#|d

The regressor turns his attention to the cartoon as Bones looks over again. He picks at his shoelaces, untying them for the fourth time in the past thirty minutes. He looks over at his caregiver out of the corner of his eye, waiting for him to turn back around.

When he does, Ward's heart sinks a bit. He's a little frustrated, mostly at himself, because it doesn't make sense that it's this hard.

"Why can't you read minds, Len?" Ward suddenly blurts out, surprising himself. Bones pauses and turns around in the chair, resting an arm over the back of the chair.

"You know, I'm not entirely sure I believe that's what's putting ants in your pants, kid," Bones replies, raising an eyebrow. Ward frowns and puts his attention to re-tying his shoes. He can hear Bones let out a quiet sigh as he gets up from the chair and crosses into the small living room area.

"Ward, buddy, what's up? You feel okay? Y'going a bit lower?" Bones asks, his voice soft. Ward shakes his head, and bites his lip. He knows his friend won't think it's strange, or feel weirded out, or anything like that.

"Sweetheart, c'mere." Bones takes a seat on the couch and pats the cushion next to him. Ward scrambles up and tucks himself into Bones' side, and lets him pat his back reassuringly.

"Tell me what's goin' on in that head of yours, kid," Bones coaxes. There's no impatience, no demand, just a gentle concern.

"I- I," Ward starts and stops, and then starts again, "Len, when's bedtime?"

It's not really the question that's stuck in his throat and sinking in his belly. It's a frequent cause for anxiety for him when he's regressed, though he can tell Bones doesn't quite believe that's the only thing bothering him.

Especially since those questions don't usually start until after dinner, and Bones hasn't even started the process of figuring out what to have made for them.

"Not for a while longer, sweetheart," Bones answers anyway, "Is that it? Anything else stuck in there?" He prompts, sneaking a hand around to poke Ward in the side. Despite the fluttery feeling in his stomach and the question stuck in his throat, Ward can't stop a bit of a giggle from escaping.

"There's something else stuck in there," Ward whispers, squirming away from another attempt to poke him in the side. His Bones is smart, really smart. Maybe he can guess it without Ward having to say it.

"Oh yeah? You gonna tell me?"

"Mm-mm. You gotta guess."

"Hmmm," Bones hums thoughtfully. His other hand taps on the arm of the couch as he thinks about his guess.

"Well, I know you're not hungry or thirsty, because you're never shy about hounding me for a snack. You're not cranky enough to be feeling sick, either. That probably means you're telling at least part of the truth about not slipping lower- you get awful fussy."

"No I don't!" Ward gasps, as if what Bones says isn't completely true, "And I'm tellin' the whole- the whole truth! I'm regular level righ' now."

"Okay, okay. I believe you," Bones chuckles, before the thoughtful look reappears on his face. Ward can tell the older man is thinking hard about it, and when Bones looks down at him with a careful expression, his stomach does a little flip-flop.

"Do.. you want a little extra protection?" Bones asks. His voice is soft and gentle and careful- there's not an ounce of judgement in his words. It's not often that this topic comes up, but it's not entirely new to them either.

Despite the fact that Ward had been trying to nudge Bones towards the question, he can feel his face start to heat up. He doesn't need them- he doesn't use them, (except for once when he was really sick and really little, but that doesn't count) so he's not entirely sure why he's thinking about it.

"Ward?"

"Um-!"

"Hey, hey, c'mere," Bones murmurs, tugging Ward a bit closer to him, putting an arm around the regressor's shoulder. The older man presses a soft kiss to his forehead and then continues, "Yer alrigh', sweetheart. It ain't no issue."

Ward nods slowly, resting his head on Bones' shoulder. It's always a little funny to him when the doctor's drawl becomes a bit more pronounced, a little more comforting.

"It's all up to you, a'ight? You just let me know."

"I um.. I do," Ward says quietly, feeling his face flush a bit more as he admits it. He feels Bones nod his head, and then there's a small pause.

"You want to come pick something, or do you want me to pick?"

Ward shrugs, resisting the urge to untie his shoe again. Bones doesn't say anything though, content to let Ward make the choice at his own pace.

"Can we go together? But I don't want help putting- putting it on, okay?" Ward finally speaks up after a few minutes pass. He glances up at the caregiver, who gives him a little reassuring half-smile.

"Sounds like a plan," Bones agrees. They sit for a few more moments before Ward moves to get up, Bones following shortly after.

"Do we have any cloud ones?" Ward asks, as he follows Bones towards the closet where supplies and such are generally stored. Bones chuckles, and ruffles his hand through Ward's hair.