collected comforts

little!karen is instantly overwhelmed: the smells, the movement, the people pressing too close to her and mama. she clutches her bag and buries herself into her hoodie, trying to shrink and disappear.

cg!cami notices immediately and uses her body as a way to box karen in. not to trap her, but to keep her mind distracted from the stuffy public bus. her prescence is calm and solid.

camila wraps an arm around karen's shoulder, gently guiding her through the mess of people to a quieter section.

she talks softly, low enough that only karen can hear. "i've got you, okay? we're fine. just breathe, baby."

karen starts to fidget or bounce slightly - classic overstimulation - and camila lets her, humming a song under her breath that karen moves along too. all while cami strokes her back or squeezes her hand.

when karen buries her face into cami's chest, she doesn't push karen off, but rocsk her gently with the bus's movement until she calms down.

the bus lurched forward, packed tight with people. the hum of the engines mixed with chatter and the scrape of shoes on the floor. karen's small hands gripped the strap above her head, knuckles white, her hoodie pulled tight around her. every. sound felt too loud, every movement too close.

camila spotted her immediately, the little figure pressed against the windows, eyes wide and panicked. she left billy's side in an instant and weaved through the crowd to kneal infront of karent. "hey," she said, voice low. "i've got you, okay?"

karen blinked, trying to shrink into herself. "it's... too much," she whispered, almost inaudible over the noise.

camila wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and shielding her from the jostling bodies. "i know, kiddo. just breathe with me," she murmed, leaning her head slightly so that karen could rest her head against her chest.

karen let out a shaky exhale, still jittery but a little quieter. camila's hand rubbed soothing cirles on her back, humming softly under her breath. "see that guy with the blue hat?" she whispered. "bet you can't spot him again before we reach our stop."

karen's lips twitched into a tiny smile, peeking over cami's shoulder to peer into the crowd. camila smiled back, holding her steady as the bus swayed. the chaos was still around them, but in that small corner her mama made, karen felt safe.

the bus rocked gently, the tires humming a lullaby over the long highway. everyone else was asleep - or pretending to be - but daisy wasn't. her legs bounced agaisnt the edge of the booth seat, hair messy, stick, and tangled from the stage lights, eyes wide in the dim glow of the overhead lamp.

billy leaned agaisnt the doorway, rubbing his hands on his jeans. "shouldn't you be asleep by now, kid?" his voice was low, gravelly, but soft around the edges as they always were for daisy jones.

"i... can't." daisy mumbled, struggling to find her voice. she curled a little tighter into herself. "not tired."

billy sighed and came closer, holding out a bottle of water. "here. drink. blanket," he added, draping the soft, fuzzy thing over her shoulders before she could pout and protest. his fingers lingered just enough for her to notice, warm and steady.

"thanks." she said quietly, leaning her head against the cushioned wall.

billy sat across from her, his guitar resting on his lap. he strummed a few mindless chords, slow and gentle. after a few minutes, daisy's humming joined his; off key but sweet, and he smiled without thinking.

"songbird," billy murmured. "just five more minutes, yeah? we'll call it a night after this."

her eyelids drooped, her little body relaxing into the warmth of the blanket. billy's voice softened even more, humming the melody of a song daisy hadn't heard yet. the bus rocked. the road hummed. and finally, daisy's breathing finally evened out.

"good girl," billy whispered, setting his guitar aside. he brushed red locks out of her eyes. "got you." he teased. "go to sleep, daisy. good night."

the bus hums and rocks with the rhythm of the road. everyone else is asleep, but daisy's wide awake, jittery from leftover stage energy and too much coke cola. she's curled up in one of the booth seats, legs bouncing, hair all messy from the show.

billy notices when he comes back from checking on the others for from washing his hands. he sighs, that soft dad sounding one, and says, "shouldn't you be asleep by now, kid?"

daisy tries to play it off. "can't. not tired," but it comes out as a pout. she looks more small than she means too and she knows billy clocked her the moment he saw her.

billy's version of caregiving is gruff but ground. he doesn't say "you're little." but he still treats daisy like she's fragile in the best way. he brings her a bottle of water (cami's got all the baby bottles and she won't be with them again for another two shows), makes sure daisy's got a blanket, and tucks it around her shoulders like it's second nature.

when she starts to get fussy and overstimulated, he lowers his voice, that gravelly calm tonethat is somehow softer than any lullaby he could sing her. he tells her about old bands he used to look up to, or the first time he played in a dive bar. just slow rambling stories meant to help settle the buzzing in her bones.

sometimes, daisy climbs up to sit next to him in the tiny lounge area while he plays his guitar softly. she simply leans her head against billy's shoulder and hums off key. he doesnt tell her to stop, he just plays quieter so her voice doesn't get drowned out.

billy calls her kiddo or songbird, depending on how sleepy she is. when she starts blinking slow and mumbling nonsense, she gets the gentle, "hey, songbird, c'mon, time for bed."

she protests with a tiny whine every single time, so billy laughs and says, "fine, just five more minutes," and plays another verse.

if daisy is really wound up, he hums a slow melody. maybe something they're working on, until daisy's breathing evens out.