.

What amazed Phil was that all the pieces were still there.

“Hey guys, you ready to play?” Mark asked, smiling gently.

* * * *

Philly won, and was in full control by the end of their game. Scary thing was he was even more energetic than Ethan. The two ran through the house, hooping and hollering. Dan was… quiet, and snuggly. He was content to just cuddle with Mark on the couch, or on the floor, playing with some blocks. Mark had to admit, he was growing quite fond of the two.

“Danny! Come on! We’re gonna play rescue the princess and we need someone to be the princess!” Phil declared, bouncing on his feet in front of Dan suddenly. The baby seemed to be used to it though, and nodded.

“I go pway?” He asked Mark from around his pacifier.

“Of course baby. Just be careful, alright boys?” Mark instructed.

“We will! I promise Papa!” Ethan said, popping up from behind the couch. Mark jumped, but then laughed. As the three bounded off towards Ethan’s room, Tyler emerged from the kitchen, flopping down with a groan.

“They’re so energetic,” He groaned, falling over and his head landing on Mark’s thigh.

“I think it’s cute,” Mark laughed softly. “It’s nice. Ethan doesn’t have many people to properly ‘play’ with.”

“Yeah, I-”

“Daddy! Papa! Come quick!” Ethan yelled down the stairs. Chica whined, scratching at the back door. Mark went for her while Tyler bounded up the steps, hoping to God no one was hurt. What he found was rather tame, all things considered. Phil sat squirming, glaring at Ethan and Dan sat watching idly, sucking happily on his pacifier.

“Daddy Philly has ta go potty,” Ethan declared, making Phil blush.

“Do not!” The brit argued, despite the very obvious potty dance and his hands jammed between his legs.

“Do so,” Dan mumbled around the pacifier in his mouth, crawling over. Phil stuck out his tongue, and Tyler was faintly reminded of a few weeks prior when Ethan did the same thing and it was Amy who had called for him.

“Why don’t we try and go potty?” Tyler suggested.

“But we were having so much fun!” Phil whined. “I don’ wanna stop.”

“I know, but it’s just for a few minutes, and then we can pick right back up, okay?” Tyler explained.

“I promise I’ll wait for you,” Ethan added.

“Me too!” Dan chirped. Phil sighed, but nodded, Taking Tyler’s outstretched hand. As the two hurried off, Dan tugged gently on Ethan’s sleeve. “Hungwy.”

“Me too. We should ask Daddy to make lunch when he comes back,” Ethan decided.

“Yay!” Dan declared, clapping happily. Philly came running back in, bouncing excitedly. Yeah, best day ever!

* * * *

When the three boys (and Tyler) came downstairs, Mark had lunch on the table. It was a dino-nuggets and mac and cheese day (with carrots, because otherwise Tyler would lecture Mark endlessly about the need for vegetables and they were one of the few veggies that Ethan would eat willingly in headspace). The three boys eagerly crowded around the sink to wash hands while Mark set about filling sippy cups.

Once bellies were full and yawns started escaping, Tyler and Mark smirked to each other. “I think it’s about time for a nap, what do you think Tyler?” Mark mused.

“Nooo! Not-” Ethan couldn’t finish that thought as a huge yawn overcame him. Dan was nuzzled against Philly, who in turn was rubbing his eyes.

“Come on little man, let’s get you all diapered up,” Tyler cooed, picking the blue baby up. Ethan let out a loud whine.

“Daddyyy! Not in fron’ of com’p’ny,” Ethan mumbled into his shirt, thumb in mouth. Dan blushed but whispered something into Phil’s ear. Phil nodded, tugging gently on Mark’s sleeve.

“Yes little man?” Mark cooed, pulling the black-haired boy onto his lap.

“Dan is wet,” Phil declared, making the baby blush and hide in his hands. “And Dan won’t go to sleep unless he has his rainbow paci and his baby blankie and his pooh bear.”

“Good to know. Dan? Are you okay if I help you get ready for nap?” Mark asked. Dan wiggled a bit, before nodding. They had spent a lot of time talking about this yesterday. And online with Ty. Mark wiped up Dan’s hands before easing him up, leading him over to the couch, where he had left the baby bag Phil had brought with them. Inside he found the usual suspects; diapers, toys, paci’s. Mark grabbed what he needed out of the bag, Philly already distracting the baby with a game of peek-a-boo. The duo were just too precious. Mark was quick, as he had learned to be, and then he had his arms full of hobbit-haired Dan, who was nothing more than sleepy putty in Mark’s hands.

“Philly? Does the baby like bottles?” he asked.

“He loves them!” Phil declared. “Do you want one Danny?” Dan thought for a minute, before nodding. Mark smiled.

* * * *

Once the two youngest were down, Mark flipped on an episode of Teletubbies for Philly while he sat on the couch, sippy in hand and his own lovey: a lion stuffie. Apparently he wasn’t much for naps but today was a bit of an exception. Tyler was working on the dishes while Mark folded laundry and tried to understand what the hell was happening on the TV. he ran out of laundry before he got an answer though. Well that, and Tyler finished with the dishes and came in and began teasing him. Mark stuck out his tongue and Tyler took the basket of folded clothes upstairs to put away. Huh. When had their life become so… domestic? Mark wasn’t sure, nor did he care. This was… perfect? The only thing missing was Amy. But she would be back by the end of the week.

And anyways, it wasn’t more than two hours later and he had three hyper littles again. Tyler shooed them outside to play with Chica and bubbles. Dan had aged up a little bit during his nap, but since neither Dan or Phil were completely in bigspace, they were staying until they could safely get home. Which meant it was pizza night!

* * * *

“You sure you have to leave?” Ethan whined from Ty’s shoulder.

“Afraid so little guy,” Phil sighed, running his fingers through Ethan’s hair. “It won’t be for long though. We’ll see each other at con’s soon enough. And we can always skype!” Ethan nodded, waving bye to his new friends. Phil and Dan hugged Mark and Tyler tightly as well.

“Thanks for coming,” Tyler said softly.

“Thanks for having us,” Phil smiled. “Next time you’re in the UK, we should return the favor.”

Ethan gasped. “Can we Daddy! Pleeeeease!” he begged, making Mark and Phil laugh. Okay, post-con playdates had to be a thing. They just needed to. Especially if Amy got into the mix. That might just be enough cuteness to create world peace, right there. If nothing else, it would give the three (or four) of them a chance at a peace they so desperately needed sometimes. It was something Tyler and Mark would happily give.

Chapter Text

Ethan whined. It was after lunch when the ache started. It always started slowly, at least, but it could get out of hand very quickly if he didn’t do something to try and stop it.Ethan got up, stretching his neck and rubbing his shoulders. Yeah, that was a start. Next thing was caffeine. Sometimes that helped. Though a quick look out the window had him second guessing his chances of trying to break the headache; it looked like rain was imminent. Still, he had to try. He slipped downstairs, grabbing a soda from the fridge. Upon reflection, he grabbed two, knowing Tyler would appreciate the thought. Satisfied with that, he headed back upstairs.

* * * *

Ethan honestly wasn’t even sure what they were shooting today. All he knew was that it involved more glue, which they thankfully had on hand this time (Mark swore after the -admittedly hilarious- fail that was ballista kits video that they would make sure to have everything BEFOREHAND). They also made it a rule that they ALL tried to go potty before they turned on the cameras. Ethan did as he was told, despite the throbbing in his head.

Odd thing was, emptying what little was in his bladder seemed to make his headache worse. He sighed, rubbing his shoulders again.

“Ethan what’s wrong?” Amy asked. Funny thing was, she was only a little bit loud. But it was enough to have Ethan on the floor in tears, holding his head.

“Ohhhh,” Mark said, picking the baby up. “You have a headache?”

“M-migraine,” Ethan whimpered. “Too loud an’ bright Papa.”

“Shh, okay baby. It’s okay. Papa’s gonna fix it,” Mark cooed, bouncing the baby slightly. “Tyler? Why don’t we make a fort?” The curly haired man nodded, turning off the lights in the process. Ethan whined, burying his face in his Papa’s shirt.

“Hurts,” Ethan whined, the pain throbbing and pulsing in his temples.

“I think I’ve got just the thing for that,” Kathryn said. “Amy, come help me?” The blonde nodded, dancing off with Kathryn while Mark sat in his desk chair, cuddling the baby. The stormclouds outside made the room darker without the lights, something Ethan was grateful for. Upon her return, Amy bounded over to help “Uncle Ty” construct their fortress of solitude and serenity (in Amy’s words). Ethan watched cautiously, just chewing absently on his fingers.

“No baby, that’s yucky,” Mark scolded gently. He tried to shove the bottle that Kathryn had given him into Ethan’s mouth. The baby whined; sucking usually made it worse.

“Noo,” He whined in the softest voice possible. “Make it worse Papa.”

“What will baby?” Mark asked.

“Sucking,” Ethan mumbled, nuzzling into Mark’s chest.

“Hmm. What if Papa helped you?” Mark wondered.

“How?” Ethan asked. Mark unscrewed the lid of the bottle, gently holding it to Ethan’s lips. The baby sipped slowly, grimacing. The milk was sweet, but there was some sort of bitter aftertaste.

“I know baby. But it’s to help your head,” Mark promised. Ethan nodded, trying to chug the rest, but Mark made sure he didn’t go to fast. By the time the baby was done, Amy and Tyler had a fort all put together

“Come here sweetie. Let’s get you all comfy,” Tyler cooed, taking Ethan from Mark. Ethan sighed, nuzzling into his Daddy. Daddy was amazing; surely Daddy knew how to get rid of the ick feeling in Ethan’s head, right?

Even if a diaper and some softer clothes were what Ethan ended up with, he would take it. Papa had found some headache appropriate videos (read: Oobi*), and there was a soft game of chutes and ladders happening within the fort, mostly to keep Amy quiet. There weren’t enough pieces for everyone, but Tyler and Ethan decided to be a team. Chica even found her way inside too. It got a bit stuffy after a while, so Kathryn decided she would go pretend to be  grown up and get work done. That left Amy, Mark, and Tyler/Ethan still in the game. Ethan, however, fell asleep, curled against Chica, before the game was over.

* * * *

Next time Ethan woke up, he was aware that A: His head was pounding quite a bit less, and B: Tyler was carrying him. Why was Tyler carrying him? And why was he all warm and fuzzy? Hmm. The answers were right there, right in front of him, but still… Sleep overtook him before he could find the answers.

* * * *

This time, when Ethan woke up, he was back in his own bed, in his own room, in the house he shared with Tyler and Mark. His headache was gone too, which was nice. Now his head was just kind of quiet and fuzzy, like it usually was when he was in headspace. He could probably pull out of it if he wanted. But he kind of felt like tonight was a nice night for some little time. Besides, it smelled like Papa was cooking again. Those were always the best nights…

Chapter Text

Ethan giggled, hiding behind the couch. Papa had no idea he was here! It was gonna be so funny when-

“Hey Ethan!” Amy greeted happily, skipping up the stairs. The boy jumped, falling over.

“Aaaaaaaaamyyyyy!” He whined. “No fair!”

The blonde giggled. “You know your Papa doesn’t like jumpscares,” She told him. “And besides, aren’t you supposed to be editing?” Ethan sighed.

“Editing is boring,” He declared. “Scaring Papa is more fun!”

“Well, then can I help too?” Amy asked. Ethan nodded enthusiastically, and Amy quickly ducked behind the couch with him. Mark stepped out of the bathroom suddenly, looking around.

“Ethan?” He called. There weren’t very many places for the kid to hide, so he started walking towards the closet. Ethan and Amy smirked, jumping up and screaming. Mark squeaked, falling on his butt. The two littles started laughing.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Mark said, towering over them. “Now didn’t I leave you two in charge of making sure things got done?”

“Got bored,” Ethan shrugged.

“Well aren’t you lucky that it’s time to go,” Mark said, scooping the baby up.

“Papaaa!” Ethan squeaked.

“Come on pipsqueaks, it’s game night,” Mark declared, taking Amy’s hand into his own.

* * * *

Amy and Katherine were coming over and they were all going to Six Flags today. As excited as Ethan was, it was his first time being anywhere near little space in public. He’d read stories from others saying it can happen, so naturally he and Daddy and Papa had talked about it, and taken precautions. Ethan was wearing one of his thinner pull-ups for one. They could handle a good wetting, just in case, but were discreet enough that no one could tell. Especially since he and Amy had decided to twin ahead of time. She had convinced Ethan that bodysuits were in, and a pair of overalls over them would be hella cute and trendy. She was wearing the same thing. So he had on his red bodysuit and some overalls, the hentai hat on for shits and giggles (and cuz Daddy said it would be hot and he needed one). Finally, Daddy and Papa had made sure to pack a “diaper bag” of sorts. Kathryn was bringing one for Amy too, but with things Amy might need.

But, despite the little bit of butterflies in his tummy, he was still… excited. They were gonna ride rides and eat foods and play games and Daddy promised he would win him the biggest teddy, to which Amy had whined and Papa had piped up he would win her the biggest. Papa was silly when he was acting all lovey-dovey with Amy.

Finally, all five of them squeezed into the car, Disney music on while Ethan babbled with Amy across from Papa. Apparently Daddy and Kathryn “needed some grown up time” (which Papa had said meant they wanted to talk about boring things like taxes and insurance) and were riding driver and shotgun.

“Papa is the potty mons’er real? Like in da game you played?” Ethan asked.

“What?! Where would you get a silly idea like that?” Mark gasped, tickling the baby. Ethan squealed, trying to wiggle away, which was wasn’t possible in the car.

“Mark stooop!” Amy said, trying to tickle her boyfriend. This resulted in her own tickling, causing Ethan to giggle and try and defend her, until Kathryn reminded them that they were on the road and it wasn’t safe to roughhouse in the car. After that Mark tried to get them to play the alphabet game, which lasted until the letter H, which reminded Ethan he was hungry. Which reminded Amy she was thirsty. So Mark fished out the snacks and juice boxes they had in Ethan’s backpack. Tyler chuckled, watching the three of them in the rearview mirror.

“They’re precious,” Kathryn concluded.

“Yeah,” Tyler agreed, sighing happily. Mark smirked, stuffing the baggie of Ethan’s “safe snacks” back into the bag.

“Ty-Ty how much longer?” Ethan said, leaning against his Papa.

“About fifteen minutes baby,” Tyler said. “Why?”

“Jus’ curious,” Ethan shrugged. “Papa can you tell us a story?”

“Yeah! A story!” Amy cheered. Mark shook his head.

“Alright children, gather close, as I am going to tell you the story of the ancient sock-warrior clan!” Mark declared, launching into an elaborate tail of mismatched socks getting lost in the washtub in olden times, finally ending with the reunitement of the Romeo sock to his Juliette when Tyler parked the car.

“Yay! We’re here!” Amy declared, all but bursting out of the car. Mark quickly stopped her though, grabbing her hand.

“Hold on a second. There’s lots of cars around and you could get hurt,” He reminded the girl. Amy pouted but stayed put. Ethan stretched as he got out, taking Tyler’s hand hesitantly. The boy wiggled slightly, uncertain which headspace he was currently in. As Mark lead them towards the park, Ethan became even more hesitant; he had never enjoyed thrill rides. But Daddy and Papa loved them. What was he gonna do?

“Okay, let’s see what we can do,” Mark said, opening up the park map. Daddy shook his head, quickly taking the map from Mark and turning it rightside-up. Ethan and Amy giggled, before looking at each other.

After a bit of talking and buddying up (at Tyler and Kathryn’s request), the group was on their way. It was decided that They would start with something easy: A runaway mine train ride. Ethan was smiling and bouncing, earning giggles from Amy.

Amy was the best, especially when she was even a little bit in headspace. Ethan could see why Mark liked her so much, because she was so easy to be with, easy to get along with… and she was fun too. She pointed out all the silly things that other people were doing or wearing. The silly dances some of the other, younger kids did in line. Before they knew it, it was their turn to get on!

* * * *

The ride was a little scary, but then once they went down the first hill, it was a lot more fun! There were twists and turns but no loop-de-loops, which was nice. Ethan hated them, cuz they made your head feel funny and then your tummy got flip-floppy and made you pukey after. But then they were off towards the next ride, which was one Daddy and Papa really wanted to ride. But there was a small halloween march/parade thing on the path they were walking down. Ethan shivered, hiding behind Daddy as he saw the scary monsters walk past.

“It’s okay Ethan,” Papa promised. “You wanna know the trick to getting them to leave you alone?” Ethan nodded shyly. “You just look those buggers straight in the eye. They might look scary, but they probably won’t bug you if they lost the element of surprise.”

“Uh huh! And even if they do, Mark and Tyler and Kathryn are right here to protect us!” Amy added in. “Now come on! We gots lots to do and see today!” Ethan smiled, but still stayed close to Daddy, holding his hand. The next ride wasn’t in nearly as scary of a place. This one was just like sledding and slides at the playground all at once! It didn’t get much better than that! Except the line was soooooo long! Longer than the one for the train ride. And Ethan was not a stand still kind of person. So naturally, he kept whining.

“Ethan, you gotta be patient,” Tyler told him firmly.

“Come on! Let’s play a game while we wait!” Amy offered.

“What kind of game?” Ethan asked.

“Ummm…. The alphabet game! With shirts!” She suggested. Ethan giggled. That at least made the wait a little more tolerable. Except for when he almost said a bad word when he found the letter S. Except then he giggled and said it anyways. Daddy gave him a look, but then it was their turn so he was spared a lecture. By the time they got off Daddy and Papa and Auntie K were all giggling, and Amy was grinning ear to ear. Yeah, things were great.

* * * *

Things were great… until Daddy called a timeout and potty break. Auntie K said that was a good idea, and Papa suggested they hydrate while they were stopped, cuz it was hot as frick out today. Ethan blushed, wiggling and realizing that he had maybe had an accident. When had that happened? He wasn’t completely sure, but Daddy seemed to know what he needed. Tyler reached out his hand, leading Ethan into the bathroom. It was times like these that Ethan was grateful that there wasn’t ever really a line for the boy’s room.

“Do you need help?” Tyler whispered. Ethan thought for a minute, before shaking his head. He was a big enough boy to do this on his own. “Okay, I’ll be right here then.”

Meanwhile Amy was pinging off the walls. Enough to drive Kathryn a little nuts. Mark couldn’t help but giggle at the sight.

“Hey kiddo, wanna come help me get us something to drink?” He offered. Amy squealed, nodding eagerly.

* * * *

It was getting dark, and the monsters walking around were getting scarier. The ones that had just been looking at them a little funny had begun to glare, and when they walked past a haunted house, the monsters were… not outright harassing people, but the guy with the chainsaw was having a looot of fun with it.

The problem was they were going to find food, but they had to cross the Six Flags Circle, and… the place was teeming with scary monsters. Honestly even Amy was kind of scared.

“I promise, we won’t let anything happen,” Mark said, getting on eye level with his littles. “Remember what we said?”

“Look em in the eye and they won’ bug us,” Amy mumbled, twirling her hair in her fingers nervously. Ethan had given up on subtlety, sucking his thumb in nervousness. He knew Daddy and Papa and Auntie would protect him, and sissy too. But… those monsters really were scary. But then his tummy growled, and he really didn’t have a choice if he wanted to put food in his belly.

So they did what they had done every time thus far when they had come across scary things; Amy took front-ish, Mark and Tyler took the sides, and Kathryn took the back, Ethan sandwiched in the middle of their little huddle. He had to admit, he felt safer there anyways, and once they were across, they found a pizza place that Ethan had on the list of safe places that he kept.*

Once they were all sitting and eating, Mark and Tyler pulled out the map, studying it. Kathryn looked over and commented now and again, but Ethan was too busy giggling at Amy, who was playing with the leftover pizza crust rather than eating it.

“Amy, food is for eating not playing,” Kathryn reminded her sternly. Amy sighed, before nibbling on it.

“Crust is boring though,” She sighed dramatically.

“....should we even attempt a haunted house?” Tyler mumbled softly. They were trying to plan the rest of their evening, and thus far it consisted of mostly rides.

“I don’t see that ending well with their current headspace,” Kathryn offered up. Mark nodded, looking over at the two littles playing together. There was no good reason to put them anywhere near monsters and nightmare fuel. They just had to stay out of the spooky dark zones that were littered about on the map.

“Okay kiddos, bathroom break and then how about the slides again?” Mark offered up, getting two eager smiling faces.

* * * *

Things were actually going very smoothly, all things considered. The one or two monsters they had encountered were mostly going after other people, and Tyler was pretty intimidating, so they were able to fight most of them off.

The problem truly arose when a group of fans found Mark while they were in Gotham. Tyler and Kathryn got caught up taking pictures, and Ethan and Amy conveniently

Amy fidgeted slightly, tugging on Ethan’s sleeve, since Auntie K was busy taking pictures for people.

“Wha’s wrong?” Ethan asked softly.

“I need a break,” she whispered in his ear. Ethan nodded, taking her hand as they separated from the crowd. It was times like these he was grateful he was still tiny enough that people rarely stopped him anywhere. He looked at the sign at the corner, trying to figure out where the bathrooms were.

“They can’t be too far,” Ethan mused, seeing a sign for one. He lead Amy in the direction the arrows were pointing. He hoped that no one saw them. They might get the wrong idea or worse, think something was-

“Oh my God! Are you Ethan?” Some girl said, causing Ethan to turn around. Yup, she was looking at him. He smiled, nodding like he always did. The girls squealed and Ethan gave Amy an apologetic look as he did the proper thing, taking pictures and signing autographs. By the time he was done with that, Amy was really uncomfortable, Ethan could tell.

“Just hang on a little longer,” He whispered to the girl.

“M’tryin’ Ethan,” She whimpered. “But…” They stopped, face to face with the dark, scary path. Daddy had been trying to keep them from having to get through one, but there wasn’t any other way. So Ethan took Amy’s hand, charging forward

*MEANWHILE*

“Where in the hell are they?!” Tyler yelled.

“They have to be around somewhere,” Kathryn reasoned. “It’s almost close anyways. Maybe-”

“Twitter!” Mark declared. “Look, here they are, they were in Looney Tunes land according to Ethan’s last tweet!” Tyler didn’t even hesitate, jogging in that general direction.

* * * *

“Ethan!” Amy whined. “Are you sure you know where you’re going?”

“Maybe?” He said. He really should’ve asked for help. He should have gotten Daddy or Papa. Now they were lost and it was dark and there were lotsa scary people around and-

“Ah!” Amy screamed and that tore it! No one messed with his big sister! He turned around to see the spooky monster sauntering off, and Amy stood hunched over. Oh no. Ethan knew that look. He’d spent way too much time in it, especially since he moved to LA. He quickly hugged Amy, not caring if he got wet. He could cover her up and protect her. Amy cried softly into his shoulder. She was a big girl! This didn’t happen to big girls! Especially not in public!

“Shh, it’s okay. Daddy and Auntie K will fix it,” Ethan whispered, trying to comfort his big sister. Amy hiccupped.

“There!” Ethan whined. That was Daddy’s voice. He really hoped they weren’t in trouble. Actually, even if they were, he was gonna take the fall for Amy. She was upset enough. But he wasn’t gonna let go of her. Nope. She was a girl. Papa and Daddy always said you should be nice to girls.

“Hey, thanks for protecting her Ethan,” Kathryn said softly. “I got it from here, okay?” The blue haired baby nodded, slowly letting go of his sister. But he shrugged off the backpack, fishing out Daddy’s extra jacket (why he always carried two, Ethan wasn’t sure. But right now he wasn’t gonna question it).

“Here,” He said, handing it over. “Should cover you up.” Everyone in their little ragtag team melted at the display of kindness, even Amy. She took it, shrugging it over her shoulders and zipping it. It fell right around her knees, covering up the overalls completely.

“Thanks,” She whispered. Daddy came over then, picking Ethan up.

“You have some explaining to do little man,” He said, but there was a small smile on his face. Ethan shrugged, explaining what had happened. Daddy nodded. “You were very brave to try and help Amy.”

“Was trying,” Ethan yawned.

“Come on kiddo,” Mark murmured, ruffling Ethan’s hair. “Auntie K and Amy are gonna change and then we’re gonna head home.”

“Nooo! Wanna stay forever,” Ethan whined, laying his head on Tyler’s shoulder.

“We can come back baby,” Tyler chuckled, setting the boy on his hip. “Besides, there’s no good places to sleep here, or Chica’s to cuddle, and I know Puppo is gonna miss you.”

“Mnf, okay Dada,” Ethan mumbled, his thumb going into his mouth. Yeah, this was fun. Even with the spooky monsters all around. Daddy was there to protect him, so he was all safe and secure.

Chapter Text

1.

She decided if she was going to do this, to work for Mark, it was important he knew. Actually, Tyler was there too, which just made this all the more nerve wracking. But still. It was important.

“So, is there anything else we should know about you?” Mark asked her. She took a deep breath. She could do this. It wasn’t hard… And besides, it wasn’t like he was a homophobe.

“I’m bisexual,” She said. Mark gave her the biggest smile.

“Not that it matters, but I’m pansexual,” Tyler added in. “I think we’re all gonna get along great.”

“Thank God,” Kathryn sighed.

* * * *

“Alright, pay up,” Tyler demanded when Mark came back from walking Kathryn out.

“What?” The youtuber asked.

“Pay up. We had a deal remember?”

“No fair! It’s cuz I’m ace, isn’t it?” Mark whined. “This is discrimination!”

“Nope. I just have a gaydar and you don’t,” Tyler preened. Mark stuck his tongue out and fished out his wallet.

“It’s not a gaydar if she isn’t gay,” He mumbled, handing Tyler a twenty.

“Fine, a… spectrum detector then,” Tyler mused. “I still have one and you don’t.”

“Discrimination!” Mark declared.

2.

When Ethan came along, things got a little more interesting. There was something… different about the kid. Kathryn just couldn’t put her finger on it. It wasn’t like it mattered though. The kid was sweet. A little childish, but sweet.

Still, when they ended up moving in together with Tyler, it got… interesting. The kid… didn’t always sleep so good. And maybe he had ended up in the laundry room at three in the morning. So… that was interesting. Actually it was more of a regular occurrence than Kathryn would care to admit.

So it was on one of those nights that she was up eating ice cream. The kid panicked, she could see it in his eyes, but she made it a point to pay more attention to the ice cream in her mouth than to Ethan.

“Um, I-I can explain,” He promised, as soon as his things were in the wash.

“I know,” Kathryn said. “Grab a spoon.”

So they ate ice cream, and Ethan explained. It wasn’t exactly anything she hadn’t been expecting. He really was just barely past his teen years. Some kids just took a while to outgrow the whole bedwetting thing.

“Y-you really won’t tell anyone?” He asked nervously.

“Nope. Not my place,” Kathryn promised. “Besides, uh, I may have my own… secrets.”

“Such as…?”

“I’m bi,” She said softly.

“I’m gay,” Ethan shrugged. “Knew there was a reason I liked you so much.”

3.

Living situations got chaotic after the first of the year. Mark, Tyler and Ethan decided to move in together, which lead to the revelation of a little Ethan. Kathryn had to admit, the kid was pretty cute. But… was that jealousy in Amy’s eyes?

* * * *

Turns out it was. Kathryn found the girl on her tummy, coloring happily. She had what looked like an insanely old teddy bear beside her she kept mumbling to, and was that… a sippy cup? Oh boy.

Kathryn felt like she was walking in on something private. Something that wasn’t hers and had no place being hers. This… Ethan had said it was a kink thing but… How could anything as adorable as Amy be perverted? It felt weird and wrong and oh God, she saw Kathryn in the door and the innocence was lost. In its place was fear and shame, and Kathryn didn’t want that. She couldn’t have that, not if they were going to be roommates.

“Hey, easy kiddo,” Kathryn said softly.

“Y-you weren’t a’posed to be home for another hour,” Amy whimpered.

“I know, but Mark’s tummy wasn’t feeling so good so while Tyler took care of him, I thought I would come see what you were up to,” Kathryn explained. “Looks like you were having some fun.”

“U-uh huh,” Amy whispered. “You wanna see my picture? I-I was makin’ it for Etan.” Kathryn smiled. So they played. She let Amy lead her through it, and it was… easy. Like breathing. And that was how Kathryn found herself with a sleepy child in her arms, the two of them watching spongebob and falling asleep together on the couch.

* * * *

It was three in the morning again. Kathryn really had to get better timing, or at least somewhat better at this, because Amy was now covered in pee and crying her eyes out. At least Ethan was silent and had the mind to try and prevent it. Then again… this hadn’t happened before. Kathryn would know, they had a loft apartment.

“Hey, breathe kiddo,” Kathryn murmured, rocking the girl in her arms. “No big deal. It’s just a little accident.”

“N-not supposed to happen!” Amy wailed. “I-I’m a big girl!”

“I know. But even big girls have accidents sometimes,” Kathryn said gently. “Come on. Let’s clean up, okay? Then we can go back to bed and cuddle more, hmm?” Amy hiccupped, but let Kathryn take the lead.

Funny thing was it felt natural. Almost like breathing. She even put some bubbles into the water, knowing it might help. Amy shyly slipped into the water, letting Kathryn was her body, her hair. Kathryn hadn’t thought about kids before, but… Amy wasn’t so bad.

* * * *

Amy avoided Kathryn the next morning. She wouldn’t look her friend in the eye, and the couch smelled strongly of bleach and febreeze. Welp.

“Are you gonna look me in the eye or are you just gonna avoid me until the end of time?” Kathryn asked. Amy shrugged.

“Avoiding the awkwardness sounds like a good plan,” Amy sighed.

“You do realize how silly that sounds, right?” Another shrug. “...I’m bisexual.” THAT got Amy’s attention. The girl looked at her friend, eyes a little wide. “I um, it doesn’t always come up, nor should it. But you’re not the only one with a secret okay? And you were fine. You’re actually… kind of a cute little kid.”

Amy blushed. “It wasn’t supposed to happen,” She mumbled. “I-I just. Um.”

“You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to,” Kathryn said. “But… it’s not a sex thing, right?”

“No! Good GOD no,” Amy declared. “I just… i dunno. I didn’t have the greatest time in high-school and a lot of shitty things happened to me. This kind of was the result. A… really bad coping mechanism.”

“If it helps it isn’t bad,” Kathryn promised. “Trauma affects people in weird ways.”

“I don’t always pee either!” Amy declared, earning her an amused look. “Um.”

“You’re okay,” Kathryn declared, ruffling Amy’s hair. “Just at night, right?” A tiny nod. “Well, just leave it up to me. I’ll take care of it, okay?” Amy nodded.

4.

It was pride month. But naturally that was when they started tour. Not only was there Ethan and Amy to prepare, and so, much, prep (Enough Kathryn began to question her sanity), there was also the fact that Bob and Wade were coming. They didn’t know. Still, it wasn’t like she was going to force it. But.... Well. It was about the same way that they ended up finding out about Ethan; the choice was taken out of her hands. She had taken one of her bi-pride tank tops with her (what? It was Texas. They didn’t say it was the devil’s sandbox- Or something like that- for no reason). She had made the mistake of bringing black Jeans and the tank was better than sweating to death. So when Bob made a comment, she was forced to do the thing.

“You know, as a bisexual, I’m pretty sure I know my orientation better than anyone else,” Kathryn said mildly. Or at least she hoped it was mild. Judging by the look on Bob’s face, maybe it wasn’t.

“Um. sorry,” Bob muttered, leaving the room. Kathryn took a seat, trying to breathe deeply. It wasn’t working, so she decided to go see what the littles were up to.

“Auntie!” Amy and Ethan declared upon her entrance. Kathryn smiled, seeing the coloring spread Tyler had given them; a giant coloring book and the sixty-four pack of crayons, all of which were currently on the floor. “Come color with us!” So she did. She lost track of time, and suddenly it wasn’t the crew, but Wade who came to get her to lead VIP.

“Don’t worry about Bob. He’s… a bit square,” Wade assured her. “And it wasn’t his place to tell me either. But he did. And I talked him into keeping his mouth shut. Just know Molly and I have your back one-hundred percent, okay?” Kathryn lost her ability to speak for a hot minute, but she nodded. Damn. these were good people. That she was sure of.

+1.

It was national coming out day. She decided to let her friend do the talking to the internet for her, and also decided to conveniently unplug for the day and take the littles (and Chica) to the park while Tyler and Mark did God only knew what.

The response was positive though. Mostly.

There was still the odd hate comment, and maybe they bothered her more than they should. Then she got to thinking about what happened in Texas and she felt really sad, and found herself curled up on the couch around Chica. This wasn’t like her. Why could she not pull herself out of this?

And then Mark and Tyler and the littles showed up. With a cake.

“We’re not saying it's good by any means,” Tyler said. “But uh, we just wanted to tell you how proud we were of you for the other day. That was really hard and brave.” And Kathryn honest to God almost cried at that because these people were her friends. Amy was her little and Ethan was too in a weird way. They were connected in so many ways they were more than friends. They were a pieced together family and Kathryn wouldn’t have it any other way.

So they had cake, and the cute part was how it was bi-pride colors inside.

“I helped with the pink!” Ethan declared.

“And I did blue!” Amy added.

“And we let Mark try to do purple,” Tyler said mildly. “Key word is try.”

“Hey!” Mark pouted.

“Oh shush it’s all good,” Kathryn assured them. And good it was, on so many levels.

Chapter Text

Ethan wasn’t entirely sure why he was dragged along. Daddy, Papa and him were invited to help the grumps with some sort of technical difficulty and maybe film a few things. Daddy was helping Mister Ninja Brian, and Ethan was well, alone.

Maybe that’s why he went to the skylander hall. They were toys after all. And Arin had ALL of them, more than even Toys R Us and gamestop combined! So… Arin wouldn’t MIND if he touched just ONE, right?

* * * *

It was an hour later when Suzy found the kid. He was fully engrossed in whatever adventure Spyro and Cinder were leading against Professor Chaos. Judging by the amount of skylanders out of place, they had to be close. She almost didn’t want to disrupt whatever was going on, but she knew how anal retentive Arin was about how they were organized.

“Hey cutie,” She said softly and oh, the look she got. Ethan looked up at her with wide, fearful eyes, that instantly filled with tears. Fuck, how was she supposed to deal with this? She didn’t do tears well. She barely handled Audrey well. But… well she hadn’t fucked Brian’s kid up, so maybe she could do this? “Hey don’t cry,” Suzy finally said.

“S-sorry Miss Suzy,” Ethan hiccupped, wiping roughly at his face. “I-I didn’t- I mean I-”

“It’s okay,” She quickly said, getting on the floor with Ethan. “They’re pretty cool aren’t they?”

“Uh huh. My Da- I mean uh. My uh,” Ethan stuttered, unsure if he should be in bigspace or little space, but little space was trying hard to stay present.

“Your Daddy got you some skylanders?” Suzy guessed. Ethan nodded.

“Got me all the cool ones. But I hasn’t played with ‘em in a while,” Ethan said in a small voice.

“That’s so cool,” Suzy cooed. “But Arin might get upset if we have all of these on the floor. Can you help me pick em up? Then we can find something else to do!” Ethan nodded shyly, scooping up a handful of the little toy figurines. Suzy tried not to visibly cringe, and hoped silently that they were putting them all back in the right places.

* * * *

Clean up done, she lead Ethan to her desk, where she kept some coloring books and crayons and a handful of toys for when Audrey came to visit. She pulled open the bottom drawer of her desk, gesturing for Ethan to take his pick.

“I wanna color,” He said softly. Suzy smiled and handed him the box of crayons and the spongebob coloring book. Ethan smiled shyly and set to work on coloring a picture of Patrick and Spongebob jellyfishing. That kept him occupied for the better part of an hour until he came back to Suzy, tapping her gently on the shoulder.

“Uhm, can I have a snack?” He asked softly.

“Sure kiddo,” She said happily, taking Ethan by the hand and leading him to the kitchen. “Whatcha want? Anything in particular?”

“Jus’ no nuts,” Ethan said, sitting at the little island, swinging his feet. “M’lerrgic.”

“Ohhhh, you’re the kid Arin sent the memo about,” Suzy said offhanded. “He said we needed to lock up the reeses and stuff.” And that was very clearly the WRONG thing to say as now the kid was sniffling and teary again. Oops.

“Didn’ mean ta ruin da kitchen,” He cried. Shit shit shit. Suzy was NOT good with tears. She barely handled her own well. But the poor kid was so pitiful and cute. She couldn’t help it when she pulled him in for a hug.

“Hey no tears,” She said softly. “We just wanted to make sure you didn’t get sick was all. Your Daddy wouldn’t be very happy if you got all icky and sick and had to go to the hospital now would he?” Ethan shook his head, wiping at his nose with the back of his hand.

Suzy tsk’ed gently. “Don’t do that, we have tissues.” She reached over to the counter, grabbing the box. Ethan blew his nose. “Now, how about we have some fruit for our snack? Are apples and grapes okay?” The kid nodded slowly, for which Suzy was grateful. While she prepped their snack, Ethan washed his hands and grabbed the coloring book from before. Suzy smiled at the sight of the kid coloring again, and set their little snack between them. Ethan munched quietly while Suzy played on her phone. They sat in companionable silence for a while until Ethan tapped her arm gently again.

“Can I have some juice please?” He asked.

“You got it kiddo,” Suzy said with a smile, ruffling Ethan’s hair before venturing to the fridge. She fiddled around, coming up empty for juice. “Well kiddo, we don’t have juice, but is some soda okay?” Ethan’s eyes grew wide and he nodded eagerly.

“Daddy doesn’t usually let me have soda,” He explained, taking the can (with a cute little swirly straw!) from Suzy.

“Really?” She asked.

“Uh huh. Says I’m hyper enough on my own,” Ethan said, slurping softly. “And that the caffeine isn’t good for me.”

“Well, this will be our secret then,” Suzy said with a wink. That earned her a small giggle.

* * * *

They spent the next two hours watching something or another in the lounge area. It had fish, and an octopus that refused to stay captive. Suzy wasn’t entirely sure, because she was more focused on something else. She couldn’t quite figure Ethan out. She wasn’t entirely uneducated on various headspaces - Dan was her little kitten after all. But… well, it was all a little foreign to her. Ageplay had never been her scene.

Still… He fit into that ABDL category. Except… well Ethan A: wasn’t in a diaper and B: very clearly was not acting like a baby. So was it really ABDL then? She should probably get Tyler or Mark but well… the kid was being good, and he wasn’t all that hard to look after. What good was it to stress the other two out?

That illusion was shattered when Ethan bolted upright, onto his feet with a blush settling onto his cheeks. He began to fidget desperately and oh. That was a potty dance if Suzy had ever seen one.

“Ethan? Are you okay?” Suzy said, pausing the movie.

“B-bathroom?” Ethan squeaked. Suzy pointed him in the right direction and the kid bolted. Suzy had a bad feeling about it but she figured it better to wait and let the kid sort it out himself so that’s exactly what she did; she waited. And waited. And waited some more, until about ten minutes had gone by and Ethan still hadn’t returned. Suzy sighed, getting up and following the same trek Ethan had taken. She knocked gently on the door.

“Ethan? Are you okay?” No answer. That wasn’t good. “Kiddo?”

“Go ‘way please,” Was the only response she got, and it was clear that Ethan was in tears.

“Kiddo, I can’t do that,” Suzy said sympathetically. “Not until i know you’re okay or I know how to fix it.”

“Wan’ my Dada!” Ethan hiccupped.

“Okay, I can do that,” Suzy said, hoping that she wasn’t biting off more than she could chew. “Where is he?”

“With mister Ninja Brian,” Ethan explained. Oh. Oh. Come to think of it, that made a lot of sense actually.

“Okay. I’m gonna go get him, alright? I’ll be right back,” Suzy promised. As she made her way to the recording room, she found her husband, her kitten, Brian, Tyler and Mark on the couch controlling… some sort of chaos on the TV. She wasn’t entirely sure nor did she care.

“Hey! It’s Suzy!” Arin declared loudly into the mic.

“Next time on game grumps,” Danny said.

“I get myself out of the lava pit of hell!” Mark declared. Arin set to work turning things off, saving the capture and whatnot.

“ What’s up Suze?” Arin asked.

“Um, Tyler? I think you’re needed,” Suzy said softly. The curly haired individual whipped his head up, eyes widening.

“How bad is it?” He asked nervously. Shit shit shit how had he forgotten about Ethan?

“Uhhhh, kinda? I’m not sure what scale you guys are used to,” She said honestly. Tyler bit his lip, but followed after Suzy, who led him right to his baby.

* * * *

Upon re-entering, she could tell Dan was drifting. “Kitten?” Suzy said, getting a small mew for her trouble. Mark raised an eyebrow, watching as the jewish giant made his way over to tiny little Suzy, curling around her and up into her lap. Suzy gently pet his hair, enjoying the soft little noises of contentment that Dan made.

“I’m guessing we uh, aren’t the only ones with a… side hobby,” He said shyly.

“Your kid is cute,” Suzy said. “A little shy but cute. And super polite.”

“We try,” Mark said, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck. “I’m uh… I mean I didn’t. Um-” Mark was spared the awkwardness when there was a loud scream from down the hall, presumably Ethan throwing a hissy fit. And then Mark remembered WHY and went running; Ethan didn’t have any spare pants today, because they were idiots and didn’t really pack the baby bag.

“No no no no NO!” Ethan wailed, clinging to Tyler and sobbing.

“What’s going on?” Arin asked and great, they WOULD follow him and find his little in nothing more than his pull-up and a hoodie, clinging tightly to his best friend and Mark being forced to explain. except… Arin smiled sympathetically? How-

“Aw, is it a no pants day?” Arin said sweetly, trying to be helpful.

“No pants?” Dan asked gleefully. The kitten hated his pants.

“Yes pants for you kitten,” Suzy said firmly, which only got her a pout and a hiss. Ethan looked up shyly from Daddy’s shoulder, slightly confused.

“Kitty?” Ethan asked shyly.

“Um-”

“Mrow,” Dan cooed, crawling over on all fours. It looked slightly ridiculous, but only because Dan was so big. Suzy sighed fondly.

“Kitten, be nice to the baby. Ethan, this is my kitten,” Suzy explained calmly, as if she were discussing the weather. Ethan was still a little confused, but made grabby hands at Dan. Tyler, accepting this as progress, set the kid down. Ethan eyed Dan cautiously, but patted his jewfro. This got him a snuggle, which made the baby giggle.

* * * *

They ended up ordering Pizza, while Arin went down to the car to get Dan’s bag with HIS gear in it. At some point Brian left, and Dan lost MOST of his clothes. Suzy had a rule about him keeping his underwear on at least. Arin safety-pinned his tail on and let the kitten run.

“I think they like each other,” Suzy said with confidence, seeing the two cuddled together in a heap, practically asleep.

“I’m uh, really sorry about this fiasco,” Tyler said.

“Don’t be, he’s an angel,” Suzy promised. “I’d be happy to spend more time with him.”

“Maybe we’ll call you to babysit sometime,” Mark joked.

“Only if you kitty-sit,” Suzy bargained. And so they shook on it.