Coachella was Exhausting. It was Sunday and after two nights of performances, all Megan wanted to do was sleep. But Lara had already promised their day away to Rhea. Which was fun! Megan was going to have fun and she knew it but both of them were tired enough that there was a chance of tantrums. Megan and Lara had promised each other they would be on their best behavior for Rhea no matter what. 

The two of them were just waiting now. Neither of them looked like they would be getting up anytime soon.  Megan was all but buried into Lara's side, her face hidden in the other girl's shoulder. Lara was equally entangled with her while the other girls milled around. Manon and Yoonchae were playing some game on the switch while Sophia and Dani arranged for the four of them to go out. 

As soon as there was a knock on the door Lara's head snapped up. “Megan off!” She whined attempting to squirm out of the younger girl's grip. The Chinese-Singaporean allowed herself to tumble off the couch clutching her phone. Lara swung open the door with a wide smile and all but leaped into her older sister's arms. Rhea's laugh filled the room and she awkwardly entered, shutting the door behind her.

She adjusted Lara on her hip and reached out for Megan. The all-rounder sprang up and gave Rhea a tight hug. “Hi, babies!” Rhea greeted them and beamed at the other girls with excited waves. “Are you two ready to go out?” She asks Megan and Lara running her hands through Megan's new haircut. Lara nods excitedly and Megan just nuzzles her face into her side.

Rhea waved at the other girls before leading the two of them out. She gently set Lara down who let out a disgruntled sigh. But the younger Raj didn’t audibly protest. Rhea brought them to her car and helped them both get settled in the back. “I wanna sit in the front!” Lara protested, kicking her legs gently. Rhea smoothly clasped her sister's ankle “No more kicking baby” Her voice went unnaturally firm and even Megan stilled.

Lara's pout could rival an actual toddler but Megan reached out and held her hand. Rhea got settled down in the driver's seat and adjusted everything before flashing a smile at them through the mirror. “I was thinking about the mall, pretty girls.” She tells the girls and they both beamed. “Mall!” Megan said hopefully and clapped her hands excitedly. Lara nodded in agreement absentmindedly messing with her rings.

Rhea set the course for the mall and began to blast some hyperpop music. Megan and Lara both sang along from the back while attempting to play some hand game. Rhea's eyes intermittently flicked back to check on them but they managed to arrive at the mall within only a few minutes. Rhea was carefully helping them out and grabbing their hands so that they wouldn't run off.

Megan rubbed her eyes as she walked a bit slower than usual and Lara let out a soft yawn. “Why don't we get some drinks, hm?” Rhea said with a raised eyebrow and playfully swung their hands. “Yes please” Megan agreed rapidly and Lara just walked a bit closer to Rhea's side. The older Raja sister easily found her way to the Starbucks shop. 

Lara was immediately looking at the coffee menu and Rhea playfully moved her head in a different direction. “You can get a drink without coffee baby” She scolded lightly and Megan pouted playfully in unison with Lara. Neither of them seemed to be up to protesting and they mumbled their orders to Rhea. When she got up there she rattled off their three orders and then tugged them to a nearby waiting table.

Lara and Megan both moved their chairs over close to Rhea. “Build a bear?” Lara requested and Megan tugged at Rhea's sleeve with wide, hopeful eyes. “Of course babies.” She presses a kiss to each of their hairlines and then hops up to grab the drinks. The two girls trailed behind and grabbed their own drinks. Rhea stopped them at the map and managed to find the Build-a-Bear.

Once they arrived at the kiddo store Rhea was letting the two of them loose. Lara manages to find the stuffed animal she wants right away while Megan spends a much longer time wandering around. She's getting focused on the Pokémon. Lara has found a cute black jaguar one and it's clutched under her arm as she follows Megan. 

Rhea strolls behind the two of them at a much more leisurely pace and looks over the options. She finds Megan standing tentatively in front of a pink pokémon. “That's Jigglypuff” Lara supplies with a proud smile and Rhea threads her hand through her sister's hair. “You want Jigglypuff Mei?” She asked and Megan nodded slowly reaching for it. 

Rhea took them to the stuffing section and the girls had an absurd amount of fun participating. She took a few sneaky videos until Lara caught her with a pout. Their animals were now stuffed and waiting for them to insert the heart. Lara waited patiently for Megan who was wrestling to get some stuffing back in. Rhea watched as they both dutifully inserted the heart and then allowed them to be sealed.

Before they were finished with the rest of the process Lara was whirling around with hopeful eyes. “Rhea…sissy! Can we please get clothes?” She asked excitedly and Megan’s head practically snapped around. “Of course babies” Rhea lightly pushes them towards the Build-A-Bear outfits. Megan pouts hard when she realizes that there aren’t actually clothes for jigglypuff and Rhea is quick to intervene.

She puts a gentle hand on Megan’s shoulder, tracing circles as Lara keeps walking around. “Why don’t you pick out some accessories, baby?” Rhea suggests and Megan’s wobbling lower lip slowly stills. She hesitantly grasps a heart tiara and places it on her Jigglypuff just for it to topple off. Rhea shuts her eyes and takes a long breath before wrapping Megan in a hug before the imminent meltdown. 

Lara who has already gathered a full outfit for her own stuffed animal flits over. “It’s okay Mei!! There’s um a hea’band” She says fumbling for a tiara headband and attaching it to the Jigglypuff. Rhea let out a sigh of relief as it managed not to fall off. “Why don’t you find another thing, baby?” Rhea suggested and led Megan over towards the handheld accessories. Lara leaned against her older sister as they watched Megan find a little microphone for her Jigglypuff. 

Megan's smile could power an entire city block as they checked out and got the little home boxes for their stuffies. As they headed out Rhea felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She grabbed it and noticed a call from her manager, she squeezed her girl's hands and they compliantly stilled. “Hey! What’s up?” Rhea asked, cradling her phone between her ear and shoulder. Lara's eyebrows were furrowed in gentle concern as she looked up at Rhea tugging on her hand impatiently. 

Megan's eyes were fluttering but she was kicking her feet against the tiled ground. “Yeah I think I can come in…thanks for letting me know” Rhea said, her teeth lightly pulling at her lower lip as she put her phone away. “Alright bad news babies I’ve gotta get to the studio. But I think the two of you could come hang out?” She suggested and Lara's sleep-ridden eyes light up as do Megan's. “Studio studio!!” Lara chants softly and Rhea lightly claps a hand over her mouth as they walk out.

Lara licks it and giggles cheekily as Rhea yanks it away. Megan stumbles her way into the car letting out a soft yawn. As soon as she could she was carefully removing her Jigglypuff from the box and clutching it to her chest. Rhea helped them both buckle up before settling down in the driver's seat. “Alright, babies what do we wanna listen to?” She asked, passing back her phone as she navigated the parking lot.

Lara and Megan pass the phone back and forth taking turns picking out songs. There was more than one mini argument over whose turn it was that Rhea stepped in to mediate. By the time they arrived at the studio, the girls seemed a bit more excited than before. Lara scrambled out of the car without Rhea's assistance and almost face-planted. Her sister grabbed her by the wrist and steadied her.

Megan waited patiently and held Rhea's hand as she stepped out, still holding her Jigglypuff. Rhea led them in and managed to find a couch she dragged into the studio. “Alright babies you two will stay out here and let me know if you need anything” She says waiting for them to get situated before entering the recording room. Megan yawned, the exhaustion of the weekend hitting her hard as Lara practically crawled on top of her.

- if beca is little too, emily will try to be a little older so she can be the big sister but it doesn't always work.

- loves watching spiderman with little!beca

- even if she's not little, she's still little!beca's sibbie

- em's got a whole squishmallow collection

- this kid loves bugs. she's fascinated by them.

- she loves books. she's too little to read or fully understand them, but she loves being read to

- she's very prone to nightmares, especially post-pp3

- after pp3, emily temporarily lived with beca, chloe and amy because ✨trauma bond✨

- little emily loves watching beca produce songs. she doesn't understand what's happening but it's cool. she'll usually snuggle up against beca and watch until she inevitably falls asleep.

- she's usually so hyper. despite this, she loves naps. if there's a soft blanket and a stuffie do NOT threaten her with a good time

- big fan of fruit sensory videos

- not very verbal when she's little. usually only uses a word or two at a time, never fully grammatically correct. she has nicknames for everyone and everything too

- garfield lover. she's always watching it. has a onesie and everything.

Ryujin mumbled something in a sad tone, she sounded in distress. “What was that, sweetheart?” Lia sat up with the younger girl sitting straight up in her lap. “I’m really hot, mama.” Ryujin whined, she then wiped off a thin film of sweat on her forehead.

“You’re really hot?” Lia repeated, making sure that’s what she heard. Ryujin nodded with a small whine. “Well, that's not good. Do you want me to turn on the fan while we get dressed?” Lia suggested.

Ryujin shook her head. “No get dressed, mama.” Lia rubbed the little girl’s back. But as she rubbed a bit more, she realized how hot Ryujin really was.

“Sit up for me, sweetheart. Mama’s going to check your temperature,” Lia whispered softly, gently lifting the little one and positioning her in front of her. She placed her hand on Ryujin’s flushed cheeks and across her forehead, feeling for any signs of fever.

And just as she suspected, Ryujin was as hot as she explained. “Sweetheart, you’re burning up!” Lia exclaimed, pulling her into a tighter hug immediately. "Mama… don't wanna go outside," Ryujin whimpered, her voice trembling in pain.

She had also started getting a headache. “I won’t make you go out, my little one. It’s okay," Lia soothed, cuddling her closer to offer comfort.

“But we have to do stuff mama…” Ryujin said in a sorrowful tone. “We can always reschedule, hon. Today is all about getting you better.” Lia shushed the girl, patting her back with a slow rhythm.

“Can Jinnie have soup, Mama?” she whispered, her throat a bit hoarse. “Jinnie can have all the soup she wants, love-bug.” Lia whispered back, kissing Ryujin’s temple softly. The slow pats on her back slowly lulled the regressor to sleep.

Medicine wasn’t even a thought, just little whines from Ryujin and quiet shushes from Lia. A day in bed with her mama was all she needed to feel better.

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thank you for reading, friends!!

a/n: i love lil ryu like she’s actually so cutie pie im gonna explode

stay safe, healthy, and hydrated!

Sometimes it felt as if your shadow was darker than everyone else's. Embarrassment seemed to cling to you wherever you went like a secondary shadow. It was tied to your anxiety you knew that much but as of late it had been manifesting itself in your regression. You were mostly comfortable with it on every level. But when the tour was announced, it felt sticky and clinging to you. Your heart and your veins and everything else. As if it was clogging your body and everything you did.

You couldn't risk your regression or any of the other girls being revealed while you were on tour. Your greatest source of fear was that somehow you would slip up on stage and that would ruin everything. Then Lara had pulled you aside right before you all boarded the airplane. And she suggested keeping you in padding before and after concerts. The embarrassment solidified in your body like caramel. 

By the time you had formed a proper reply the seven of you were being rushed onto the airplane. You were supposed to sit next to Lara but you made your way back to where Megan and Yoonchae were sitting. “Megan…I will owe you for life if you sit with Lara” You all but beg and the Chinese-Singaporean girl raises her eyebrow but stands up kissing her girlfriend's cheek as she walks off. 

You sit down next to Yoonchae who has expertly composed her face to keep from judging. She grabbed her camera and snapped a photo of you flipping it off with a laugh. “Are you and Lara okay?” The maknae asked for her hand, reaching out to squeeze yours for a brief moment. Your embarrassment is briefly overrun by a hot affection for Yoonchae. It wasn’t common she extended physical affection to you and it made things better for a moment.

Then she's clearing her throat as a reminder that you haven’t exactly answered her question. “We're okie.” Your eyes shift between your lap and Yoonchae's inquiring face. “She um-” You cut yourself off and quiet down. “She suggested padding. For during the tour.” You explain and your neck heats as you explain. Yoonchae blinks slowly before a mix between a sympathetic smile and a confused frown crosses her face.

You shift away from her a little and it’s clear that she knows you want to drop it cause she's focusing on her ipad. You shut your eyes and attempt to get anything resembling sleep. When you do wake up it’s to the sound of a scarily loud thump next to you. You snap awake and kick in surprise just to see that while everyone was getting ready to disembark Lara's suitcase had taken a tumble. 

It isn’t until you notice the flash of padding that your exhaustion is overridden by panic. You scramble out of your seat and shove it back into the suitcase. Lara is kneeling across from you cleaning everything up and she shoots you a soft smile. You ignore the warmth that curls up in your stomach as you stand up and fumble for your own suitcase. Megan reaches across and helps you get it down.

Yoonchae slips out in front of you to join her girlfriend and you settle your backpack over your shoulder. You wait till everyone else is walking off to follow them. Lara is waiting for you once you step off the plane and you force a weak smile. “I got your bag baby” She coaxes and slides the backpack off your shoulder and onto hers. 

You don’t quite have the energy to protest, you just glare at her suitcase and the source of your embarrassment lurking inside. The seven of you are overcome by fans quicker than usual and you smile excitedly. You abandon your suitcase to sign merchandise and take photos with the fans.  You feel a warm hand on your waist and you glance over to see Lara standing there with a steady smile.

You hear Sophia announce something about being excited to be in Minneapolis before the seven of you are being ushered away. The van is a bit bigger than usual to fit all the luggage. Lara all but drags you to the back row of the van and you sit at the window seat. “I didn’t realize bringing up padded regression would make your mind a bit of a mess y/n. I’m sorry. I thought you had worn padding before.” Lara explains with a brief exhale and she holds your hand tight in her lap. 

You shift in your seat as the van sets off and the embarrassment running through you turns sticky and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. “I have…it’s just different. Cause of tour” You explain and she nods her eyes flicking over you. “I know, baby. The tour is pretty hectic but I really think this will help. Why don’t we get you in some padding when we get back to the hotel? And see where it goes from there.” Lara suggests and her gaze is warm enough that it cuts past your defenses.

You stare at her for a long moment before nodding reluctantly. “I’ll try. Gotta be nice though” You warn and her face crumples a little. “Whoa, darling I would never be anything other than nice to you. Especially when it comes to this.” She says firmly and cups your chin till you garner the courage to look at her. “You get it, baby?” Lara says without lessening her firmness. Finally, you nod and mumble a small ‘Yes mama’. 

You settle down in your seat relishing in the feeling of the embarrassment momentarily melting away in her presence. You nuzzle your face into her neck while she rubs your back. You glance around the van to see Manon sandwiched between Daniela and Sophia. Yoonchae and Megan were napping together in the aisle next to you. Lara tugged you back into her embrace with a slightly jealous huff.

You giggle at her demeanor and freeze when she takes a selfie for her Instagram dump. She laughs at your spooked face and retakes it without issue. Once the van pulls up to the hotel you’re standing and rushing to walk in with Manon. The staff has your luggage handled right now so you’re able to walk hand in hand with the Swiss-Ghanian. She's giggling while showing you some BITBBH video Dani had sent her and you scrunch your face up playfully. The duo was all but obsessed with that show but particularly Tutter.

Once you’re in the lobby Lara is coming up behind you and snagging you by the wrist. “Let’s go ahead and go up to the room, little love, and get everything set up.” Her voice had dipped into that irresistible soothing tone she used whenever she wanted you to regress. Your eyes go wide at the way she's looking at you. As if nothing else mattered in the moment and you’re tripping over yourself to get in the elevator with her.

Once the doors shut she's holding you by the waist with her chin on your shoulder. “Everything's already up in the room. All we gotta do is get you small and changed and see how it goes.” Even with Lara's effortlessly soothing demeanor you stiffen for a moment. The elevator dings and before she can question your reaction you're darting out. You find your room without issue and wait in front of it while Lara uses the app to get it open.

Just like she said your bags were resting on the beds and you hop onto the fluffy comforter with a smile. Lara takes a moment to admire you before settling down and unpacking her suitcase. You stare at the padding that she pulls out and a small whimper leaves your parted lips. Her eyebrows furrow but she brings you closer with one arm and presses a kiss to your head.

You slowly wriggle your way out of your clothes and she pats your hip to lie down. You comply and screw your eyes shut as she gets the padding fastened onto you. You get into your blue and white penguin pajamas before the feeling of the padding and the prospect of it being revealed on tour hits you hard. The panic swirling around your brain begins to manifest itself.

As Lara changes and cleans up her bed you sit there staring blankly at the TV. Your breath is coming in sharp, quick bursts as the possibility of the group being ruined because you have to wear padding begins to worm its way into your brain. Lara is zipping her suitcase back up when she looks at you. She clocks your panic immediately and rushes to crouch next to you.

Her hands reach out to gently cup your face waiting for your eyes to land on hers. “Whoa, baby. Looks like your little mind got a bit ahead of you” Lara murmurs her thumbs stroking circles into your temple. You nod weakly even as you can’t seem to fully focus on her words. She crawls up onto the bed and in front of you, so that you can still see her face.

The caregiver takes a moment to keep physically soothing you waiting for your breathing to slow down a bit again. When you can look at her without hyperventilating she moves on. “I’m so sorry baby girl. I know the padding is hard for you. That you don’t love it. And it makes you feel icky sometimes, huh?” She murmurs and your eyes dart away guiltily before nodding. 

Lara switches her position so that she can pull you into her lap and fix you with those soft Siren eyes. “Do you wanna get changed?” Her hand is already creeping towards your hip but you sniffle and shake your head. She freezes with a raised eyebrow but doesn’t criticize your decision. “Just ‘barrassed but I um I think it's good” You explain softly with red rimmed eyes.

She nods slowly in agreement, her posture relaxing as she holds you. “Baby I know it's going to take a while. But you should never have to feel embarrassed. I love you always. You’re the perfect little whether you’re sleepy, cranky, padded, or what.” Lara pressed a few kisses to your face until you're appropriately covered in her lipstick. “Why don't I send Yoonchae and Megan to the cafe? And they can grab us some treats as a reward for my girl being so well behaved.” She suggests this while bouncing you lightly.

Your eyes light up at the prospect of a treat even as embarrassment rushes through you at the soft crinkles from the bouncing. She grabs her phone and sends a message before giving you a gentle squeeze. You burrow into her with a smile. She works on finding something to watch when there's a knock at the door. 

Lara casually stands up with you on her hip and takes you to the door. Yoonchae has a small bag while Megan has two drinks “Extra special delivery” the all-rounder jokes. She and Yoonchae stride in to set it up so that Lara doesn't have to put you down. You wave at them as they leave with Yoonchae blowing a kiss as she shuts the door. 

Once you two are settled back down on the bed watching your cartoon Lara begins to unpack the small bag. There's a pack of star suckers and some bakery items. You lean off of her lap to a dangerous degree to look at the drinks. You gasp excitedly at the sight of personalized ice cubes and pull on her shirt. “Mama look!” You show them to her with wide eyes. The Indian girl chuckles and snaps a photo before passing it to you.

You sip out of the pink straw as she munches on a cookie that Yoonchae picked out. You lean off again to grab your two stuffed animals that had tumbled down thanks to the bag. Lara lets out an anxious breath and tightens her grip on you but you sit back up without issue. You return to sipping your drink and focusing on your show occasionally shifting thanks to the somewhat unfamiliar sensation of padding.