Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Patton woke up feeling little.
He regressed to about six.
That’s not too little but it’s little enough that he still craves the attention only a caregiver could provide.
And if he were anyone else, feeling little like this wouldn’t be a problem.
But he was still Patton. And almost everyone was little right now.

Logan was about eight playing with legos on the coffee table, Janus and Remus we’re playing with their plastic figurines, (They were probably about three or four.)
And Virgil was asleep in his onesie cuddled up in the corner of the couch with a pacifier in his mouth and a stuffie in his hand. (He had to be somewhere between one and two.)

Patton sat down on the stairs and watched them while Roman made breakfast for everyone. He was trying everything he can to stay big but nothing seemed to be working. He can’t let Roman handle all this by himself, he can’t bother him or take attention from the others. That would be wrong.

“Breakfast is ready, who’s hungry?”Roman finally asked.

Patton sighed, he wasn’t sure how much longer he could do this. Why can’t he do something so simple?

Janus, Logan, and Remus ran into the kitchen and washed their hands. Virgil was still sleeping and it looked like Roman was just going to let him.

“Hey, Patton,”Roman said, appearing next to him. “Are you little too?”

“No.” He said.

Roman raised an eyebrow, “are you sure?”

Patton looked away from Roman. He can’t lie to his face. “Yes.” He insists.

“It’s ok to be little, baby.”Roman said.

“I’m not.” He pouts.

“But it’s not ok to lie, Patton.”

“I’m not...”He says again.

Roman frowned. “Pat? Are you alri-“

Patton broke into sobs. “Please leave me alone,”He whispered as tears streamed down his face. Stricken with embarrassment and sudden overwhelming fatigue, Patton ran upstairs and slammed the door behind him. Why did he have to mess everything up? Why can’t he just be good?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Patton was crying alone in his room for about ten minutes before he heard a knock on his door.

“Patton?”Roman asked. “Are you ok?”

“M’ fine,”He said, he tried to sound big but it wasn’t working.

“Can I come in?”

Patton didn’t answer.

“Patton?”

Patton knew Roman would stand there until he let him in. And there are littles downstairs who need him more. It would be selfish to keep them from him. “Ok.”

“Hey, Pat,”Roman smiled as he walked in. “Can we talk for a minute?”

Patton’s breathing increases. “But what about Virgil and Janus and Remus and-“

“They’re ok, they’re eating. And Logan is keeping an eye on them”.

Patton calmed down a little and nodded. Logan was a pretty responsible little. He’d come tell them if something happened.

“What’s going on?”Roman asked.

Patton looked away from him and Roman took a seat next to him on the bed.

“Please talk to me, Patton.” He says brushing his fingers through Patton’s hair. “You’re worrying me.”

“Really?”he asked, he didn’t mean to worry Roman.

“It’s ok, kiddo. Just talk to me. Can you do that for me?”

“It not ok. M’ can’t be little!” Patton cries in frustration. Patton was so overwhelmed right now, he curled himself into a ball and tried to disappear, but it didn’t work.

“Why can’t you be little?”Roman asked.

“It too much.”

“What?”

“I too much. Vee, and jan, and Remus, and lo-“

“I can handle that, Pat.” Roman reassures, “you’re not too much, I promise.”

“But m’ dad.”

“You don’t think you can be little because you’re a dad?”he asked, just to be clear.

Patton nods.

“Pat, dads can be little too.” He says.

Patron shakes his head. “No.”

“Yes, they can. Is Virgil allowed to be little?”

“Yes.” Patton answered, as if it were obvious.

“He’s a caregiver too.”

“That...different.”

“Why is it different?”

“He...Anxiety.”

“Virgil does handle a lot of stress,”Roman agreed.

Patton nodded. “He need it.”

“You need it too.”

Patton shrugged.

“Listen to me, pat. You also work so hard, and you matter just as much to me as everyone else here.” He says sternly.

“But I’m dad.”

“Everyone gets stressed out, kiddo. And that’s ok.”

“Even dads?” He asked, not really convinced.

“Even dads. I don’t want you to feel like you can’t be little around us, sweetheart. We will all still respect and love you the same as ever.“

“Really?”he asked, as happier tears began to fall.

Roman nods. “In fact. You being little will set a good example for anyone else who needs it. You’re such a good little, I think they can learn a lot from you.”

“Really?”Patton asks surprised, “m’ good little?”

“Are you kidding? You’re the best little.” He kisses Patton’s head.

“Really?”

“I promise.”

Patton held up a pinkie, “pinkie promise?”

“pinkie promise.” He says wrapping his own pinkie around Patton’s. It’s the most sacred of promises. Super important stuff.

“So, I’m ok to being little?”He asked again.

“Of course, my adorable little Pup-Star.” Roman says, kissing Patton’s head.

“Not too much?”

“It’s a blessing to be your caregiver,”he says assuringly, “I promise. You’re not too much at all.”

Patton smiled, “hug?”

Roman smiled as he wrapped his arms around Patton.

“Love you, Ro.”

“And I love you, pat.”

They stayed like that for about five minutes until Roman thought he should check on the others. Things were just too quiet.

“Are you feeling better?”He asked, pulling away.

Patton nods.

“Want to go back downstairs with everybody?”He asked.

Patton nodded again, he got up and took Romans hand to walk downstairs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Apparently Virgil took over watching the others downstairs while Roman was with Patton. “Hey, everything ok?”Virgil asked.

“Yeah, everything is fine.“ Roman says, turning to Patton who was still holding his hand smiling.

“I helped Vee take care of everybody,” Logan said proudly.

Virgil nodded, “he sure did, such a good helper.” Virgil ruffled Logan’s hair then turned back to Roman and Patton. “We were just about to watch meet the Robinsons. Would you like to join us?”

Roman looked at Patton, “what do you think?”

Patton nods excitedly.

Virgil gestures for Patton to sit with him on the couch next to Logan.

“Hey,”Roman protests. “That’s my baby!”

Patton runs to Virgil and climbs on him.

Virgil wrapped his arms around Patton.
“Nope, my turn.”

Patton giggled as Virgil pulled him closer.

Roman scoffs jokingly. “You stole my cuddle bunny!”

Remus laughed too, “I cuddle wit you, broda.” He says.

“Thank you, Remus,”he says, pulling him up on his lap.

Janus sat next to Logan and they smiled at each other.

Everyone was together. The family was happy and healthy, and cuddly. Just as Patton likes it.