Voodoo Doll 🧸

Ashton sat happily on the couch as he waited for Calum to come back with supplies for the fort. He reached out for the tv remote to press play on the next episode of My Little Pony, but Michael stopped him.

“Hey, I think we’ve had enough tv time for now.”

Ashton frowned. “But pony… and Cal’s getting the stuff.”

“Don’t you think we should help with the fort? You can’t do that if you’re watching tv.”

“But pony,” Ashton repeated again.

“How are we supposed to know how cozy to make the fort if our little prince doesn’t even help?” Michael tried to coax Ashton.

“But if I’m prince I shouldn’t have to do anything.” Ashton leaned back into the couch and crossed his arms.

“Ashy,” Luke butts in. “Y'know, once we have the fort built, we can watch more pony, and it’ll go by a lot faster if we get your help. You get to make all the important decisions, like where the blankets go.”

“Can we use the blue ones?” Ashton looks up at Luke.

“Of course.” Luke turned to face the hallway where Calum had disappeared too. “You hear that, Cal?” He called out.

“Blue blankets, on it!” Calum called back, setting down his already growing pile of blankets. He had the lighter sheets for the top, and some bigger, fluffier ones for the inside.

“Alright, my little prince, do you think you can grab some chairs from the kitchen?” Michael spoke to Ashton.

Ashton huffed a little but got up. “Fine.” He made his way to the kitchen, chose the tall chairs from the dining table, and started dragging them over. He went back and forth until there were four chairs in the center of the living room.

Michael helped the boy put them at equal distances apart before Calum came over with a bundle of blankets and pillows. All the boys got to work putting the sheets up across the chairs, pinning them in place. There were still a couple spots where the blankets dipped, however, and they didn’t know how to keep them up.

Ashton perked up. “Wait! I got an idea! Be right back!” And before any of the boys could question, Ashton was running off through the house.

He came back a couple minutes later, holding two mic stands that he had taken from their studio. “These’ll work great! And they don’t take up lots’a space!”

“Oh, that’s such a good idea, bear cub.” Calum smiled and ruffled the boy’s hair. His heart melted at Ashton’s lopsided grin.

Ashton then climbed into the unfinished fort, propping up the mic stand in the middle and raising it as high as it could go. Now there was a perfect canopy roof. The boys used the other mic stand where needed, then quickly got to work laying blankets on the floor inside to make it comfy. Luke found some battery-powered string lights and hung them up inside. When the fort was finally finished, Ashton clapped his hands together loudly. It was perfect! There was enough space for all of the boys, perfectly dark if they wanted to nap, but could easily be illuminated, and Ashton could see the tv from the front opening. He beamed up at the others before crawling into the fort, gesturing for them to follow. Luke, Calum, and Michael all crawled into the fort after him. Calum lifted Ashton onto his lap, gently rocking the boy.

“Play pony now?” Ashton asked.

“Your toys or the show?” Luke asked.

“Um..” Ashton hadn’t actually considered that. “Toys!”

“Alright, I’ll go get them, bub.” Luke left the fort and went to find Ashton’s My Little Pony figures.

While Luke was gone, Calum kept the boy in his lap while Michael kept covering his face with a pillow, then pulling it down and making faces at Ashton, causing the boy to erupt into giggles. It made them all feel so great that he was doing well in his littlespace so far.

Luke soon crawled back into the fort with a handful of My Little Pony figures. “Here you go, bubba!”

“Yay! My pony!” Ashton immediately moved out of Calum’s lap to get closer to where Luke set the toys. He was almost instantly picking them up and messing with them.

“He is so cute,” Luke whispered to Michael as he leaned against the boy.

“Yeah, he really is.” Michael smiled at Ashton’s babbles to himself.

“I think it might be time to make some lunch,” Calum spoke up, making Ashton turn his head.

“But I just started playing…”

“You can keep playing, love. I’m just going to make us some food, then once we eat, you can go right back to your toys, okay?” Once Ashton nodded, Calum moved out of the fort and made his way to the kitchen.

Ashton kept playing with his ponies, occasionally getting Luke or Michael involved. Until Calum called out from the kitchen, “Michael? Can you come help me?”

“Sorry, buddy, I gotta go help Cal; I’ll be back.” Michael kissed Ashton’s forehead before moving past him out of the fort.

Luke could tell Ashton looked a little sad about another one of the boys leaving, so he moved closer and pointed at one of the ponies. “Could I play with you?”

“Yeah! You can be Wainbow Dash and Fluttershy cause I being Applejack and Rarity.” Ashton pushed the figures over.

Luke happily took the figures and started moving them around like they were trotting through Equestria. Readily going along with whatever storyline little Ashton wanted. Ashton shifted to lie on his stomach, his feet poking outside of the fort entrance.

About twenty minutes later, Michael and Calum were walking over with bowls of food. Calum stopped and smiled as he heard Ashton playing. The boy spoke in a voice trying to match Applejack’s in the show. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! We have to go to Sweet Apple Acres and get crops for Fluttershy!”

Calum’s heart wanted to burst at how cute he was. He crouched down by the entrance and lightly tapped the bottom of Ashton’s foot, making him jump a little. The boy pulled his legs in and barely lifted up the blanket hanging over the front, peeking out at Calum. “What the password?”

Calum chuckled. “Oh, I need a password now?” Ashton just nodded in response. “Well… I don’t know the password.”

“Then you don’t getta come in,” Ashton said.

“Can I come in?” Michael spoke up sweetly.

Ashton thought for a moment before shaking his head. “Not if you don’t have the password.” Then he dropped the blanket and was hidden in the fort again.

Calum and Michael shared a confused but slightly amused look.

“Why don’t they get to come in, buddy?” Luke asked Ashton.

“Cause they don’t have the password.” He replied casually, going back to his ponies.

“Well, none of us were told the password before; I don’t think that’s fair.” Luke waited for a response, but Ashton was fully focused on his toys again. “Y'know, they have food for us; I think that should overwrite the password rule.”

“Not hungry.”

“Baby, you need to eat lunch.”

“Don’t wanna, I’m playing.” Although Ashton’s stomach did grumble a little.

“I can tell you’re hungry, love. We can keep playing once we’ve eaten, okay? I promise.” Luke reached out to rub Ashton’s back.

Ashton let out a small huff; there was the slightest hint of a pout on his lips. “They still don’t know the password.” He mumbled.

“Hm… well, since I’m already in the fort, do I get to know the password? Just in case I leave and need to get back in.”

“I guess so… it’s friendship is magic.”

“Oh, like your my little ponies.” Luke almost giggled at the simplicity of it.

Then, Calum’s voice spoke up from outside the fort. “Ashton, baby? Me and Mikey have food for you; can we please come in?”

Ashton pulled back the blanket again, looking up at them. “Password?”

“Um..” Calum pretended to think, although they had just heard Luke and Ashton’s entire conversation. “Is it.. friendship is magic?”

Ashton's face lit up, mouth in a little ‘o’ like he couldn’t believe Calum just guessed that. “Yes! You can come in.” He scooted back to make room again.

Michael and Calum then shuffled into the fort. Michael handed Luke a bowl of food with a look that meant ‘thank you for handling that.’ Calum sat next to Ashton before offering the boy his bowl of mac and cheese with hot dogs. Ashton just shook his head and kept playing with his ponies.

“Bear cub, if we’re not going to eat lunch, I’m going to have to take your ponies away.”

“What? No!” Ashton looked up with wide eyes.

“I don’t want to have to do that, but I will if it’ll make you eat. You can go right back to playing after; we just have to get some food in your tummy.”

Ashton huffed a little before pushing his ponies aside and moving over to Calum. “Fine.” His stomach let out a grumble as well, betraying his attempt to seem uninterested.

Calum pulled Ashton onto his lap. He took a forkful of the mac and cheese and brought it up to the boy's mouth. Reluctantly, Ashton started to eat what was being fed to him. Thankfully, after a couple of bites, he seemed to settle down. The hunger had won over his stubbornness, so he accepted every bite Calum offered, and he was starting to really enjoy the food.

The boys ate in relative silence for a while; Ashton’s eating had started slowing down as the bowl emptied, but there were still a few bites left. As Calum brought up another forkful, the boy shook his head and sniffled, reaching up to wipe at his eyes quickly.

“Hey, baby, are you oka-“ Before Calum could even finish his concerned sentence, Ashton was bursting into tears. All the boys were immediately hands on deck for their crying little one. Calum tried to rock Ashton, lightly shushing him and rubbing the boy's back. Ashton, however, was not liking all the attention on him now. He squirmed out of Calum’s lap, making a small thud when he shifted to the floor, and kept sobbing.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” Michael reached out to comfort him, but stopped when Ashton pulled away.

“Do you want your ponies?” Luke offered.

Ashton put his face in his hands, still crying loudly. His words were barely comprehensible. “Don’t wan- wanna! I hate it! I hate it!”

“Hate what, bear cub? Talk to us..” Calum said.

“This!” Ashton kept sobbing.

The three younger boys shared a look. Unfortunately, they knew Ashton meant his regression. Some days he’d go down very easily and let them take care of him with no problem; they’d give him the comfort he needed, and he’d pop right back up. Other times, like now, he couldn’t handle it. He felt stupid for needing to cope by being a baby. All the dark thoughts swirling in his mind always seemed to strengthen when he was little. They told him he shouldn’t be cared for when he was like this. That he needed to suck it up. That his boyfriend’s thought he was annoying. That his dad had left for a reason…

“Baby, it’s o—“

Ashton cut Luke off with a loud cry. “Stop! ‘M- im- im not a f-fucking baby!”

Calum’s face didn’t do a good job of hiding his concern at all. He was so incredibly worried right now. They just had to get Ashton to calm down a bit so they could talk. He looked over to Michael, speaking quietly. “Do you think you could go get his stuff?”

Michael nodded and quickly got up, but was startled by Ashton’s cry. “N-no- don’t leave me.” Oh, that was heartbreaking to hear from the boy's mouth.

Michael immediately sat back down; the comfort items could wait if Ashton was feeling this bad that even one of them walking away felt like losing them. “I’m right here; I’m not leaving you.” Michael attempted to reach out again. This time he was able to bring Ashton into his lap. The boy was too distraught to protest anymore. Ashton curled against Michael, gripping his shirt tightly and sobbing onto his shoulder. Michael looked over to Luke and Calum, his eyes wide with an expression that clearly read ‘I don’t know what to do.’

Luke scooted over, reaching out to rub Ashton’s back. “Shhh, it’s okay, Ash. We’re all here for you. We’re not going anywhere.”

“We all love you so much. Deep breaths, bear cub. It’s alright.” Calum said delicately.

With all the sweet reassurances, Ashton’s cries start to slow. It took him a while before he was lifting his head from Michael’s shoulder to peer at the boys. His eyes were glossy with tears, and he just looked so small in this moment. He brought his hand up to his mouth, barely teasing his lips with the edge of his thumb.

“There you are.” Michael cooed, rubbing the boy's back again.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Calum started. “What’s going on, can you talk to us?”

Ashton sniffled, debating if he really wanted to tell them anything. It took another quiet minute before he was mumbling out an answer. “Just upset…”

“Upset about what?”

“Myself.”

Luke then spoke up. “Why are you upset about yourself, love? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

Ashton whimpered a little, rubbing at his runny nose with his hand. “Just feel stupid…” The boys waited for Ashton to gather his words. “Don’t like that I have to be a baby to feel okay, and- and I don’t wanna burden you guys…”

Michael could feel his heart breaking at the boy's sad words. “Love, there is absolutely nothing wrong with regressing. You are allowed to cope in whatever way you want, even if other people don’t understand. I know it’s hard sometimes, being able to let go and just exist with all those thoughts in your head, but you are so loved, and we will gladly take care of you.”

“You will never be a burden, bear cub.” Calum continued. “We love taking care of you so much. It makes us feel good to know you’re happy. You do so much for us all the time; you deserve to be taken care of too. It wouldn’t be fair to not give you the love you deserve.”

Luke then put in his own words. “Have you ever judged us when we’ve regressed?”

Ashton shook his head. “N-no… always l-love taking care of you guys.. makes me feel warm and fuzzy.”

Luke’s lips tugged into a smile at the boy's description. “Exactly. That’s how we feel taking care of you. You’re such a bundle of joy; it’s so amazing to see you be yourself without worrying. Even if you’re crying or being stubborn, we still love you, because we know you feel safe enough to be open like that with us.”

“It’s- it’s not a bad thing?”

“No, never a bad thing. It’s really important that you’re able to be vulnerable like this cause it shows you trust us.”

“You’re our boyfriend and best friend; we love you for you, and that means every part of you. No matter how bothersome you think you might be, I can assure you, we love you with all our hearts and would do anything for you, okay?” Michael looked into Ashton’s watery hazel eyes as he spoke.

Ashton’s bottom lip trembled slightly as he nodded to their words. Tears started falling again, but definitely not as much as before. “I-I love you guys..”

“We love you too.” Michael kissed his forehead.

“I love you soooo much, Ashy.” Luke leaned forward to kiss Ashton’s forehead as well.

“We’re always going to be here for you, okay? I love you so much.” Calum pressed a couple kisses to the boy's damp cheeks, causing him to giggle. His giggles got all the boys to start kissing at his face. Seeing him even a little smiley after being so upset was a huge win.

Ashton giggled, now trying to push the boys away. “Stop iittt-! It tickles.”

But the boys persisted in their kiss attack. Peppering wet smooches all over his cheeks and forehead. Anything to keep those bright, happy sounds going. Calum even moved him out of Michael’s lap to lay him down on the blankets and start tickling his chest and sides. Ashton squealed and started trying to move away. “Papa! Stoppp!”

Calum faltered for a moment before smiling brightly and continuing his tickles. Ashton rarely used those terms of endearment for them, but when he did, that was important. It showed how much better he was feeling, and that he was letting himself be fully immersed in his headspace.

“The tickle monsters are gonna get you!!” Michael burst in before adding his hands alongside Calum’s.

“Nooooo!!” Ashton giggled loudly, then looked to Luke, trying to reach out to him. “Daddy! Free me!”

“Oh my goodness,” Luke laughed, shaking his head, before reaching over and pulling Ashton up, hugging the boy close. “I’ve got you; the tickle monster can’t get you.” He shot a look at Calum and Mikey, speaking in a teasing tone. “Stop torturing my poor boy. He’s just a precious baby.”

“Yeah!” Ashton chirped, causing all the boys to burst into sweet laughs. They wanted to just frame this moment and keep it safe forever.

Once the excitement had calmed down, Ashton let out a yawn, curling into Luke’s side. His hand lightly fisted around the fabric of the blonde's shirt.

“Is someone getting sleepy?” Luke cooed, running his fingers through the boy's hair.

As Ashton nodded, Calum spoke up. “How about we watch some tv and we can cuddle until bedtime?” Ashton really liked that idea. “Do you want to watch more My Little Pony?”

Ashton shook his head, holding back another yawn. “Ca’ we watch pwincess and the frog?”

“Sure, sweetheart. Do you want to stay in the fort or sit on the couch?”

“Fort.” He declared sleepily, already moving around again to get comfortable. Luke helped him adjust into the blankets and pillows they had laid out.

“I’m going to go get his stuff now,” Michael whispered to Calum before turning to Ashton. “I’ll be right back, baby.” Then Michael left the fort.

Calum grabbed the tv remote and started getting the movie set up. As he went to sink back into the comfort of the blanket fort, he saw Michael walking back with a big comforter and a handful of Ashton’s little items.

Calum scooted aside for Michael to enter. They left the ‘door’ of the fort folded up and open so they’d have a clear view of the television from inside. Luke was already cuddled up with Ashton, waiting to watch the movie. Ashton was holding his arms out, wanting his other two boyfriends already.

Michael set aside Ashton’s bottle and teether, just in case he’d end up wanting them. He looked to the sleepy boy. “Guess what I got for you, bear cub.”

“Hm?” Ashton looked up.

Michael moved his hands around to show Ashton’s stuffed bear. It was light brown in colour with a dark blue bandana around its neck. Ashton only ever admitted to liking it in his littlespace, but the boys knew it had more importance than that. Michael could tell by the way his eyes lit up, and he instantly reached out for it. He tucked the bear snugly into Ashton’s arms, then came over and cuddled up next to Calum. He spread the big comforter over all four of them. It was very warm, warmer than a normal blanket is.

Calum looked over to Michael. “What did you…” He let his question trail off, not really sure how to phrase it.

Michael got it anyway. “Put it in the dryer earlier so it’d get warm. He’ll probably be knocked out by the time the movie starts.”

Calum smiles at Michael’s thinking. A warm blanket always made things cozy, and it was hard to resist the pull of sleep when you’re snuggled up like they were. He pressed a quick kiss to Michael’s cheek before settling down. He pressed play on the movie, and even though Ashton’s eyes were on the screen, they were already drooping.

Michael reached over. “Hey, bud, you want your dummy?” He offered out a dark red pacifier. Ashton hummed and let Michael slip it into his mouth. It wasn’t often that Ashton used items like pacifiers or bottles, but they brought him a great deal of comfort.

Ashton was getting sleepier by the second. He curled up into the blankets between the boys, clutching his bear close, and letting his eyes fall shut. He mumbled around his pacifier. “Love you guys.”

“We love you too, bear cub. Get some rest.” Calum whispered before kissing his temple. Followed by Luke and Michael kissing the boy as well.

Michael frustratingly threw down his controller, hitting his desk, and leaning back in his chair as he lost another match in Overwatch. “Fuck! Stupid fucking game…” He muttered to himself before sitting up and starting another round. This was the typical cycle, playing Overwatch for hours on end even though he was pissed as hell every time he lost. It was still fun though; that was just the way games worked. Also, from that competitive spirit in Michael, he didn’t want to quit until he at least ranked up again. He had been playing for most of the morning, having gotten a quick bowl of cereal, then went right to it. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do today.

Except for the fact Luke was downstairs, making a complete mess in the kitchen. He had woken up little, but was determined to do things himself today. He knew Mikey liked to sleep in, so why bother him? Now, he was pouring milk into his bowl of cereal, spilling half of it on the counter. There were little pieces of cereal around his bowl too. “Oh- shoot.” He mumbled as he noticed the spilt milk. He grabbed a paper towel and set it down, drying up the milk, even though it really didn’t do much. He took his bowl of cereal and sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen counter, happily munching away, oblivious to what he was spilling on his shirt. He swung his legs back and forth, very content this morning.

“Asshole! What the fuck!?” Luke heard Michael shout from his room upstairs. The boy didn’t really think of why Michael might be shouting; he was just happy to know he was awake! Luke slurped up some of the milk from his cereal bowl before setting it down a bit too loudly on the table and practically bolting his way to Michael’s room.

Luke barely knocked on the door before pushing it open. “Mikey?”

“Hey-“ Michael was facing his monitor still. “I’m- I’m in the middle of a match right now, so I can’t- uh- do you need something?”

Luke could hear the loud pressing of buttons on Michael’s controller. His eyes flickered to the older boy's monitor before looking down at his feet. He shuffled against the carpet, admiring the light green colour of his socks for only a moment. “Heard you from the kitchen, so came to say hi.”

“Well, hi Luke, g’morning.” Michael might have sounded uninterested, but Luke knew it was just cause he was focused on the game.

Luke shyly stepped into the room, closing the door so quietly you’d almost miss it. “Watcha playing?”

“Overwatch.”

“That’s the one you were telling me about, with the um… Juno character?”

“Yeah, it’s my main.” Michael slightly leaned forward on his chair, eyes still locked to the screen.

Luke shuffled over to sit on Michael’s bed, fidgeting with his hands and watching his boyfriend game. He didn’t like to talk too much while Michael was playing cause he knew how focused the boy could get, and he didn’t want to distract him. Luke was very fidgety today, though, as all he wanted was some attention from his caregiver. “Um, do you—“ The rest of Luke’s words were mumbled.

“What was that?” Michael spoke quickly, still very focused on the game. “Fuck! This guy's gonna kill me!” Michael didn’t see the way Luke flinched from his shouting.

“Do you—“ Luke mumbled out his words again, feeling shy. He looked back down at his hands.

“Luke, I can’t understand what you’re say- DUDE! Where is my support- holy shit!” Michael groaned as he threw himself back in his chair, having lost yet another round. He then spun around in his chair to finally face Luke. “Okay, what’s u— Luke, you’re soaked.” Michael cut himself off after seeing Luke’s shirt that had milk all down the front.

“Oh-“ Luke looked at his shirt, just now realizing how much of a mess he actually made. “Sorry, spilled a little.”

Michael’s mouth quirked in confusion, held open like he was about to say something, but then his eyes widened as he realized. Luke was regressed. “Hey… are you feeling little today?”

Luke nodded. “But I was big boy and got bweakfast all by myself!”

Michael chuckled a little. “Seems like you got most of it on yourself. Come on, buddy. Let’s go get you changed.” He set his controller aside and held his hand out for Luke.

“Carry?”

Michael was still getting the strength to be able to carry Luke as often as he wanted. Even if it got tiring, he could never deny the boy. “Sure, buddy.” He lifted Luke up into his arms, holding him on his hip and trying to make sure the boy’s milk-stained shirt didn’t get on his own clothes.

Luke wrapped his arms around Michael’s neck and put his head down on the older boy’s shoulder. He nuzzled against Michael.

“Alright, bud. What’re we thinking for clothes?” Michael spoke as he walked into Luke’s room, setting him down on the bed.

“Ummmm.. can stay in pjs?”

“Sure! We’re not doing much today, so you can stay all cozy.” Michael started to look through Luke’s closet for a different set of pajamas. He set aside a pair of grey sweatpants, then went to look for a top. He paused upon seeing a familiar hoodie, pulling it out and turning to Luke. “I don’t think this is yours, buddy.”

Luke’s cheeks tinted a light red, and he looked to the side, still messing with his hands. “I’s nice.. smells like you..”

“Aww,” Michael was only teasing the boy for taking his sweater, but knowing Luke just genuinely liked having the presence of his boyfriend in that way was sweet. “Do you wanna wear this right now?”

Luke nodded. “Please.”

“Okay, I just need to get you a shirt—“

“No.”

“No?”

“Jus’ want sweater, nofing else.”

Michael laughed a little, but shrugged and grabbed the pants he had set aside before walking over to Luke. “Do you need help getting dressed?” At Luke’s nod, Michael carefully changed him out of his other clothes and into the new ones. Some comfy sweatpants and Michael’s hoodie covering his frame. “There we go, you look so cute. Are you all cozy?”

“Mhm! Up!” Luke reached out to Michael again. He squealed when he got lifted up, immediately nuzzling into his boyfriend. Everything felt safe like this.

Michael left Luke’s room and began to walk downstairs to the kitchen. He was just holding Luke close and rubbing his back, whispering sweet nothings, until he stopped at the sight of the kitchen counter.

There was a huge puddle of milk on the counter that was dripping off the edge, making a smaller puddle on the floor. There were some small pieces of cereal scattered about, and a little clump of paper towels having barely soaked up the mess from Luke’s attempt to clean earlier.

“Lukey, baby? What happened here?” Michael spoke softly, not wanting to make the boy think he was upset.

“Huh?” Luke lifted his head and stared at the counter. He had made a bigger mess than he thought. His mind was too fuzzy to fully realize. “Oh.. um.. spilled a bit ge’ing bweakfast, but I cweaned it!”

Michael sighs as he walks closer to the mess. “I can see that… You definitely tried to clean it, and I appreciate that, but there’s still a lot, baby.”

Luke pouted, tucking his head under Michael’s chin. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay, it’s just a bit of milk; we can clean it up, but next time you should come tell me when you make a mess, okay?”

“Otay… Mikey not mad?”

“Of course not. Spills happen all the time; it’s no big deal. I’d just like it if, when you spill like this, you come tell me so we can get it cleaned up.”

Luke nodded in agreement. He did let out a small whine, though, when Michael set him down in a chair.

“It’s okay, babe. I just gotta clean this up first.” Michael made quick work of getting some paper towels and wiping down the counter. He put away the box of cereal Luke had left out and set the boy’s bowl in the sink. Once he was done, he prepared a quick bottle for Luke, then lifted the boy back into his arms, starting to walk back to his own room.

Luke was already reaching for the bottle in Michael’s hand as they walked, mumbling small ‘gimmies’

“Just one minute, buddy.” Michael chuckled at Luke’s eagerness for his bottle. When they got to Michael’s room, he set Luke in his bed and handed off the bottle. “I’m going to keep gaming, but if you need anything, just let me know, okay? I’ll have my headphones off.”

“Can I cowour?” Luke spoke while nibbling on the teat of his bottle.

“Yeah, let me get your stuff.” Michael ruffled Luke’s hair, making the blonde giggle, before he opened a drawer of his desk to pull out a colouring book. He set it on the bed next to Luke, along with a box of crayons. He watched as Luke eagerly opened the book and found a page to start colouring on. Michael then went back over to his desk, sitting down and starting another match of Overwatch.

The only sounds in the room were Luke’s occasional babbles to himself, the crayon on paper, or Michael’s controller and his remarks at the game. Luke didn’t really mind that Michael would get loud when playing; he was beyond used to it after spending years and years with the boy. It just reassured him that Michael was there and he was having a good time. Although sometimes Luke questioned that by the way Michael would yell at the game.

“This asshole! What are you doing?!” Michael shouted, his button pressing getting louder. Luke made a small sound, cowering in on himself a little.

“Stupid fucking game-!” Michael shouted again, but this time he noticed Luke’s little whimper. When the match ended, he spun around in his chair to face the boy, taking in how he was holding himself while he coloured. “Luke? Are you okay?”

“M-mhm…” He mumbled, but Michael could see how his colouring slowed a little.

“Lukey bear, look at me.” Luke shyly looked to Michael, not able to ignore him when he used that nickname. “What’s going on? I heard you whine.”

“Um.. just- just don’t like the- the words…” Luke mumbled again.

“The words? What do you mean, baby?”

“You- you shouting..”

“You being honest with me, love?”

Luke was silent before shaking his head a little. “Just… the cussing, I don’t like.”

“Oh, shi- shoot. I’m sorry, buddy. You could’ve just said that; I’ll try and stop.”

“Fanks…” Luke smiled slightly when Michael pressed a kiss to his forehead. Sometimes he forgot how easy it was to make things better. Michael always understood.

Luke went back to colouring, and Michael went back to his gaming after making sure Luke was actually okay. He toned back his random outbursts in general, but still sometimes the game got the best of him. “Motherfuuu— fudger!” Michael corrected himself.

Luke looked up at Michael’s attempt to censor his words, giggling a little. “Fudge.” He giggled more.

“Oh- what? You think that’s funny?” Michael teased.

“Yeah.” Luke giggled more.

Michael just rolled his eyes, a smile on his face, and looked back at his screen. He kept playing Overwatch, remembering to censor himself by saying stuff like, “butthole!” “motherfudger!” and “you piece of shiitake!”

Each exclamation would get a burst of giggles from Luke. He thought the replacement words were the funniest thing ever. It made Michael smile knowing that even something so small could make his boy happy. Every little laugh from Luke made Michael want to drop everything and cuddle the life out of him. He would do anything to keep hearing that sweet sound.

It was only an hour later when Michael decided he was done playing Overwatch. He turned his pc off and sat by Luke on the bed, lightly brushing his fingers over Luke’s hair. “Watcha colouring?”

Luke pulled his bottle away from his mouth and spoke. “Buncha fish.” He was currently using a green crayon to fill in fins on a blue coloured fish.

“Oo, those look really good, buddy.” The whole page was filled with different coloured fish and some small underwater plants. “Can I colour with you?”

“Yeah! I have to cowour those, then done so you can do those.” Luke pointed at two fish that weren’t filled in yet, then handed a crayon to Michael.

Michael happily accepted the crayon and got to work colouring with Luke. They finished the little underwater scene together, and Luke had them both sign their names on the bottom of the page.

“Yay! This looks so good, Mikey!” Luke clapped his hands after putting his crayons away.

“Yeah! You did such a good job, I love it.” Michael ruffled Luke’s hair.

“We did good job.” Luke corrects with a bright smile.

“Yeah, we did.” Michael kisses Luke’s cheek, making the boy blush. “Do you wanna keep colouring or do something else?”

“Um.. something else.”

“Alright, how about we go down to the living room and watch a movie?”

“Yeah! Movie!” Luke gave a wide, toothy smile up at Michael.

“Okay, sick! Come on, buddy.” Michael stood up, holding out his hand, but Luke stopped like he suddenly remembered something.

“Wait! I gotta grab somefing.” And before Michael could even question the boy, he was sprinting out of the room towards his own.

Michael just chuckled at the boy’s eagerness and started grabbing his softest blankets, which he knew Luke loved, while he waited for Luke to return.

“Otay! I’m back.” Luke rocked on his heels as he stood in the doorway.

“Hey, what’d ya get?”

“Pengy!” Luke held out his arms, a well-loved penguin plush clutched between his hands.

“Ah, needed Pengy for movie time, huh?” Michael chuckled at Luke’s nod. The boy was so smiley today; it made Michael happy. “Alright, I got us some blankets, so let’s head to the living room.”

Luke eagerly started bounding down the hall and to the stairs. Almost tripping on his feet in the process. He plopped himself smack dab in the center of the couch the second he got to the living room, turning his head to see Michael walking down the stairs at a much steadier pace.

Michael got over to the couch and threw the blankets onto Luke, covering the boy. “Gotcha!”

Luke squealed loudly, his hands moving to try and get out from under the blankets. “Mikeyyy!! I can’t see!”

Michael giggled at the boy and leaned forward to scoop him into his arms, still trapped in the blankets. He plopped Luke down onto his lap after sitting himself on the couch. “Can’t let you get away, can I?”

“Michaeeelllll!!” Luke squirmed, still giggling.

The blankets were moved off of Luke’s face, but Michael kept him wrapped up in his lap. He started pressing kisses all over the boy’s face. “My precious boy.”

Luke giggled more, blushing and leaning into Michael. He pressed Pengy up close to his face as if trying to hide behind the stuffed animal. “Love you, Mikey.”

“I love you too, Lukey bear. Now, how about that movie?”

“Yeah.” Luke nodded, watching as Michael turned on the tv and pulled up one of his favourite movies. “Do I get to move?”

“Nope. You gotta stay wrapped up in these blankets, nice and safe with me.” Michael leaned back, pulling Luke closer against him.

Luke let out a little huff, but it wasn’t mad. He was really just adorable. As long as he had his boyfriend there with him, he would happily stay curled up like this. Once the movie was started, he settled against Michael, wrapped up in the blankets, with his penguin. He brought his thumb up to his mouth, sucking on it.

Michael kept his hand moving gently up and down the boy’s back, relaxing as they watched the movie. He pressed occasional kisses to Luke’s temple. He watched as the blonde slowly drifted off. Hearing those soft snores was his signal that Luke was out. Michael just kept him close, continuing to watch tv while his boy slept. Another gentle kiss was pressed to the boy’s forehead.

The jingle of keys was heard in the door lock before it was being pushed open by Ashton. He had just come back from a session at the studio with the boys, tired and a bit sweaty from drumming. He kicked off his shoes and walked deeper into his house, hearing the tv was on on the far side of the house. That meant you were awake. You had been asleep when he got up to leave, and he decided it was best to let you sleep in. You had been a bit stressed recently and needed the rest, even if you wouldn’t say any of this to him. He couldn’t quite make out what was being watched yet, but he walked over to the living room, rounding the corner.

“Hey, good to see you’re up—“ He paused for a moment when you turned to look up at him. Body bundled up in a blanket, plushie tucked gently under your chin, a light coloured paci sitting between your lips. Oh. You were little.

Ashton smiled softly; he never questioned when you would regress. He had been your caregiver for a long time now, so he knew the inner workings of your mind well. “How’s my little one doing?”

You just reached your arms out at him, eyes soft and innocent. That silent little plea for him to come take care of you.

At the sight of your arms held out, he moved over to sit on the couch and pull you into his lap. “Sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up, baby. I was at the studio, just wanted to let you sleep some more.” He felt that familiar fluttering in his chest when you pressed your cheek against him, even as your eyes were still on the cartoon moving on screen. “Did you have a good day?”

You nodded a little and pointed at a mostly finished drawing from your colouring book that lay on the coffee table. Ashton had just now noticed the crayons sprawled across the table, a couple stragglers on the floor.

“Wow!” He reached over to pick it up and examine. “This looks so good, baby! I love it.” He lightly kissed your temple, admiring the way you curled into his touch more. After looking it over for a minute, he set the colouring book back down. “Alright, love. I gotta shower, but then I’m all yours, okay?”

He almost frowned at the small whine that left you, and he didn’t miss the way your hand grabbed onto his shirt. “I know, love, but I’m sweaty from drumming, and I don’t think you wanna have my stink all over during cuddles.” Ashton sighed as you still held on, but he noticed how your eyes flickered to him briefly when he mentioned the idea of cuddling. “I promise I’ll be quick. Can you be a good kiddo and wait for a little?”

You frowned slightly around your pacifier and sighed, letting him lift you from his lap and set you on the couch. But when he started to walk to his bedroom, you followed. You stood in the doorway while he grabbed what he needed to shower, just watching.

Ashton turned and saw you standing there with your blanket wrapped around you, held tightly in your hand, along with your plushie, to keep it from moving. “Love, I’m gonna come back, I promise.” He knew you just wanted to be around him right now. “I’ll be real quick; then we can do whatever you want.”

You shifted slightly in place, looking down at your plushie and mumbling. “Cuddles…”

“Once I’m done showering, baby. You can be good and wait for me; I know you can.” His gaze softened at your small whine. He stepped closer, bringing a hand up to cradle the back of your head so he could lean in and kiss your forehead. Once he was sure you’d be okay, he went over to the bathroom, starting his shower.

However, you just walked over to the closed door and sat down next to it. All you wanted was your caregiver right now, and from here you could hear the shower running and make sure he was okay. Some days you’d be a bit more energetic, okay to run around and play while Ashton did what he needed to do, but today you felt really tiny, and the world felt too big.

Your hands ran across the fabric of your plushie, admiring your little friend and having a secret conversation between the two of you until you heard the shower turn off. You looked up quickly, staring at the door with wide eyes, waiting for the moment Ashton would walk out.

It took him a couple of minutes, but then he was stepping out of the bathroom in a different outfit, hair still slightly dripping. He chuckled lightly, seeing you on the floor. “Baby, you could’ve waited on the couch for me.” You whined a little, causing Ashton to just smile and lift you into his arms. “How old ya feeling today, darling?”

You held up a smaller amount of fingers than he expected before burying your face into the crook of his neck. “Daddy.” You mumbled.

“Aw, you’re just itty bitty today, huh?” He chuckled again at the way you pressed closer, like you were trying to hide away. “It’s okay, love. Daddy’s got you.” He bounced you lightly in his arms as he made his way back to the couch, taking a seat and keeping you close. “Do you wanna watch more tv?”

You barely lifted your head up from him, glancing back at the screen. “Movie?”

“Sure, a little movie night!” His heart warmed from your giggle to his enthusiasm. “Do we need some snacks for our movie?” You thought silently for a moment before nodding eagerly. “Alright, do you think you can clean up your crayons from earlier while I get us some food?”

Ashton kissed your temple when you nodded and climbed off his lap, already moving to crouch by the table and grab the scattered crayons. “Thank you, love. I’ll be over in the kitchen; if you finish before I’m back, you can start looking for a movie.” He beamed at your little ‘otay’ before walking away.

When Ashton came back from the kitchen a couple of minutes later, he had some of your favourite snacks, along with a bowl of chips for himself, and your bottle. You were sitting on the couch, having grabbed one of the big throw blankets and set it where you two were sitting. “All done, daddy!” You pointed at the table. Your crayons were neatly back in the box, colouring book closed and set aside. A couple of other small things left on the table were organized and moved aside so there’d be space for the snacks.

He was honestly shocked by how much you had done, but it warmed his heart to see how eager you were about it. He set the snacks down on the table and brought you back into his lap the moment he sat down. “Good job, baby! Thank you for getting everything cleaned up.” His heart melted as you pulled the large blanket over both of you. “Aw, is this for me?”

You nodded and curled up against him. “Gotta get all cozy.”

“You’re so sweet, love.” He kissed your temple again, absolutely adoring the way you’d blush and hide your face. “Let’s pick a movie, yeah?” He helped scroll through a streaming service before landing on the movie you wanted. Sure, he had rewatched the same movies countless times, but you were happy, so that was all that mattered. It’s not like he disliked the movies either.

Once the movie was rolling and you were settled, he set some of the snacks in his lap so you could reach them. He’d hold your paci or set it aside for you while you were snacking so it wouldn’t get lost. His main focus was always on you. If you needed anything, he’d be up in an instant to help. You were his baby, and he treasured every moment with you. Getting to take care of you, make sure you were safe and loved, was one of his favourite things.

By the time the movie was ending, you were starting to doze off in his lap. One hand on him, and the other loosely around your now-empty bottle. He gently took the bottle, setting it on the table to deal with later. He ran his fingers through your hair, watching the steady rise and fall of your chest with every breath. Before you could get too close to sleep, he spoke softly. “I think it might be time for a nap, love. Whaddya say?”

You sleepily muttered out some words he couldn’t quite understand and nodded, clutching onto him tighter.

Ashton gently lifted you up, making sure you had all of your things, before walking to his bedroom. He kept his movements quiet so you could continue to drift off; you didn’t even notice you were already in his room until you were being laid on the bed. The tiniest whine left you as he pulled away, but you were too tired and nervous to say anything. He noticed the sound, though. “Hey, what’s wrong, baby?”

You barely blinked your eyes open enough to see Ashton crouched next to the bed, looking at you with the fondest expression ever. “Stay… pwease?”