#agere-tober

You yawned as you toddled into the main area of the ghoul den. Most of the others were already gathered in the kitchen, either sitting and sipping on their morning beverage or working on food.

Dewdrop, who had only recently come into the kitchen after waking you up, smiled and waved at you. "Morning darling, how are you feeling?"

You mumbled out a 'good', causing Dew to smile and ruffle your hair before walking over to take a seat at the counter. "Are you feeling little this morning, love?" Aether asked in a sweet voice. After your hum in response, his smile grew even wider. "Well, we're all happy to take care of you. Do you want to come sit?" He patted his lap with his large hand, already adorned with his usual rings.

Aether carefully lifted you into his lap, keeping one hand secure on your side so you wouldn't fall or squirm out of his lap too much. "We're making cinnamon rolls." Mountain spoke up. His voice was still gruff from sleep, making it a bit gentler than usual.

"Yay!" You giggled, clapping your hands a little and making Aether chuckle when you shift in his lap. "Can I help?"

"Of course, baby." Mountain took a step back from the countertop. The skin around his eyes crinkled with his smile from watching you climb off Aether's lap and walk up next to him. "Do you want to help me place them in the tin?" There wasn't much preparation with pre-made cinnamon rolls, but he wasn't going to deny your happiness in helping.

You watched in fascination as he popped open the container and set them on the counter in front of you. One by one, you carefully set them in the tray, making sure the spacing between them was perfect.

"Once they're done, you can help frost them as well. As long as Phantom doesn't try to eat all of it first." Mountain jabs, making you giggle and a sleepy 'hey!' erupting from Phantom.

"All done, Mounty!" You beamed up at him, full of pride in your work with the uncooked cinnamon rolls. You took a step back as he opened the oven, but all of a sudden, there were hands on your sides lifting you into the air. "Ah!"

"There's my little sunshine!" Rain chuckles at your yelp while he adjusts you to comfortably be held in his arms.

"Hi Rainy." You smile up at him. "'Ou didn't hab to scare me." A tiny pout forms on your lips.

"Aw, did I scare you? I'm sorry." He nuzzles his nose against your head.

"Is okay." You giggle and press a kiss to his chin. "I helped Mounty wif the rolls!"

"Oh, you did? Well, you did a very good job, I'm sure Mountain appreciates your help." You could catch a glimpse of Rain looking at Mountain with a loving look in his eyes. "You want to go sit?"

"Mhm." You pressed up against Rain as he started to walk. "G-gah-! Baba."

"Baba?" Rain looks down at you while you were making grabby hands at the fridge.

"Wan' baba."

"Ohh-" It clicked in Rain's head, and he grabbed your sippy cup from a cabinet. "What would you like, baby?"

"Juice!" He just chuckled at your exclamation and carefully poured your favourite juice into the sippy cup.

He screwed the lid on tight, checking to make sure it wouldn't spill, and then handed it off to your eager hands. Once secure, he made his way to the counter and sat on the open stool between Aether and Phantom. He started up a conversation with Aether, seeing as you were happily sipping away at the juice.

On your right, Phantom and Dewdrop were in their own conversation. However, your eyes were glued onto the shiny rings Phantom had on this morning. You made a sound around the end of the sippy in your mouth as you reached out to touch his hand. Phantom, being used to you fidgeting with his hands by now, just moved his hand over to your lap, holding his conversation with Dew.

The morning was peaceful. Everyone being together made you happy. It felt safe and oh so far away from all the troubles of being big. Conversations bounced between the ghouls, and when your focus was off Phantom's hand, Mountain made silly faces and noises to keep you occupied.

The timer on the oven cut through the ghouls talking. "That means they're ready." Mountain said outloud, mostly addressing you. He covered his hand with a hot pad and pulled the tray of cinnamon rolls out. He set them aside to cool slightly as he gathered plates and forks for everyone. It was always sweet of Mountain to prepare meals like this for everyone. "You gonna help me frost them, honeybee?"

"Y-yeah!" You immediately went to scramble out of Rain's lap.

"Careful there." Rain puts his hands on your sides to lift you out of his lap. "Don't want you hurting yourself, baby boy." He chuckles as he sets you down, and you all but run over to Mountain.

Mountain hands you the bag of frosting, directing you to drizzle it over the warm cinnamon rolls. "Then we can eat them?"

"Yep. Once they're frosted and cooled down a bit more, you're all good to chow down buddy." He ruffled your hair. Once they were all frosted, and Mountain maybe let you have a secret drop of frosting, he had you go back to the counter with the others.

You climbed up into the open seat on the left of Aether. Your little hands patted rhythmically against the counter while you waited.

Mountain dished out the cinnamon rolls onto plates for everyone. He was going to pass them out as well, but Dewdrop came up behind him and pressed a quick kiss to his neck. "Thanks." He spoke while taking the plate in Mountain's hand. Clearly, he was hungry. Mountain just rolled his eyes and went back to dishing out breakfast for the others, but you could see a faint blush across his cheeks.

"Eat up, bug." Mountain set your plate in front of you then took a seat next to you. He was already digging into his own food.

Seeing that everyone else was already eating, you picked up the cinnamon roll and ate. Unfortunately, getting very messy in the process. "He's so cute." Aether spoke quietly to Mountain, gesturing to you.

Mountain went to agree but then sighed when he saw the state you were in. Your hands and face were sticky, and you didn't seem to be slowing down at all. "Buddy?" His heart could melt right then and there when you looked up at him with those sweet eyes. "Let's get you cleaned up, then you can keep eating, okay? You're making a mess."

Reluctantly, you set the half-eaten roll back on the plate and held out your hands. Mountain started wiping them clean while Aether was grabbing a fork. He got some of your cinnamon roll on it and held it up, starting to feed you. "You're a messy boy today, huh?" His chuckle was sweet as you accepted the food. You swore you heard Dewdrop 'aw' in the background.

Mountain finished wiping down your hands and let Aether continue feeding you.

Slowly, everyone finished up breakfast, bringing their plates to the sink and washing their hands. "Come on, lov-" Aether started.

"Nope. I've got him from here." Dew smirked as he swept in and lifted you up. He took a wipe to clean off your face and then walked over to the couch, setting you securely between his legs. "Relax, little one, I've got you." He ran his calloused fingers through your hair.

Phantom walked into your room with an armful of all different sorts of plushies. He was struggling not to drop them as he made his way over to where you were curled up on the floor. Earlier in the day, you two had built a fort in the corner of your room; now you just needed to make it cozy. Phantom had collected all the plushies from both your room and his, along with one or two from Rain, and dropped them onto the floor. His eyes lit up at the giggle you let out seeing them all in front of you.

“Alright, little guy, I got all your friends here, so now is the fort ready?” He crouched down in-front of the entrance of the fort, looking in at your little form. You were curled up with a blanket, holding Phantom’s iPad that had your favourite show paused on it.

You set the iPad down next to you and looked over the dolls like you were seriously inspecting them. “Hmm.. yeah! “Pe’fwect!” You giggled before flopping onto the pile of stuffies.

“Come on, buddy, we gotta put them in the fort, you can’t just lie on them.” Yet he couldn’t stop his sweet little laughs. You just kept lying in the pile of them. “Alright, I’m moving you in myself then.” He chuckled before scooping you up and setting you back in the fort. He started to toss the stuffies at you gently.

“Dada! Stop it-!” You giggled as he just kept tossing them in at you, filling the space of the fort.

“I said we gotta get them all inside!” He just smiled.

You kept giggling and tried to combat the onslaught of plushies coming your way, until eventually, you gave up, being covered in a pile of them.

Once they were all inside the fort, Phantom crawled in. “Huh, where’d my little baby go?” His voice had a hint of fake curiosity.

“Under here daddy!” Your voice was slightly muffled.

“Under where?” He teased, making you giggle more and point out that he said ‘underwear.’ “You’re a little stinker, aren’t ya, baby?” He moved the plushies off of you, his heart melting at your smiling face looking up at him. “There you are, my darling.”

Phantom picked you up out of the pile and set you in his lap, leaning back and getting comfy. He set up some of the plushies around you two, making it like they were playing in the fort and hanging out as well. “Which friend do you wanna hold, buddy?” You made grabby hands towards one of them, it was your favourite plushie you always kept on your bed at night. He placed it in your arms before grabbing his iPad again. “Movie time?”

“M-mobie time!” You nodded in agreement.

Phantom tapped on the screen and made his way over to the movies, turning the tablet to you and letting you pick whatever you wanted. Phantom always enjoyed spending this time with you when you were little. He was already pretty childish himself, so getting to play and have fun with you was awesome. “Good choice, little man,” He cooed when you finally chose a movie.

As the movie played, you and Phantom would occasionally comment on it or mess with the plushies. Phantom was also snacking on Cheetos half the time, but he made sure to actually clean off the Cheeto dust on his fingers for your sake. Halfway through, your eyes started to droop, and you felt yourself getting sleepy. It was just so cozy in the fort! You snuggled further into Phantom’s arms, enjoying his warmth and the softness of all the stuffies surrounding you. You grabbed his hand, bringing it up to your mouth and lightly sucking on the knuckle of his finger. He didn’t really mind at first, thinking you were just teething, until he noticed you were starting to fall asleep.

“Baby boy, come on, you know you have pacifiers. Do you want that?” He pat your back with his free hand. You just mumbled sleepily around his finger. He rolled his eyes with a smile on his face before reaching under one of the piles of blankets and pulling out your paci. “Here you go, buddy, use this.” Phantom gently removed his finger from your mouth and replaced it with the pacifier before you could protest. His smile widened even more at your contented face. He loved that he made you feel this safe. He couldn’t even get himself to focus on the movie anymore, as you drifted off in his lap, he loved you so much.

Mountain had set up a whole table within the ghoul den full of different carving tools, spoons, markers, stencils, and everything one would need to carve a pumpkin. Spooky season was in full swing at the ministry. This was the time everyone could really shine, or any prying eyes on the ministry wouldn't think their worship of Satanism was as weird. So, of course, they need to carve pumpkins to decorate.

Originally, Mountain was not planning on having to carve pumpkins with two little ones, but after a tiring week, Rain and Dewdrop had both regressed and were ecstatic about making jack-o-lanterns. Mountain was a caregiver most of the time. He knew exactly how to handle both of them, but this time would be more difficult. Both ghouls were a bit clumsy while little, and Mountain was not risking either of them getting stabbed with a knife today.

As Mountain was lifting the selection of pumpkins onto the table, the little ones came running and giggling into the room. "Woah, woah, slow down there, kiddos." He smiles down at them. "Are you boys excited to carve pumpkins?"

"Yeah!" Dewdrop practically cheered while Rain just nodded beside him.

"Good. Take a seat, I'm just getting everything set up." Mountain gestures to the two stools at the counter. He had set them out, knowing there was no way the little ones would want to stand the entire time.

Dewdrop climbs onto a stool, his hands gripping at the table in excitement.

"Mounty.. help." Rain mumbles out.

Mountain just smiles and lifts Rain onto the stool, patting his head once he is comfortable. "Okay, kiddos, I have some stencils laid out for you to choose from, but if you don't like any of those, you can go wild with it. So when you're ready, let me know what pumpkin you'd like, and I'll move it over for ya."

Dew and Rain started looking through the stencils together as Mountain grabbed his own pumpkin. He cut off the top and began to scoop out the insides. He wanted to at least get a start before he had to help the littles.

Dew happily exclaimed as he chose a stencil, setting it to the side and starting to examine every pumpkin like his life depended on it. Rain decided to do his own design. He reached for one of the sharpies, uncapping it and drawing on the paper table mat a little.

"Daddy! Want t- this pumpkin." Dewdrop put his hands on the one he wanted. Claiming it as his own. It was a very round pumpkin, almost comical in how much it looked like a stereotypical cartoon pumpkin.

Mountain paused on his pumpkin to move the big one over in front of Dew. "Which one would you like, Rain?" Once Rain quietly pointed at a smaller but firm pumpkin, Mountain moved it in front of Rain. "Both got your pumpkins, great, now do you need help getting it open?"

Rain nodded, knowing his own limits within his headspace, and he really just wanted to carve the face. Dewdrop, however, seemed to be almost buzzing with excitement at the idea of using a knife. "I can carve my own dada! It- it's not too hard." He was already reaching for a carving knife.

Thankfully, Mountain had purchased a carving kit meant for smaller children, but he still stopped Dewdrop. "Hey, I know you're excited, but we have to be calm with the tools, alright, firefly? I don't want anyone getting hurt. That wouldn't be fun, would it?"

Dew looked down shyly, biting on his lip a little before glancing back up at Mountain. "No.. don't wanna get hurt.. I be careful daddy, pwomise."

"Good boy." He ruffled Dewdrop's hair. "If you need any help, just let me know."

Mountain grabbed the adult carving knife and got to work opening the top of Rain's pumpkin. He was silently hoping that they wouldn't go crazy with the pumpkin guts, but that was likely a lost cause. As he popped the top off and disposed of the excess, he saw Dew stab the knife into the pumpkin top. Mountain sighed heavily. Dew really didn't have an idea of 'careful' in this headspace. He was just grinning like a madman as he stabbed at the top of the pumpkin.

"Here you are, love." A spoon was handed to Rain for him to scoop out the guts. "There's a bucket right down here for all those to go in. If you get tired, tell me, and I'll take over for a bit, alright?"

"O-otay.. thank 'ou, Mounty." Rain mumbled around the collar of his shirt that he'd been chewing on. Mountain made a mental note to get him a teether in a minute.

Mountain rounded the table again, scooping at the inside walls of his pumpkin while keeping a cautious eye on Dewdrop and his knife usage. Dew had managed to get the top off, albeit a little jagged, but he hadn't gotten cut, so that was a win. Mountain grabbed a spoon and handed it off to Dew, admiring how cute his little ones were as they cleaned out the pumpkins.

Once he had the entire inside of the pumpkin rid of guts, he crouched down, taking a sharpie and drawing on a spooky face. It was easier to work ahead like this, so when the little ones caught up and needed help, he wouldn't be stuck on step one in his own creation. Before starting to carve, he helped the little ghouls dump out their pumpkin guts.

While Mountain was scrapping out some of the seeds in Rain's pumpkin for him, Dew grabbed a handful of the slimy insides and threw them at Rain. "Got you!" He giggled loudly.

"Hey!" Rain growled a little, grabbing his own fistful from the waste bucket and dropping it on Dew's head. Mountain sighed as they were now in a full-on pumpkin gut brawl. Seeds and stringy pumpkin were flying back and forth, getting the whole work station and floor messy. However, he kept working on getting the pumpkins ready. They were having fun, and it really wasn't too much work to clean up, so if they could get to the carving by the time their little war was over, he'd be content.

Mountain only looked up again when he saw them swatting their hands at each other. Their clothes, hair, and hands were absolutely covered in pumpkin. How had they even got that messy in such a short amount of time? The way kids worked was always a mystery to him. "Come on boys, that's enough."

Both ghouls quickly stopped their playful fighting, looking up at Mountain with innocent eyes. They mumbled out little 'soweys' and worked on cleaning their mess as a way to apologize.

Once all the bits of pumpkin were disposed of, they got to drawing on the designs for the jack-o-lanterns. Mountain held Dew's stencil in place while he traced it with a blue marker. Rain was smiling and drawing his own jack-o-lantern face. The typical triangle eyes, but he decided on a big circle mouth.

Once Dew was situated and happily cutting out the face, Mountain moved by Rain's side. "Do you need help, baby?" Rain nodded in response, awkwardly holding the little carving knife. "Alright," Mountain crouched beside Rain's spot. "It's going to be a little tough, but you just gotta push the knife into where you're gonna start on the cutting."

Mountain held his hand on the back of the pumpkin so it'd stay steady as Rain put the edge of the knife against the drawn-out line of the eye. He grunted slightly as he pushed, but the knife then popped through. "I did it!" Rain smiled, clearly looking to Mountain for approval.

"Yes, you did! You did such a good job, sweetie. Now, I'll show you on my pumpkin, but you want to move it back and forth in a sawing motion, the direction you want it to cut." He moved his pumpkin by Rain's, grabbing the carving knife and sticking it in the eye area, starting to carve out his shape, all while making sure to go slow so Rain can watch.

"Can- can you hold my pumpkin while I do that, Mounty?" Right as Mountain's hands were on, Rain got to work. There was quick progress made, even as careful as Rain was being to not get cut.

Mountain was very happy that Rain and Dew were having fun. It was a nice bonding moment between all of them, something he wished he could capture in his memory forever.

He helped his babies out with the carving, and while they were making final details, he made quick work of carving his own.

"Oo! I like yours, daddy! So spooky!" Dewdrop was all of a sudden standing by Mountain's side, pointing at his pumpkin. "I think yours wins."

"Oh, it's a competition now?"

"No... but yours is um sp-spookiest." Dew was basically babbling about some 'spooky contest.'

Mountain just chuckled and ruffled the kid's hair.

"Is mine spooky?" Rain spoke up, turning his pumpkin, that now had added guts back into the mouth to give it a throwing up effect.

"Ooo! Wait- I think Rain's migh' have beat yours, daddy, his scawy!"

"Your pumpkin is very spooky, Rain. I love it." Mountain ruffled Rain's hair and looked back down at Dewdrop. "It's not a competition, firefly, they're all creative and spooky in their own ways."

"So.. do I win then?"

Mountain's chest rumbles with a sweet laugh. "Sure, sweetheart, you're both winners."

Once all of the pumpkins were done, Mountain placed them next to each other and grabbed the fake tea lights to set inside. They'd get real candles once they got moved outside, this was just for aesthetics, and the photo Mountain wanted to take.

"Come on, lovebugs, we gotta show off all your hard work." Rain and Dew leaned in together on either side of Mountain as he held up his polaroid camera. "Say cheese!"

"Cheeseeee"

"Cheese!"

Mountain snapped the photo and let it develop. It was an adorable photo. Dew had the biggest grin on his face, Rain was munching on pumpkin seeds, all of them having some amount of pumpkin guts on them, and all their jack-o-lanterns were showcased in the background.

"Alright, we're all set." Terzo spoke as he set down the little tea cups on the table.

"Ah, it's perfect. What do you think, love?" Omega asked as he turned to you.

You were currently waiting by the door, rocking back and forth on your heels as your caregivers put together the little tea party you had asked for. "I wuv it! Now, just gotta get my friends!" You giggled as you ran over to the corner of the room.

"Oh, your friends? And which friends will be joining us today, sweetheart?"

Omega watched with a pure smile as you brought over a couple of different plushies, setting them up in the chairs around the low table. "These f-fwiends!" You beamed up at him.

Omega ruffled your hair and sat down in the plastic chair next to Terzo. "Well, now that everyone is here, it seems best we start our tea party, huh?"

You nodded, and Terzo grabbed the blue teapot that had been filled with homemade tea. "Tea, my prince?"

"No..."

"No? My prince doesn't want tea?" Terzo pulled the teapot back towards him, tilting his head slightly.

"I not a prince, I the king!"

"Oh? We have a king on our hands, Omega." Terzo puts a hand over his chest for dramatic effect.

"Well, we have to treat our king right then, don't we?"

"Of course, of course." They were both really playing into their roles. "Does our royal king want some tea?"

"Yes, Papa." Terzo almost wanted to tease you for the use of 'papa' in this play scenario, but he decided against it as he tilted the spout of the pot towards your cup. "Thank 'ou."

"Anything for you, your majesty." You giggled at Terzo's half bow with his words. He poured tea into Omega's cup, then his.

"Papa, they need tea too."

"Hm? Oh- yes, of course, silly me." He stood back up, pouring a small amount of tea into the cups in front of your plushies. "There we are."

You sipped on your tea, your legs swinging back and forth. The tea was warm still. Not hot enough to where it'd burn you but just enough for it to be soothing on your throat. You set down your cup and reached over for your plushies cup, bringing it up to their mouth and making them 'drink' the tea.

Omega watched as you interacted with the plushies, including them in your tea party. He loved how sweet you were in your littlespace. Always having a big heart and the cutest little smile on your face.

"Is Mr. Cuddles enjoying his tea?" Terzo said gently after a long sip of his tea.

You grabbed the fuzzy bear that was Mr. Cuddles and waved his arm, speaking in a silly voice for him. "Oh, yes! The tea is very yummy, Papa!"

"I'm glad you like it, Mr. Cuddles. My lovely partner worked very hard on it." He patted Omega's shoulder for emphasis.

"Oh, it was nothing." Omega waved his hand, playing off Terzo's teasing remarks. Although he couldn't help the slight tinge that spread across his face when Terzo pecked his cheek.

"Ewwww"

"Now, that's not very nice, darling." Terzo fake pouted.

"I didn't say that. It was fwoggy." You pointed at your bright green frog plush who had a pink ribbon wrapped tied in a bow around its neck.

"Froggy is saying ew to our relationship?"

"Mmh, yeah." You giggled.

"Is Froggy maybe jealous they're not getting kisses?"

Your cheeks tint a little, and your eyes glance down for a split second. "Nuh uh."

"I'd be happy to give Froggy some kisses." Omega was already leaning over to press a kiss to the stuffed animals cheek. They were trying to tease you at this point.

You whined at Omega's action. Terzo just chuckled. "I think it's my turn to give Froggy kisses now." He paused mid-lean as you whined again. "What's wrong, baby boy?"

A pout formed as another whine slipped past your lips. You didn't want to have to say it. "I want kisses."

"You could've just said that, tesoro." Terzo smiled and reached over, picking you up to set you securely on his lap.

He pressed a couple kisses to your cheek, the faintest marks of black paint from his lips being left. It wasn't until Omega started placing light kisses against your other cheek that you started giggling.

"Daddyyy! Stop it!" You laughed, trying to push Omega away.

"Alright, alright, no more kisses... for now." He gave a playful smirk then pulled back.

You all drank your tea in silence for a couple of minutes, but they could tell you were a bit more restless now, wanting to play over the 'sophisticated' tea party.

Terzo set the cups down on the table and lifted you off of his lap down onto a chair. He walked a bit away from the setup table to lay out a thick blanket on the floor. He set some of your toys on the blanket and looked back up to see you playing with Omega's tail. His smile widened, the worn paint on his face cracking slightly at the natural creases of his face. "Bambino, how about we move over here with your friends?"

Omega's tail stopped moving as you popped your head up, being pulled out of that trance-like state. "Otay, Papa!" Your hand wrapped around Omega's larger one, and you tugged him with. The plushie friends were scooped up in your arms and brought to the blanket where you almost stumbled down on arrival. Your giggles filled the room as you got situated with your soft friends. Omega and Terzo came to sit with you, playing with you and your dolls.

As you kept playing, the tea started catching up to you, making your eyes get droopy and your brain a bit fuzzier. You grabbed one of your stuffed animals and squeezed it tight to your chest, curling up on the blanket with your head in Omega's lap.

"Oh, looks like he's falling asleep." Omega chuckled but kept his voice soft so as not to disturb you.

Terzo ran his hand through your hair, soothing you to sleep. "Goodnight, my little one."

"Night, Papa.. night dada.. love you." Your little voice mumbled as you slipped your thumb into your mouth.

"We love you so very much, baby. Sweet dreams." Omega pressed a kiss to your forehead.

Fall. It was the perfect season for a lot of reasons. The weather wasn't trying to burn you alive, a lot of bugs went away, and the leaves were changing colours. There were a million reasons you could list for why you loved fall. Besides, from it being spooky season, another amazing reason to love fall was all the flavours and smells associated with it. There was pumpkin being added to everything now. Apple cider's available at any corner store or coffee stand, and oh, the amount of sweets was insane! You had mentioned briefly to Omega while in the ghoul den that you had never been apple picking before, well, at an actual place meant for people to show up and pick apples. Doing it in your own garden was different.

So, after some talks with Terzo, Omega was on his way to a nearby apple orchard with you in the passenger seat. "Are you excited, darling?" He barely glanced at your form, a small smile tugging at his lips, seeing the cute overalls you had picked out, but when there wasn't a response, it turned to a frown. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm scared." You whispered.

"What's scaring you, love?"

"I haven't gone out w-while little before.." You bit on your lip slightly. "There's gonna be so many people."

His eyes softened as you spoke, even if he wasn't looking at you. "I know it's scary, but you don't have to worry. Everything's all worked out, and I'll be with you the whole time to protect you."

Part of you didn't want to believe him, but you pushed it down for the time being. Omega was always truthful to you, and he was a big ghoul after all, bigger than most humans. People tended to get very intimidated, but he was just a big teddy bear to you.

When you pulled into the lot, you noticed the lack of people. Usually, the place was so packed around this time that people had to call ahead. It felt better not to question it, though, cause Omega was already getting out of the car. He came to the passenger side and helped you out. He held your hand while walking to the big barn. You had a tendency to get distracted, especially in a new and exciting place like this. He didn't want you wandering off.

The inside of the barn had many shelves with different plants, snacks, drinks, and harvesting items. You didn't even notice Omega talking to one of the workers at the counter with how intrigued you were by everything. He handed them a dark coloured card to pay for the apple picking. Once scanned, it was put back in his wallet. He looked down at you, smiling at your wide eyes, taking everything in.

He squeezed your hand once, bringing your attention back to him. "Come on, darling, let's go."

"Do we get to pick the apples now?"

"Mhm. We're going to grab a basket to fill up, and then we can get right to it." He chuckled deeply at your enthusiasm, letting you run over to where the baskets were. You grabbed one of the woven baskets, holding it up triumphantly. "Good job, sweetheart. Do you think you can carry that while we walk?"

"Uhuh! I got it, daddy." The basket swung back and forth in your hand as you followed next to Omega.

It was only a little bit of a walk to where the rows of apple trees started. You continued to look around, but still, you found no other people. The only ones around seemed to be workers. Something felt strange about that, but you brushed it off as a coincidence. You weren't going to let something as silly as where people were ruin your time.

Once at the rows of trees, Omega walked down them with his hand rubbing at his chin, acting like he was inspecting each apple with the utmost importance. You giggled and pointed to a random tree. "Daddy! There's goo' apples on all the twees!"

He could tell by your speech that you were regressing more. It made him smile. "Oh, I know there's lots of apples, sweetie, but we need perfect apples to bring home."

"Like this one?" You pointed at a deliciously red apple.

"Exactly like that," He walked over, going to take the apple off the branch, but stopping and turning it over. He hummed to himself and pulled it off anyway, crouching down next to you. "Look at this, sweetheart." He smiled as you moved over and held out the basket expectantly. "Hold on, baby. See this? It may look ripe, but if you turn it over, see all those marks?"

"What that from?"

"That's from bugs eating the apple."

"Ew!"

His chest rumbled with a laugh. "Yeah, that's gross, isn't it? Some of the bugs find these apples really yummy, just like we do, but we don't want to disturb the ones that are food for other animals, okay?"

"Oh, okay! So.. we want the red apples that don't have wounds?"

"That's right! Although, not all of them will be this nice of a red. If they're different colours, that's okay too." He made sure you were understanding, then he stood back up. "Let's get to picking, yeah?"

Both of you walked down the rows of apple trees, examining the apples and trying to find the best ones. Somehow, most of this row had either apples taken over by bugs or not fully ripe ones. So, onto another row. It was a lot of walking, and your legs were getting tired. Omega noticed when you started slowing down, clearly trying not to whine over the slight ache in your feet.

"Tired already, baby?" He teased but stopped when you pouted. "I'm just messing with you. Come here."

He offered out his arms, ready to pick you up. However, you stayed in place, biting your lip again. "Wh-what about if someone sees?"

"Hey, you don't have to worry about anyone, look- there's no one around us." He gestured vaguely to the field. Yep. He was right, not a single person in sight.

"Promise?"

"I promise, it'll all be okay. Besides, how else can I pick these apples without someone to reach them?" He spoke in an upbeat tone, hoping to convince you.

"Okie, daddy." You smiled and lifted your arms out.

Omega hoisted you up against his hip, letting you hold the basket still. He knew damn well he could reach all the trees, and so could you, but in your littlespace, the idea of being held up and helping pick the apples was a lot more appealing. Now you both got to work. Omega would lean close to a tree and inspect each and every apple with you. Once you found the best ones, he'd hold you up a bit higher and let you pull them off the branches. You had dropped the first couple apples into the basket with abandon. This made him remind you that they'll bruise, and we don't want that, so you started setting them carefully in the basket.

He pat your side with his large, warm hand as he walked through the field. "You're doing so good, baby! Look at all these apples."

"Can we eat them now?"

"Oh, no, baby. We gotta wait til we're back to the ministry." He watched you pout and move the apple in your hands closer to your face. "Hm... fine, just one, okay?"

"Yay!" You bit into the apple. Such a pure apple, straight from the tree, tasted so yummy. You hummed in contentment and laid your head on his shoulder.

"That taste good, baby?" He rubbed your back as you nodded. "I'm glad. We've got a bit more space in the basket to fill, and plenty more time. Do you want to keep going?"

"Yeah!"

Once you finished the apple, he set the core in the basket. It could be removed later. He kept you close and secure in his strong arms, but he noticed you nibbling on the edge of your thumb and your knuckles. "Do you need your paci, tesoro?"

Shyly, a nod came from you. "Good thing we keep it on you with this cute little outfit, huh?" He took the colourful pacifier from the front pocket of your overalls, slipping it into your mouth. As you started to suck on it, he attached a pale yellow paci clip from the end to your clothes. He couldn't have you losing it here. That would result in a never-ending meltdown.

Once again, you continued along with the apple picking. Now, making happy sounds behind the pacifier and snuggling against Omega any chance you got. You were getting sleepy, and the basket was getting full. With the added weight, Omega was now also holding the basket, letting you rest in his arms.

"We got a good haul today, buddy, don't you think?" He held up the basket a bit in a way to show it off.

"Mhm." You mumbled around the pacifier.

"And once we're home, we can get them cleaned and make so many things with them! We can try making apple juice again, although that was very messy for you last time."

You giggled at the memory of your attempt to make apple juice a couple of weeks ago with Omega. The machine wasn't working properly, resulting in apple splattered all over the kitchen. Maybe it was a user error. Who knows. "Nuh uh, dada, we gonna make mess again."

He giggles at your words, his smile ever fond. You could feel his tail barely flick against your leg. "Well, Papa Terzo makes the most delicious apple pie. I'm sure he'd love to make more with these."

"Can I help?"

"Of course, tesoro, he'd be happy to have you help. My first night with Terzo, we made that pie together, delicious." He smiled down at you, moving his hand up to run through your hair.

"Sleepy, dada."

"I know, I know. It's getting late, isn't it? We should start heading home. We've got a good haul."

Omega shifted you against him slightly to be able to carry you and the basket better. It was a bit of a far walk back to the car, considering how deep into the apple tree field you were. He kept his hand tracing small circles on your side. Your head was on his shoulder, and your breathing was steadying out. Telltale signs that you were going to fall asleep anytime soon.

His strides slowed once he reached the car, making you open your eyes. He secured the basket in the backseat and then opened the passenger door. Your body was lowered onto the seat and buckled in. You were still so out of it. Not really knowing how much time had passed between that and Omega starting the car.

"Daddy?" You rubbed at your eyes before opening them. Noticing the beautiful sunset. Red and oranges blending into the blue sky.

"Yes, love?" He was focused on the road once again.

"Is it weird there wasn't anyone there? I thought it was a'ways so full."

"Well, Terzo reserved it." He mentioned casually.

"What?"

"I told Papa about doing this with you. I suspected you might be little during it, and I know you don't like big crowds... so he reserved the place for us so we wouldn't have to deal with all the annoying humans." That was actually really sweet. It made your heart kick a bit, although you were still sleepy and little, so responses didn't come the best.

"Papa's not annoying human."

Omega smiled, his own heart fluttering a little. "I know... Papa's a good human." He looked over at you for a quick second. You were curling up in the seat, eyes wanting to close again. "I did have.. plans, with Terzo, tonight, but I'm sure he wouldn't mind if you stayed with us. Would you like that, honey?"

A big yawn escaped from you. "Mm, yeah..." You curled up the best you could in the car seat, eyes fluttering shut again. "Love ya."

Aether's larger hand was carefully holding on to the small hand of a regressed Dewdrop. You were close by on his other side. The three of you were walking out to the vast yard slash garden of the ministry. It had been windy and raining the past few days, typical fall weather, but now that everything was cleared up, it was nice enough to be outside without needing to get bundled up too much. Not that Aether would mind. He thought his little ones looked adorable with fluffy scarves around their necks and warm mittens on their hands. After cleaning the massive amount of leaves that had blown into the garden, they were going to be left in piles or maybe bagged and tossed into the outside dumpster out of the way. However, once Dewdrop got a view of those leaves that were in the most perfect condition to play in, one couldn't say no. They were beautiful shades of reds, oranges, and browns, reflecting the clear change in seasons from the warm summer. Sure, the leaves were still damp from the rain, but clothes could always be changed and cleaned. You couldn't replace the fun, though, and it made Aether the happiest ghoul in the world to see his kiddos smiling.

Dew was already stumbling and trying to pull away from Aether's grip as you all got outside. "Slow down there, firecracker. The leaves aren't going anywhere." A deep chuckle rumbled through Aether's chest, making you cling to his side even more, wanting to steal all of his warmth.

"Wanna play noowwww." Dew whined as he tugged on Aether's hand again, almost making himself trip in the process.

"You'll get to play in a minute, babycakes." Aether was just trying to make sure Dew didn't make a mess and that you were still okay. You were a bit on the quiet side today, but he didn't mind. He'd keep you safe and comfortable either way, even with a toddler tugging on his arm. "Let me help you with that, sweetheart." Aether spoke kindly to you as he fixed your untied shoe.

Dewdrop loved you. He really did. You were part of his pack, and he had some of the best times when you were little together. However, that didn't stop him from making a scene when he didn't understand why Aether wasn't taking them to the leaves yet. He plopped onto the ground, crossing his arms over his chest and pouting. "Play now!"

Aether looked behind him at Dew, sighing slightly. He quickly finished up with your shoe and kissed your forehead. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, give me one moment." A frown almost threatened to show at your little whine, your hand going to his sleeve. "I'm still going to be right here, I just need to get Dew to calm down." Aether was trying to reassure you the best he could without taking too long, so Dew wouldn't start having a full tantrum.

He thanked Satan for his patience in times like these. Dealing with two little ones that could be so very different in their regression at times was challenging. He almost wanted to use his quintessence to calm them down, but it felt almost wrong to do that when Dew was in this headspace. He didn't want to take advantage of his kiddos, even if that wasn't the actuality, and just his brain overthinking. The only times he had used his powers were when one of them specifically asked. Whether it was to help ease them into their regressed state or to help them sleep. Sure, the powers were an easy route, but he had been dealing with these babies long enough to be able to handle a little whining.

Aether crouched down in front of Dew in the grass. He was trying to explain that he just had to help you with your shoe. "-And now that their shoe's all tied, we can go over to the leaves, but you can't just throw a fit when things take too long."

Dew hit his bunched up fists against the ground. "I wanna play now! You- and you keep not listening!" Dew's whines were loud, making your ears hurt.

"I am listening. I know you want to play, but they want to play too. You're here together, and it's not fair if you start running ahead and--" Aether was cut off by more of Dewdrop's whines. It was hard to make out what he was saying. The emotions were overwhelming him, and he couldn't fully process what Aether was explaining to him.

Aether turned to look at you, seeing how awkwardly you were standing. You were nibbling on the edge of your thumb, watching the scene unfold. He gave a sympathetic smile as a way to say sorry for Dew's behaviour. Turning back to Dew now, he took a deep breath. He always tried to be patient and caring for as long as he could, but sometimes, that just didn't get through.

"If you keep whining like this, I'm going to have to take you inside Dewdrop." He spoke directly but still kept that caring edge.

Dew looked up almost immediately, his whines reduced to quiet sniffles within seconds. He didn't want that. "N-no-! No! I'll be good aethy.."

"Promise?" Part of Aether knew that maybe he shouldn't be as lenient as he was, but this was Dew's safe space. He wasn't going to disrupt that.

"Pwomise." He held out his pinky, his gaze averted down and away from Aether's face.

Aether interlocked his pinky with Dew's, giving a small squeeze before standing back up. He helped Dew to his feet and brushed some of the dirt off him. "Now, can you apologize?"

"S-sorry Aether.. I be patient next time.."

"Thank you, darling, I forgive you, but I want you to apologize to them." Aether gestured towards where you were fidgeting with your hands a bit further behind him.

Dewdrop's eyes softened. He didn't realize how his brief tantrum was affecting your time. He stumbled over to you, forcing himself to meet your eyes. "Sowey for... for being mean when Aethy was helping you." His apology was small, considering his headspace, but it was important in his eyes.

You smiled at him, noticing how his tail was low between his legs. "It's okay, Dewdwop, I pwobably would've done the same fing." He perked up a bit when he realized you weren't mad at him.

After a warm hug between both of you, Aether walked back over. "Good job, you two, I'm proud. Now, how about those leaves?" You and Dew both nodded eagerly, going back to Aether's sides. "Come along, grumpy pants." Aether chuckled as he held his hand out for Dew.

Finally, you were all at the pile of leaves. There were two smaller piles and one big one. It was clear which one was about to un-become a pile from two chaotic baby ghouls.

Dewdrop gazed up at Aether with large eyes, and at Aether's silent nod, he started to almost bolt over to the big pile. "Hey, you're forgetting something."

Dew stopped himself and turned around. He giggled and came back over before holding his hand out to you. After taking his hand in yours, you both ran as fast as you could to the leaves and jumped into the pile together. Thankfully, there were a whole lot. Otherwise, you would've fallen right to the ground.

All Aether could hear were your loud giggles and rustling leaves. Once Dew jumped in the pile, you'd get up and jump in again, Dew following in the same pattern. It was a mess. Both of you, somehow, with small leaves in your hair, clothes slightly damp from the water in the leaf pile. The pile was flatter now than it was before. Aether knew he'd have to help Mountain clean everything back up later, but the tall ghoul would understand it being for the little one's fun.

"Aether!" You called out to him from next to the pile. Dewdrop was also waving him over.

"What are you two rascals up to now?" He asked while walking over, now standing in front of the pile.

"Jump in!" Dew exclaimed, rolling himself in the leaves more.

"Oh, I dunno about that, firefly."

"Pleaseeee?"

"I don't think I shou--" Before he could finish his sentence, you pushed him into the pile from behind. He landed with a slight 'oomph' and glared back at you teasingly. "Oh, you little menace."

All you could do was giggle before jumping back into the pile, almost landing on Aether. The three of you burst into laughter. Nothing else mattered in this moment. Aether shifted on top of the leaves, making sure neither of you were about to roll off. "You're both my little troublemakers, huh? What am I gonna do with you two." He laughed and ruffled Dew's hair then yours. It made it even messier than it already was.

You smiled up at your caregiver, feeling warm and content inside. A giggle escaped you when you looked at Dewdrop, seeing the leaf on his nose. You pulled it off, then scooted closer, placing a quick kiss on to his cheek. He blushed a little, a faint shade of pink tinting his cheeks before he scooted closer and wrapped his arms around you. His yawn was deep, and his hair tickled as he nudged his head under your chin. Who knew just jumping in leaves could be so tiring?

You curled up together, tails intertwining. Aether's heart almost melted at the sight. Both of his sweet ghouls drifting off to sleep, covered in leaves. He'd have to carry you both inside, which would seem a tad annoying with how you slept like logs, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. His kiddos got to play and have fun. That was all he could ask for. Aether kissed the top of your head, then Dew's.

You giggled and squirmed as Mountain adjusted your outfit. You were feeling really little today, but thankfully, there wasn't anything going on in the ministry this evening. That meant you had a whole day to do whatever you wanted with your caregiver. You had heard Rain this morning briefly mention something called a 'lazy day.' That had sounded nice. The idea of getting to relax, not worry about chores or band practice, and instead sit on the couch watching tv seemed like a great idea.

"Come on, sweetheart, you gotta stop squirming so I can get your onesie on." Mountain's voice was sweet like sugar, but there was a hint of impatience wanting to seep through.

You were trying to settle, really, but you were just full of energy. Mountain sighed as you continued to wiggle, but he appreciated your attempt to sit still. Once the onesie was over your limps and buttoned up, he gently pulled your tail through the hole in the back. He checked to make sure everything was comfy for you, but you were just giggling over the cute outfit. It was an adorable footie pajama outfit. Black with white spiderwebs and an orange trim on the sleeves and collar. It was perfect for the Halloween season.

"Look at you, nice and bundled up now, huh?" He smiled as you nodded. "Alright, do you need anything before we head to the living room?"

"Umm.." You glanced around the room before getting up and waddling over to your blanket and plushie on the bed. You held them up, showing Mountain.

"Aw, of course, we couldn't forget those." Once he made sure you both had everything you needed, he offered out his hand to you, but you kept reaching up at him. "Does my little love want uppies?" At your eager nod, he hoisted you up against his hip, wrapping the blanket over your shoulders. "Such a sweet boy." He pressed a kiss against your forehead and made his way to the living room.

Once there, he set you down on the couch. Mountain couldn't help the smile on his face at your little form, all bundled up. You were absolutely adorable. From the way you held your plushie so close, the blanket wrapped around you, your slightly messy hair, even to the way you swung your feet back and forth. He just wanted to squeeze you tight and make sure you were safe.

"Alright, bug, I'm thinking.. hmm.." He pretended to be in thought for a moment, making a point of tapping his chin with his finger. "Hot cocoa? It'll make us nice and warm for our movie night."

You seemed to light up at the idea of hot chocolate. "Yeah! Can have m- ma'shmallows?"

"Oo, marshmallows are a wonderful idea, love! Can you be a really good boy for me and start looking for a movie while I work on the cocoa?" He held out the tv remote to you.

"Mhm!" You happily took the remote as Mountain walked just across the way to the kitchen.

You struggled with the remote a little, trying to remember how to work it in your fuzzy headspace. A happy giggle erupted from your throat as the tv flickered to life. The tv was responding to the mass onslaught of button pressing you were doing. The feel of the buttons under your fingers was nice, distracting you from why you even had the remote in the first place. Eventually, you navigated your way to a streaming service, but that was as far as things got. The remote was set aside in favour of playing with the bat plushie sitting in your lap. It had been a gift from Phantom after he found out about your regression and cared for you for the first time. Now, it was inseparable from you. The one time Rain had taken it to clean out a stain, you almost wrecked the whole den from a tantrum. Now they know to be very careful with your fluffy friends.

Mountain looked over from the kitchen, noticing the tv idle on the home screen of a streaming service. His eyes moved over to the couch, the corners of his lips tugging into a gentle smile at the sight of you playing with your stuffie. He hadn't fully expected to see a movie chosen by the time he was done, but at least you tried.

Mountain finished mixing up the hot cocoa, adding a splash of flavouring, then a handful of mini marshmallows, just the way you liked it. Carefully, he brought the two mugs over to the couch. He placed them on little pumpkin coasters before settling in next to you.

You were nibbling on the edge of the bat's wing but looked up when you saw Mountain's warm gaze on you. He just chuckled and reached out to ruffle your hair. "Having fun there, buddy?" His laugh is small but sweet at your shy look. "It's alright, baby boy." He pat his lap, offering up the space for you.

Mountain sipped on his hot chocolate as you climbed into his lap, situating yourself into a comfy position. He set his mug down on the table and looked back down at you. A sweet kiss was placed on top of your head as he grabbed the blanket to pull back over your lap. "Your hot cocoa is ready, but it's still a little too hot for you, baby boy." He held back a giggle at the sight of your pouty lip. "I know, I know, but we don't want a burnt tongue, do we? Let's look for a movie, and it'll be cooled down by start time, okay?"

You reluctantly agreed. As much as you wanted that delicious drink, you knew it would be worse to suffer through a burnt mouth. So you settled against Mountain's chest, babbling to him (and your stuffie) as he scrolled through options. He kept his large, warm hand on your side so you wouldn't move too far or squirm out of his lap. There were occasional nods and hums in response to your babbling. He wanted you to feel seen even if he had no clue what you were talking about. You were happy, and that's all that mattered to him.

Eventually, a cute Halloween movie, perfect for your regressed state, was found and put on. Mountain's heart almost melted at the way your eyes light up watching the screen. He helped you with your hot cocoa. Holding his hands on the mug with yours over his to make sure you didn't spill any. He knew how upsetting it'd be if you got anything on your outfit or plushie.

The rest of the night was peaceful. Both of you sipping your hot chocolate and watching movies for the season. It was perfect. Even more so when you drifted off to sleep after the third or fourth film. Mountain chuckled as he wiped the drool from the side of your mouth, his other hand carding through your hair.